“350 Hours Of Work”: 71 Welders Share Their Proudest Creations

Hi guys! My name is Ricky im a metal sculptor that uses epursosed metal to create art. I want to share with you guys this vulture that I welded together using some vintage broken typewriter parts along with an old calculating machine and some other scrap metal. put over 80 hours into thiS piece and im pretty pleased with the way it came out. What do you guys think? lts also now available to purchase for those interested.

"My version of Drogon. Heat treated steel, 55ft long , two years working with my wife to build. His tail is too big for my shop so I won't see it installed till it arrives at his forever home.
Shoots fire and is heading to a private home in Utah soon..."

I made this sculpture last year, called No Escape. It shows an eagle swooping down on a hare frozen mid-flight.

The piece is about 1.5× life size and it's mainly built from corten steel. It took me roughly 2.5 months to finish. Every feather was hand-cut with a plasma and welded into place. Probably the most challenging piece I have made so far but also one of the most satisfying.

Photo by Jase Hancox.

Maybe few more days of small detail stuff. I think it’s around 5-6 tons. Thought you guys would enjoy it!

Just finished this commissioned horse head for a client. I really enjoy taking my time with these and trying to get all the pieces to fit together like a puzzle. Takes alot of time but definitely worth it. I would love to make more of these if theres anyone interested, feel free to message me for a custom piece! I make them entirely out of repurposed metal such as scrap metal, automotive parts/tools and random metal pieces that I find. Check out my other work on Instagram @rdurancreations.

Most parts are selfmade. One regular leg is made of 30 parts. Must be way over 600 parts all together. And nope, it's not moving.

Made this for my girlfriend's son for his birthday. Just went through the hardware bins and picked out random options. The brass hemispheres have a 1/4-20 hole on the flat side. Random drops of locktite and a couple of the bigger nuts were put on with an impact. Took him about 2 hours to get it apart with hand tools.

(Me for size reference) I’ve been at this for almost a year now. Using mostly 16g scrap sheet and cutting almost everything out by hand, I’ve made a trout CAD drawing to make those ones a bit easier/faster. They all have two brackets welded on the back for easy hanging. I love texturizing with MIG and hand hammering with a ball peen hammer that I rehandled myself(,: I have some of my work posted on my other socials @/mermetals. I put a lot of love into this and am so passionate about these silly little guys. Please comment fish recommendations for my next pieces!

Hi! It’s my head in sheet metal hammered and wire in steel plated copper.

We were hired to build a client 4 sets of stairs for his cottage. We got to talking about the building and the idea of a vault door to secure his keg room and antique fire arms came up. Not something we ever built, but fully in the realm of our skill set. End result was pretty awesome. It s awfully functional vault door built fully out of 1/4" plate. It has a smart lock and also serves as a panic room door.

The finish is a clear industrial wax over washed raw hit rolled plate. The rods are polished and brushed stainless and hide the latching system. The whole thing weighs 500lbs.

We had to build a custom door frame that attaches directly to the concrete ICF foundation. It's located in clients basement bar, when it slams, you hear it down the road.

Titled “Kur” (6’x4’x4.5’). This dragon was one of those projects in which I really wanted to push myself by implementing the three mediums I had gotten proficient at. I had just figured out how to program my Cnc so I made it cut 1500 scales out of 14 gauge steel. I had just learned stained glass and these wings were my second glass projects. If you notice, the panes of glass have an organic curve, which was not easy to accomplish in glass. The face, feet, and tail were made welding 1/8” solid round together to get the texture.

Made this for the front counter of a truck and trailer repair shop. The top of the tanker will hold business cards.

I own a few of these extraordinary chests and figured I’d share one!
The blacksmith shops that made these were old family businesses in Southeast Germany (mainly Nuremberg) which younger generations were trained by their elders. These blacksmiths became extremely skilled, along with equally skilled colleagues in specialties such as sheet metalworking, etching, hammered inlay, steel-plate engraving, and rustproofing. By the mid-1600s, their precision earned offers for forging work by emperors and kings in the German Empire and even abroad. Many more stored bullion on Spanish Armada ships.
Armada chests have a false keyhole on the front - the real entry is accessed by rotating a disguised rivet on the lid. Inside is a beautifully-etched decorative plate that protects a twelve-bolt locking system. Elaborate examples such as this required an estimated 800-1200 hours to design and forge by hand.

It was a bitter sweet job as it was my last on for arguably the best job I ever had.

You stop to pump some fuel, but you need to use the toilet. You ask for a key, and they give you one—with a massive keyring attached. That’s because too many people forgot to return the key in the past.
This keychain serves the same purpose: so you don’t lose it or accidentally take it home (especially if it’s a work key).
I shaped mine like a wrecking ball, and I can confirm it can wreck miniature brick houses—though that’s not the actual purpose of the keychain. Still, it was fun.
I don’t know much about construction, but I was wondering if it could also be used as a plumb bob?
Is there a specific reason they’re usually cone-shaped? I have never used one, so I don't have a clue.
It was made by melting iron using a household microwave. The wrecking ball was printed in PLA first. Then I made a sand mold and burned it out using my microwave kiln.
It weighs almost 400g, or about 14 ounces.