Submitted By: Brandon Allen

Description: Cardinal Fever

I began working on this challenging sculpture in the beginning of October with several ideas on how I wanted it to look. I started working on the cardinal by using oxy-fuel cutting to cut the shape of the cardinal. I then used MIG welding to give the cardinal its round shape. Next I used TIG welding to give the cardinal its feathers.

After the cardinal I began to work on the bat. I used a lathe to create the bat shape. In order to give the bat the wood grain finish I used pulsed TIG welding.

The baseball was next in the creation of the sculpture. Again I used the lathe in the machine shop to produce the ball. Once the ball was finished I again used the TIG welding process to apply the ball's laces.

After I completed the baseball my next step was to create home plate. Home plate was fabricated out of scrap stainless steel; I used my fabrication skills to make it one continues piece.

I saved the Word Series Trophy for last. The base of the trophy is made of steel round stock. I began drilling holes to hold the flag poles in place. I used tac welds to keep the flag poles in lace. The poles were made out of 3-32 stainless steel filler metal. These pieces had to be strategically measured to give the trophy its distinct look. Finally, the the pennants were made of stainless steel plate and TIG welded to the flag poles.