Mission: Metal Shop
Liyi Ma
Misson: Metal shop A scavenger hunt guide book in a metal shop
photographs and design by Liyi Ma
I
Introduction
never really knew much about the metal work field. I had recently gained interest in it, because of my partner. He has been working in this field since he was 15. Sometimes he tells me about his work when he comes home, other times he brought me to shop and showed me the different kinds of things that went on there, and explained to me different tools can do different things. But what we least expect them to do is to inspire us to look closer. We will explore metal, and the shops where beauty meets metal on a scavenger hunt‌of sorts. It will certainly be our imagination that does the seeking, and it will seek out the letters of the Alphabet.
Objects to find
Our imagination can pull symbols and meanings from the sometimes seemingly nowhere.
A
: Step ladder is a very useful tool, which you can climb up or down. You can also find it easily at the shop. It gives extra height to reach ceilings.
b
: Look at this small tiny b, it is a hinge. Join two pieces and it will rotate. We can make it with manual milling machine.
Ce G
, ,& : These letters are a part of door decoration, and they has been forged by hand. There are a lot of different types of decorative scroll, but these 3 letters are the same style and they will be installed on the same door. It’s incredible how a little simple bending can come to be a large elaborate piece of work.
D
: Our D letter is a part of railing decoration.
F
: This is a clamp. We can use this tool to press parts together, and fix things in the right place and right angle.
H
: Our H is ironically what’s left of an I-beam. Most people know metal is scraped but most people don’t put much thought into what happens to it after that. Metal shops unsurprisingly have an enormous amount of left over metal. Some are reused and made into smaller components the rest is sold off.
Categorized scrap.
M
: Dovetail joint is a common technique to join pieces together. Squint and you’ll find our M.
ULO T
, , & : There is a large storage of metal bars at the shop; if you look at these bars you will find many letterforms. For the L, this is known as Angle bar, it is used in many building structures.
Bar strorage area.
n
: This beautiful brass railing is where we can find our n shape pieces.
O P
& : Here we can see an O and a P, they are railing parts made by a CNC (Computer numerical control). It is very popular in the industrial community. We can use software, like AutoCAD, and Solidworks to design parts on computer, and then send the designs to the CNC machine program. CNC allows for quicker and more accurate production.
r
: It’s a small sample of railing, made to resemble a nearly ancient European style. There are many decorations at Central Park that were made with this same style in mind. There are a lot of details on this small leaf.
S
: You will see a number of railings and texture samples in the show room, which is a mini exhibition of the workshop. There are so many possible combinations of designs for any product to have. You may also find a letter S in one of the etching pattern samples.
Sample patterns and textures on display for clients.
X
: Our X came in the form of a beautiful crafted coffee table base.
There are railings, tables, windows and other furniture in display room.
Y
: Next time you see this it might be at a Louis Vuitton or a Channel store, it’s a display table join sample. It’s also our letter Y.
Z
: The top view of this brass-molding sample looks like a letter Z, which will show the clients the final product will look.