I'm not quite sure what this thing is. Not really a dragon, just a
whimsey. But it seems to like the beach and sea shore.
I started this when I was still working with a rivet forge in a
woodshed and didn't know what I was doing. Predictably, the claw
parts developed cracks and were obviously going to break so I threw
the pieces into the corner where they remained for several years.
When I moved into my first big shop, there they were, all rusty. But I realized that I now knew how to do it. So I fixed up the cracks with hidden torch welds and finished the piece. Except for the two inconspicuous repairs, everything is traditional: forge welds, tenons, rivets and wraps.
Purchased by a neighbor, an auto sales manager, for his wife for an anniversary gift. Then he was afraid to give it to her lest she be outraged at how much it had cost. But he worked up his courage and presented it. Years she was still telling me how much she liked it and now her grandaughter, who has inherited it, has told me the same. Always nice to know someone really likes your work.
Made for a friend with strong feelings about her Pisces birth sign.
This one isn't quite as technically purist. The fish are simply
welded to the seaweed fronds. The fronds themselves are either split
or forge-welded.
Sea Dragon
When we all crawled out of the sea, a billion or so years ago, some of
the dragons stayed behind.
Original photos of crab grill and sea dragon by
Peter Barss