Welded Steel Lily

Project Overview

This project features a steel lily created through cold-forming techniques. I manually shaped the sheet metal to form organic petals and leaves, TIG welding them to a central pickled steel tube stem. A specific detail involves the pistils, which I crafted using TIG filler rods to achieve fine definition.

The finishing process was critical to the aesthetic: after cleaning and polishing the assembly, I applied localized heat using an oxy-acetylene torch to burnish the petal tips, achieving a distinct bluish gradient. Finally, the sculpture was coated with a clear lacquer to preserve the metallic finish and prevent oxidation.