Giant Feathers Made With Recycled Tires

Making 7 Giant Tribal Feathers From Recycled Tires / Metal, Wood Fabrication

These sculptures will be permanently displayed at the entrance of Temalpakh Farm in Coachella, CA. These sculptures in collaboration with the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians were fabricated with specific tribal patterns approved by the client. Each father stands over 10' tall and weights roughly 150 lbs. These 7 sculptures took roughly 4 months to complete and consisted of many firsts for me including "cold Forging". I am happy with how they turned out and love that they use 100% recycled tires. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Cut Steel Pipes to Length.

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I used 2" diameter 1/8" thick steel pipe to act as the feather's quill. I cut all 7 quills to 10ft using my metal chop saw.

Taper Each Quill by Cutting, Forging and Welding

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I tapered each 10' quill by cutting a very long thin triangle on each sides of the quill spanning around 7 ft. I then "cold forged" each quill by using a hammer and anvil to shape each sides narrower and narrower. I worked in 2' sections by welding them, then forging until I finally reached the end. This process took around 3 weeks to complete all 7.

Bend Each Quill to Resemble a Feather.

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Feathers are not naturally straight. I used a 10 ton press to put a slight bend in each quill.

Cut Feather Shape Out of Plywood and Attach to Quill.

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I used marine-grade baltic birch to cut out each feather shape and then welded on 1" brackets to secure the plywood onto the quill.

Fiberglass Feathers, Cut Tires, Paint and Attach.

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For even more durability, I fibgerglassed each feather. I then used over 100 recycled tires to overlay over the feather structure. Each design was approved by client. I secured each piece of tire tread by using all stainless steel screws and crown staples. Once all the tires were applied, I send them to an auto-body shop for an auto-grade clear coat.

Finished, and Installed at Site.

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This build took over 4 months to create. They are now located at Temalpakh Farm in Coachella, CA.