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I love the durability of the steel, you know, I'm taking this hard, cold, flat material,
and I'm making it flow, giving it life.
So I have been working with metal for fifteen years and like any skill the more you work
at it the better you get.
So all these little details when I first started... this would have just completely melted away.
Basically, its a technique that I call drawing with fire. I'm taking an old welding torch
and I'm drawing with it.
As I go it melts through the steel to create all of these shapes and images.
And one of the fun things about steel, especially the kind that I use, which is cold rolled
steel, is that different temperatures create different colors.
I love mermaids, this one is feeding the little baby turtle.
So I have a lot of fun with it. You have to wear a lot of protective gear. I've got on
these big goggles, this hat, full leather all the way, leather gloves, sparks are flying...
There are easier ways to cut metal than the way I do it--there are more high tech tools
but I love the old school melting of steel. It takes a lot more skill than these high
tech tools but you get that feeling of a real person actually made it.