Scrap metal garden art can be grand, simple, artsy, and fun. Making it yourself will simply make it more of whatever it is you want it to be. Scrap metal is just that. Any metal object or piece that you have that no longer has a specific function. These can be soup cans, unwanted silverware, scrap tin from siding, even tire rims. Add a bit of elbow grease, some sandpaper, possibly some spot welding, and an occasional topping of rustproof outdoor enamel spray paint, and you will be well on your way to creating some fabulous art for your own or a friend’s garden. Toss in some heavy-duty wire, wire cutters, and a tin punch, and you will be ready to make just about anything you can think of.
The actual making of the artwork will be the easy part. Knowing what you are going to create will be the fun, but sometimes-uninformed part. Start out by studying what metal you have. Arrange pieces until you come up with an idea. If things are not coming together, maybe you will have to add to your scrap pile before continuing.
Sometimes, assembling some common metal objects will spark an idea for a more original creation. One often seen piece of scrap garden art is a ‘tin man’ made from soup and coffee cans, along with a funnel hat. Lay out soup cans to form the head, arms, and legs, using the coffee can for the body. Punch a hole in the center of each can end to run wire through, keeping in mind that there is really no wrong way to assemble metal garden art. As long as it ‘works’ it’s right. Funnel hat can either be spot welded on or wired.
An old wire hanger combined with antique silverware can be transformed into a beautiful garden wind chime. Tire rims, buffed with sandpaper to remove rust, and spray painted become the body of a garden creature, complete with arms made from old bed springs, and a head made from an abandoned kitchen pot.
Thin sheet metal, along with a pair of tin snips, can be cut into a strip, and then twisted to create a wind catcher. Smaller strips can be cut then strung back together to form a wind ‘sounder’. A wind ‘sounder’ is similar to a wind chime except the sound created is much softer. Strips should be approximately three inches long, by one inch wide. String three or four long and as many wide. These can be hung from antique silverware or a small wire whisk for a circular effect.
If you are familiar with the tools needed to cut metal such as stainless steel, you can cut out any shape imaginable, creating wind chimes, garden art stakes, and even three-dimensional garden critters by welding the stainless. One advantage of working with the stainless is it will never rust or corrode! Stainless can also be ‘burned’ with a torch to create a beautiful colored finish.
Scrap garden art can be anything you want it to be, but mostly, it should be from your heart and soul. If you really want to make something and just don’t know where to start, doodle in a notebook whatever comes to mind. Think about what scrap items you already have, and browse second hand shops for more. But especially, have fun!
