Saturday, October 4, 2008

GUEST BLOG: The Shadow BEGINS - Bottle Caps



I bet you probably thought that we collected all of those bottle caps and then lost steam on the project. Not so!

After collecting the caps, they needed to be hammered flat. We tested several different ways to smash the caps, including attempts at running them over with the car, but ultimately, we had to smash each and every one with hammers. Once the stockpile was complete, Nick was able to get started on the construction of the wood frame "canvas". Since the work will be heavy, he wanted to create something that would be sturdy and that he could add a french cleat for hanging. I've never heard of a french cleat, but I really like french toast, french fries, and french bread, so I'm sure it will be good. ;P

First, Nick acquired the wood he would need to build the "canvas" and additional supports. He rented a miter saw so that he could cut the pieces accordingly and then glued, screwed, and nailed it all together. He also stained moulding for a nice frame--a detail I definitely would have left out, not because it isn't worth it, but just because I'm lazy.

Nick is currently working on the sketch, which I find quite impressive. I know the photos are hard to see, but I hope you can get an idea for it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow!! I'm impressed! If you need more browns for the trench-coated one, let me know--we have more. :-)

Kathy said...

Is it Indiana Jones? Charlton Heston? Dick Tracy? Or a figment of Nick's imagination? It's probably Dick Tracy -- based on that TCM figure. I know you ordered green bottle caps so there must be a plan in Nick's mind. I hope the work is rewarding. KW

Hallie said...

It's The Shadow. I had never heard of The Shadow, but I guess he's an old radio character who later became a comic book character. Perhaps the men in our audience will know of The Shadow?

Kathy said...

"The Shadow" -- Lamar Cranston. Your dad indeed knows more about "The Shadow" than I. I love radio programs, though. He says he didn't know that "The Shadow" became a comic book character. So, I guess Nick's sketch is of the comic book character as opposed to the radio character. KW

murray.warnock said...

Also a decent movie with Alec Baldwin.

Hallie, I have about a pound of caps I will send if you need more. Since you visited, I can't stop picking them up.

I hope we'll see updates of the work in progress.

Kathy said...

I didn't know "The Shadow" was a movie. I can't stop picking up those bottle caps, either, but I so seldom find them. I think I see more bottles than caps. I think the form of choice here is really cans, and we see plenty of those. KW