Assemblage

Guitar Punk ©
Not Available
38” Tall - 16” Wide - 10” Deep
The guitar was purchased at an estate sale.
Various fun parts from old sewing machines, typewriter, clocks and other fun stuff were attached with old machine screws salvaged from those machines.

Melancholy Tunes ©

Donated to charity
18” Wide - 44” Tall - 14” Deep

Guitar purchased in a thrift shop. Half the fun of my projects is exploring thrift shops and junk stores finding objects and wondering what treasures might be hiding inside. I also have some very nice friends who surprise me with objects that they have had for ever. The parts are attached with machine screws that are saved when taking apart old adding machines, calculators or various other items. Holes slightly smaller than the screw shaft are drilled into the wood so that the screws can grip the wood and hold the parts tight. I have a large assortment of drill bits. Glue is used only where screws cannot be used. Sometimes I will take parts apart and combine them with other parts to create new “old” parts. There is a lot of stepping back and visualizing what might be. The hardest part is realizing when it is time to stop, don’t over kill.

The other enjoyable part of my work is watching people at my shows as they stair at my creations and wondering “what is going through their mind, what do they see”.

Phoenix Melodies ©
$1,800
45” Tall – 20” Wide – 11” DeepThis guitar was given to me by my son, the head was broken off and I glued it back on. The parts are attached with machine screws that are saved when taking apart old adding machines, calculators or various other items. Holes slightly smaller than the screw shaft are drilled into the wood so that the screws can grip the wood and hold the parts tight. I have a large assortment of drill bits. Glue is used only where screws cannot be used. Sometimes I will take parts apart and combine them with other parts to create new “old” parts. There is a lot of stepping back and visualizing what might be. The hardest part is realizing when it is time to stop, don’t over kill.

Hangs on the wall.

Tunes of Brass ©

$2,000
16” Wide - 39” Tall - 5.5” Deep

A Harmony tenor guitar gifted by a friend. As with my mandolin “Punkolin”, the wood of the guitar was so beautiful I wanted to keep the design simple and compliment the beauty of the wood. In working with the brass clock gears I either use brass screws to attach them or when they have the post on the back I will find a drill bit a tiny bit smaller than the post, use that to drill a hole through the wood and then using a small hammer tap the gear into the hole to the elevation I want. Getting gears to overlap each other is the challenge. Most of the gears come from cuckoo clocks that I carefully tear apart. Carefully because the mainsprings still have a lot of wound up energy that when released can be quite a surprise, imagine a spinning buzz saw.

Hangs on the wall.

The Brass Tunes of

Oscar Schmidt ©

$2,000
16” Wide - 40” Tall - 5.5” Deep

An Oscar Schmidt guitar gifted by a friend. As with my “Tunes of Brass”, I wanted to keep the design simple and compliment the beauty of the instrument. In working with the brass clock gears I either use brass screws to attach them or when they have the post on the back I will find a drill bit a tiny bit smaller than the post, use that to drill a hole through the wood and then using a small hammer tap the gear into the hole to the elevation I want. Getting gears to overlap each other is the challenge. Gears and clock faces were photographed, created in Photoshop, printed on label paper and applied as decals and then lacquer applied.

Hangs on the wall.

HOME

Tunes of Medusa ©

$1,800
Selected, Round Rock Arts [imagine] Show 2018

46” Tall - 18” Wide - 10” Deep

The guitar purchased at Goodwill. Really had fun with this one. The brass ink tubes of an old adding machine immediately reminded me of the snake hair of Medusa and so I knew where this project was going.

Hangs on the wall.

Got Any Visine? ©
$1,800
44” Tall - 17” Wide - 7” Deep
The guitar was given to me by a guitar shop after a lady brought it in to be fixed but it could not be fixed so they gave it to me. Created with two automotive gauges, various parts of a typewriter, adding machine and clock parts. Several parts were created by fusing multiple parts together. Old machine screws were used to attach the items to the guitar.

Hangs on the wall.

Remembering the “Radium Girls”©

$1,800
42” Tall - 19” Wide - 10” Deep
Third Place, Round Rock Arts Sculpture & Photography Show

The guitar was purchased at Goodwill. Various parts from old machines and clocks attached with screws.

This was my first themed project. The clock dials reminded me of the story of the Radium Girls and the terrible outcome of working for a company that knowingly and with total disregard put their workers health in danger.

How I Came to Lose My Head ©

$1,800
34” Tall - 16” Wide - 12” Deep
Selected, Round Rock Arts Reuse-Recycle-Reduce Show

The Gibson Less Paul guitar was donated by a friend.This guitar belonged to his son who plays in a band. This particular model had a design flaw in the neck of the guitar allowing the head to break very easily. Later models have been strengthened to avoid this.

This was a very fun project, the body is solid wood which allowed me to attach some heavy machine parts on it. The solid body and added parts brings this guitar in at 47 pounds! It sits on it's own base.

20” Wide - 36” Tall - 9” Deep

The guitar was gifted to me by my son. The head was broken off and had to be re-attached. A lot of typewriter parts from different typewriters were included in this piece as well as old gauges and wiring.

As with many of my acoustic guitar creations this one took on a personality of "her" own.

Click on images to see detail. Instruments do not play.

Steampunk Acoustic Guitars

$1,800
16” Wide - 35” Tall - 6” Deep

The guitar was purchased in a thrift shop. Half the fun of my projects is exploring thrift shops and junk stores finding objects and wondering what treasures might be hiding inside. I also have some very nice friends who surprise me with objects that they have had for ever. The parts are attached with machine screws that are saved when taking apart old adding machines, calculators or various other items. Holes slightly smaller than the screw shaft are drilled into the wood so that the screws can grip the wood and hold the parts tight. I have a large assortment of drill bits. Glue is used only where screws cannot be used. Sometimes I will take parts apart and combine them with other parts to create new “old” parts. There is a lot of stepping back and visualizing what might be. The hardest part is realizing when it is time to stop, don’t over kill.

Hangs on the wall.

$1,800

Selected, Round Rock Arts Dimensions Show

38” Tall - 16” Wide - 10” Deep

The guitar was purchased at Goodwill.
Various fun parts from old sewing machines, typewriter, cameras and other fun stuff were attached with old machine screws salvaged from those machines.

Hangs on the wall.