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How to Make Metal Garden Art & Designs

Creative metal art works can enhance the look and feel of any garden. Whether you have sprawling grounds or a small courtyard, metal art can set just the mood you want. Make highly stylized and abstract patterns or create realistic animals and insects. Produce two-dimensional sculptures or assemble scraps to develop new pieces. You'll need space in a workshop or garage because the work can be messy.

Things You'll Need

  • Transparency paper
  • Projector
  • Sheet metal
  • Metal cutters
  • Electric sander
  • Metal wire
  • Metal poles
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sketch out designs for your garden onto transparent overhead projector paper. Or if you are competent with computer graphics, you may choose to create your designs on a computer. Then print a copy of each design onto transparency paper.

    • 2

      Stand an appropriate size of sheet metal against a blank wall to create life-size templates for 2-D sculptures.

    • 3

      Place the transparency paper onto a projector and project the image onto the sheet metal. Transfer your designs onto the metal by drawing an outline of the projected image. Use a tapered black marker. It's best to make a thin line so the marker ink is not so apparent when you cut out the design.

    • 4

      Put on a protective mask, coveralls and thick suede gloves. Cover your hair. Use metal cutters or a flat metal knife cutter made for that purpose. Starting at one end of the metal sheet cut along the marker line. Cut out any interior design segments using a sharp metal knife.

    • 5

      Use an electric sander to smooth out the cut edges. Buff along all cut edges until there are no sharp parts. Clean up with soap and water and dry with a lint-free cloth.

    • 6

      Attach one or more metal rings, depending on the sculpture size, onto the backside of the flat metal artwork. Wrap wire to create the rings. Use a liberal amount of epoxy glue to attach rings to the metal. Allow to dry overnight.

    • 7

      Slide a metal pole through the metal rings and mount the sculpture into the ground in the garden. If the pole is too thin, epoxy the pole to the rings while in a horizontal position. Allow overnight drying.

Sculpture

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