Found Metal and Reclaimed Wood Circular Wall Art #1

Dimensions: Diameter 21.75 inches, Thickness 1 inch, Weight 13.5 pounds. This truly one-of-a-kind art piece can add some rustic charm to your house or office. For me, it brings to mind a design that might be used for a branding iron. The combination of wood and metal also evokes parts of an old barn. The different colors and textures complement one another nicely, I think, with the diverse elements coming together in a complementary whole. Two D-rings are attached to the back, so all you need is a hammer and a couple of nails to hang it on your wall. Any takers? Was $175, now $150. Click here to purchase.

The Story

I found the curved, somewhat crescent shaped piece of sheet metal in the gutter of a street in my Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. I had originally intended just to throw it away (I’m constantly picking up trash and recyclables when I’m out walking around, a voluntary public service to my community). But the longer I held it, the more I thought it might have some potential in an abstract art piece. I have no idea what it was originally. I used a wire brush and water to clean it up slightly, but virtually all of the original rough rust and black paint patina was retained. A few months later I found the gray, circular piece of steel on the sidewalk of Wisconsin Avenue, a few blocks from my house. (A few weeks later, I found two more and used them in similar projects.) I cleaned it with water and a wire brush, and happily discovered that it fit very nicely around the outside of the first piece. Okay, I thought, this could be a frame, now what else can I use to complete the piece? It needed a focal point, something near the center. For that I used a cast iron star, one of many I had purchased online for use in my D.C. Flags. It was new, but I used some red stain to give it a little more color and character that would fit with the other elements. For the background/base, I turned to my collection of pallet wood. I sanded several pieces and cut them to form the chevron pattern that angles up toward the star, with the center divided at the same 36-degree angle as the points of the star (details!). I was able to exploit the original red highlights in a few of the boards to further accentuate the upward movement, and point to the star. Because many of the pieces were warped, I used a router to cut grooves on the bottom, which made it much easier to glue them down flat to a piece of underlayment as the backing. I left the wood its natural color but enhanced and protected it with two coats of Minwax water-based clear satin Polycrylic; this smooth finish also built in slightly more contrast with the rougher metal pieces. I trimmed the wood to the same diameter as the circular frame and screwed/bolted the metal pieces down on that. I’m really happy with the completed piece; I hope you like it, too.

Related Items: Found Metal and Reclaimed Wood Circular Wall Art #2, Found Metal and Reclaimed Wood Circular Wall Art #3.