help in framing a huge piece in welded aluminum

Mike LeCompte CPF

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Posts
792
Loc
Knoxville TN
We are working on a fun Christmas project, doing Lunch on a Skyscraper, the 50 x 38 version. We'll build a "mat" out of Sintra, about 46 x 60 or so then customer's going to totally cover said "mat" with all sorts of advertisements, newpsaper articles, war medals, etc from 1932. Seems this photo was actually of Rockefeller Center so lots of memorabilia from that too.

Wll then glaze with UV plexi.

Ok here's the question: she wants to have a frame welded from aluminum to look like the steel girder the guys are sitting on. This is OK with me, but how am I going to attach everything to finish welded "frame?"

Have suggested we use Roma's 58656 profile which looks like ribbed steel and would have a real "deco" look, and she's OK with that butwould really like actual metal.

So: how am I going to attach to a metal if that's what she goes with?
 
Call Small Corp. 800-392-9500. They could TIG
weld some extruded stock and leave the welding
showing. They may be able to make covers that
would go over the screw holes, so that the covers
look like rivets.


Hugh
 
thought of calling Small, they'vedone work before for us. But why can't she just have a welding shop here do this? Just curious.
 
Mike we've used a local welder to make "industrial" frames. If they're from angle iron you can use marine epoxy to glue in a wooden subframe. If they want to use "I" beam, one of the fins can be cut off to make a "1" shape.
One of the coolest of these frames I've seen was from the age of the zeppelin. The photo was of the zep and the frame was made from the same materials as the structural part of the airship. Lots of rivets with some of them having turn buttons on the inside to hold the photo and matting in place.
 
Stinky Metal Works
3185 E Main St
Ashland, OR 97520-9097
(541) 488-7889

They make just what you're looking for.
 
customer came in and said she called local welders; she wanted the real steel I beams and was told it would be a bit over 600 lbs at a cost of about $750. So off I go to call Stinky--wht a name!!!--and Small.

Just think: if they merged it could be "Small and Stinky"
 
Wally--
I also had one of those aluminum frames that you mentioned. The story that went with mine is that it not only was the same materiel as the airship but was actually from the wreck of the ship. This was the Navy rigid airship "Akron" which was destroyed in a thunderstorm sometime in the 1930's. The materiel was salvaged and used for other purposes one of which apparantly was making frames.
 
well it's back to my Roma profile that looks like ribbed metal. Can't get the real deal 'til Jan and, of course, want it in a week or two. Will post pics of the finished project. Think it's gonna be way fun and way cool to do. I've convinced the customer to bring all her stuff--newspapers, playbills, subway tokens and boxes of heaven's knows what else--into the store, she can set up and "do her thing" in my workroom using all the tools and stuff we have. She's a hoot anyway so it'll be fun having still one more "worker" in our back room. Plus Iwon't be drymounting and hassling with all the memorabilia with a busy season upon us.

Will post pics of the completed project around Christmas
 
I was mistaken in my earlier post. It was not the Akron rigid airship, it was the U.S.S. Shenandoah that crashed during a thunderstorm in Ohio in 1935. Google is great for looking up facts.
 
I believe the airship in the photo I did was the "Akron". My understanding was that they used to race these things...
Sorry about hijacking your thread, Mike....good luck with your faux girders.
 
wally: No biggie. Was done with it anyway now that I know I gotta use the Roma profile
 
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