Trefoil Knot: from steel strap stock

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Here's another version of the Trefoil Knot, a shape I am currently exploring for its sculpture potential. This one is made from mild steel flat stock, 1.5 inch wide. This knot is roughly one foot across, in the view above. I made this model this afternoon (3/25/2017), bending and twisting this sucker by hand! Bending this kind of metal isn't very difficult, if you're not too particular how it's going to look. Bending this shape was not easy. I had to keep the curves consistent with each other, with each of the three curves twisted and curved the same way. In addition, the ends have to come together at the same angle and alignment for the weld.
Essentially, the Trefoil Knot is an overhand knot with the two ends connected. You end up with a shape in which the strap goes through a loop three times. The version above is flatter than I wanted it. I may do some more bending on this to make it not as flat, giving the knot more of a 3D roundness, if you know what I mean.
I'm considering how I want to mount this. I could mount it directly to a base, or I could have it perched on a narrow post rising from a base. Also, I might shine-up the metal and clear coat it, or . . . maybe I'll paint it. I'll think on it.
I'm also considering making a metal version of the wooden model from my last post . . . the one that's made with all right angles.

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Visit my web site for more art at: www.tesserak.net

Wooden Trefoil Knot ver. 2.1

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The sculpture on the left is the new one, made from 1 inch Douglas Fir stock. The smaller one to the right is the Cedar version I posted in the last Trefoil Knot post here. The new version is about 9 inches high when in the position shown above.
This is a shape I'm exploring as a sculpture idea. I find it an interesting and aesthetically pleasing shape for the eye to explore. I will be exploring different ways of manifesting this idea in different media, in different sizes. I want to try some ideas in metal with this shape. Here is another view below.
As always, comments and questions are welcome. More stuff on my web site at: www.tesserak.net

Spalted Maple Bowl #2

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This bowl is from the same piece of wood as the last spalted Maple bowl I posted here. This one is roughly 3 inches high and 5 inches wide. This wood is in a little better shape than the last piece. Not as much tear-out. I got the walls a little thinner on this one. I very happy with the way it came out.

Wooden Trefoil Knot ver. 2.0

Here is a better version of the Trefoil Knot made of unfinished (bare) Western Cedar wood. The wood is milled to 1/2 inch stock. That makes this version about 4 inches high when in the position shown in the above photo. The previous version of this style of the Trefoil Knot was made with the subtractive process, cutting this shape from a cube of wood. This version was made with the additive process, by building it instead of carving it.
My original version of this shape was made with curves, as in a real knot. This knot is made with only right angles. The next version of this knot will be made the same way but with 1 inch stock. I'm working my way up to the full scale version which I designed to be made with 4x4 lumber.

Questions and comments are always welcome. See more of my art on my web site: www.tesserak.net

Spalted Applewood cup.

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This is a really small bowl, which I'm calling a cup. It's about 3.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall. This is wood from an Apple tree in my backyard. The wood is "spalted" which is a coloration of the wood caused by fungal growth inside the dead wood. It is the early stages of wood rotting. The spalted portion of the wood is usually softer than the surrounding wood, and that causes tear-out when turning wood. Not a desired outcome. Unfortunately there's not much one can do about it. Anyway, in this case I thought I would take advantage of this undesirable condition in the wood and do something creative with it. I thought I'd accentuate those cracks and tear-out voids with acrylic paint, because there is a pattern to it. I used a copper metallic acrylic paint. It looks rather good I think. Here's a shot of the other side of the cup.

Questions and feedback are always welcome. See more of my art at my web site: tesserak.net

Wooden Trefoil Knot

Here is the wooden version of the Trefoil Knot. This one would fit in a 3 in. cube. The wood is about 3/8" wide/thick. I got the template for this from "Pocket83"'s YouTube channel. The above version is a bit on the rough side. It is made via the subtractive process: start with a cube and cut away everything that is not the Trefoil Knot. I shot this photo before I sanded and filed. I used Douglas Fir for the wood; not a good choice because of the hard growth rings in the wood. Next to the soft wood, the hard rings make the cutting tools go off course. Some degree of precision is required to make this shape at this size. I'm OK with what I ended up with here. This was mainly a test, and to make a model for me to make larger versions of this using the additive process: building it instead of carving it. So, stay tuned, there will be more.

Accidental Sculpture

This photo shows a certain stage in the process of making a Trefoil Knot out of a cube of wood. I stopped here and took a photo because I think this makes an interesting piece of sculpture. This would be a rough version, of course. In the photo, the pencil shading shows the part of the wood that I will NOT cut away to make the Trefoil Knot.