Another typical day

Today was another busy workday. There's nineteen benches now welded and wired, along with two trees, a horse and cart, three balance beams, a crawl log and half a pirate ship. Other pieces are in the works. Jack is now working on the cannons with great delight. 

The KRAKEN is coming along nicely. I enlisted the help of Angie today, her very first day of welding. She did awesome and caught on quickly. She did most of the welding on the tail section of the KRAKEN along with filling in much of the body. 

By the end of the day much of the frame was done and the wirers had snuck into the front section to begin their work.

THE KRAKEN did claim two victims today...  Jenessa and TJ got a little close to the giant beak and before we knew it they were inside...

It was another great and fun week!

-grampa dan

A frame of monstrous proportions

Work continues on the frame for the Kraken today with the primary frame now complete. The four tallest tentacles are removable for transport.  We took it outside for a test fit (its too big fully assembled) for inside the shop. The crew just had to ham it up a little during the shoot.

Once the test fit was done we removed the high tentacles and then pulled it back into the shop to resume work on the frame. We are down to welding up the pencil rod frame now. It involves shapeing and forming the rod and then welding it into place as a grid, over which we will fit the expanded mesh and then sculpt the fiberglass reinforced concrete.

We do one side first and then do our best to match the other. Details like the beak between the tentacles take a fair amount of time and many welds to form. Hundreds of feet of pencilrod are used.

Tomorrow should mark some pretty fair progress on the frame. I'll be posting pictures for sure. Stay tuned...

-grampa dan

Crows nest concept

After a busy work day in the shop it is always relaxing and fun to sit down in the evenng and do a little sketching. Tonight my project was the sign concept for the spin/drop ride planned for Skallywag Bay in Trinidad. We are calling the ride Crows Nest with Specs perched on top of the mast with a telescope. 

This is going to be a fun one to sculpt!

-grampa dan