CHAIN VESSEL #2

-Eric Velleca, 2006
-3” high, 12” wide.
-motorcycle chain, motorcycle sprocket, mild steel, silicon bronze
-photos by Ken Nelson

Techniques: forging, forge welding, polishing, welding

Chain Vessel # 2 is a fun project where I took two objects that had a very intimate relationship for an industrial purpose, the worn out chain and sprocket, and re-purposed them for a decorative vessel. The challenge, for me, on this was not the forge welding as much as the forming of the bowl. The chain is so hard that unless the entire bowl was orange hot, it would break apart while forming. Due to it being less than 1/8” thick, it cooled very rapidly once out of the fire, and even quicker while setting in the forming tool.