Page 9 - HIWT Fall 2012 World of Welding

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.

9