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Palindrome Cannon - A working Cannon

Palindrome ? From Wikipedia
Palindrome---Alluding to the movement of crabs, such as an inscription that may be read backwards.  

The Construction           

Old cannons are made of bronze and that is what I used to craft the working cannon, boring out a 6mm diameter hole. Firing test were done using gunpowder collected from New Year's firecrackers supply, especially saved for this project. A hinged casing, housing the cannon can be opened, to light the fuse. This forms part of the chassis.
Now, I set the design          flavour......the creature, the water scorpion being the inspiration
Careful planning and engineering of ball joints
...the legs need substance and masculinity.
I made some wax carved and Delft cast industrial looking leg endings.
Component, after component, after component,
.... more  detail from design to metal
This has been the biggest and most complicated project I have ever designed and made. It just went on and on and on. I am quite surprised, if that is the correct word, that I had the tenacity and perseverance to complete it. I worked on it for more than six months and I averaged about 5 hours every day, weekends included. Over 900 hours of work.
The Cannon is made up of 835 separate hand made pieces. I cast 42 different pieces with the Delft casting method. I used 120 grams of silver solder. Plus a hundred  made components that I discarded. As in they didn’t work with the design. The cannon weighs in at 4.1 kilo’s and measures 550mm across and 350mm high.

You know, it’s like this. If you can see and create  something  visual  of what you really like,  then what you do when you working on it is only a journey to the end. Like the Oracle in the movie The Matrix said, “Everything has a beginning and an end” So even if that thing you desire takes very long to get, if you don’t stop or give up you will arrive at the end. And then there is that thing. That visual. That beautiful object that you created. It is there, for you when you walk into the room. There is nothing better than that.

Palindrome Cannon Sculpture - functioning bow in sculptural form - a Hans Meevis Creation

Handmade  metal sculpture

Size : 550 x 550 x 450 0m

More art sculptures by Hans Meevis