Page 9 - HIWT Fall 2012 World of Welding
P. 9

hiwt@welding.org                                       HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY



            TURNING SHEET METAL INTO ART




            You may have

            first learned of the
            work of JR Lodico
            in 2010 when we
            told you about
            his  work   with
            the restoration of
            lighthouses along
            the coastal areas
            of the northwest
            and     southeast
            United    States.
            His latest project
            incorporates  a
            much more artistic
            side as he shares
            with us a few of
            the techniques in
            creating a peacock
            for a gate at a
            private residence
            in St. Petersburg,
            Florida.

            The peacock, as
            the   centerpiece,
            attaches  to  an
            existing gate made
            of vertical pickets.
            It was made from
            approximately two sheets of 16 gauge mild                JR Lodico prepares peacock for gate..
            steel sheet.  The forms were rough-formed on
            a Pullmax® machine and then  fi ne-tuned
            by hand using chasing  (textured and refi ned
            from the front with steel tools called chasing
            tools and a chasing hammer),  and repoussé
            (worked from the back with soft-faced steel
            tools) techniques.  The individual pieces are
            welded into place.  From start to  fi nish,  it
            took JR about 12 days to complete the project.

            Jason Richard Lodico holds a bachelor of fi ne
            arts degree with a major in sculpture from the
            School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
            He spent three years learning blacksmithing
            in Memphis,  Tennessee, at the National
            Ornamental Metal Museum (NOMM).  He
            then came to Hobart Institute to learn more
            about the metals he enjoyed sculpting and
            welding. Most recently, he completed Hobart
            Institute’s online course, Symbols for Welding,
            and the Welding Instructor Course.


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