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[OfCows]

Hi,

I'm bored, so for kicks I thought I’d share these cactus ornaments my mother-in-law made for me! Also, some Fly Agaric salt-and-pepper pots I picked up in Barcelona.

I thought somebody here might enjoy them!

Feel free to post your special stuff too, or to ignore my frivolity as you prefer...

Cheers,

OfCows

3 Likes ONandONandON, audiohi and MorningDew like this.

[Auxin]

I gave my best cactus ornament to an ethnobotany charity some years ago.
Its a peyote inspired statue made of stainless steel, pink cubic zirconia, sand, and a small pot.
I think its currently residing in australia.
I also once made a matching necklace, also given to charity, lol.

My current most used hat is indirectly plant inspired.
Its the vision of the shaman under the forest canopy in the darkness of night.
To my knowledge no one has ever gotten the symbolism :p

2 Likes ONandONandON and OfCows like this.

[OfCows]

Hi Auxin,

Thanks for sharing - those are both amazing creations!

The statue is really cool. Did you cast the metal yourself? My partner's currently learning the basics of metalwork but is nowhere near your standard of work yet! Good on you for the charity donations too. I'm hoping to start a shamanic plant repository for the community next year but need to figure out the Spanish laws around setting up a charity/community-orientated business/similar...

Your hat is wicked as well - the overall design and the symbolism are both great! I really like the textures.

Pleased to meet you anyway!

[Auxin]

Instead of being cast the statue was machined from 400 series round stock on a lathe and a mill with rotary table.
My signature design feature was to drill it through with a hole 0.016" smaller than the gem stone and counter-bore from the back to leave a 0.010" thick lip of metal the gem catches on, the gem was then backed by a polished V cut plug of aluminum glued into place. Pretty easy to do on pieces with that thickness. I add little gems to stainless steel bolts the same way, that takes more skill 

Metalwork is fun, just remember to plan every move, be patient, and always remember that stainless steel is just sitting there wanting to cut you

1 Like ONandONandON likes this.

[OfCows]

Wow, sounds like you really know your stuff! I'm going to show your reply to my partner when she gets home, I think it might prove useful to her to see that technique explained so succinctly. Thanks!

...and I know all about the steel wanting to cut me - one of my early jobs was working with it on an assembly line, ouch!

[OfCows]

Now avoiding chores, so...here's a Fly Agaric man a girl gave me many years ago (not sure how I've managed to hold on for it for so long!) and the obligatory polished Banisteriopsis caapi (given to me by the lovely Silvia, who I'm sure posts on this forum somewhere)...

1 Like Plantyman8 likes this.

[Plantyman8]

Wooooooooo my little guardians getting A shout out!!!

1 Like ONandONandON likes this.

[OfCows]

Plantyman8: They're really cool (or "que bonita", as my wife just said)! Thanks for sharing - I'm liking the little cactus fella in the background too, looks pretty happy!

Auxin: My wife says thanks for the metalwork explanation and she thinks your cactus statue and hat are both wonderful!

1 Like Plantyman8 likes this.

[Plantyman8]

Just got these today!! Mastercraftsmen on offer up!

2 Likes ONandONandON and OfCows like this.

[ONandONandON]

Those are awesome ... now i have to get a lathe ...
Love the cacti plushies too ... add that on todo list ... ooor cacti pillows!!
Well also just killing time here ... it's a tasmanian poppy glued between plexiglass...

(and a friend spray painted that tree picture in background)

[OfCows]

How cool ONandONandON! I was thinking of making something similar myself, just trying to source the right materials for it... Did you get my PM about seed giveaway/trade, btw? I did reply to you, in case you missed it!

You can never have too many wooden mushrooms Plantyman! Nice to see some a little different from the standard Balinese carvings we get sold here (although they're still beautiful too)!