Up-Cycled Weather Vane: Pt. 2

Build was originally envisioned with sketches and dimensions. I based the height off of sculptures I had seen in the sculpture park on Mccormick ave in Skokie IL.
Parts were cut and fit was adequate so that parts could be welded square to each other.
Testing of functionality for spinning of wheel and of fork so it could move freely with wind. I used a box fan to test ease of spin. This testing led to additional functionality of leaf tail to fork.











This leaf was added so as to be more stable in wind (built from tin snipped half of the bicycle chain guard). Bearings were swapped to lower rolling resistance. I am glad the frame I used was a very solid steel Schwinn frame as the gauge of the walls on all of the parts was nice and heavy limiting heat warp and allowing for beefy welds.

*fun fact Chicago was once known as the bicycle capital of the world in part because of the manufacture of Schwinn bicycles in the city*

Finish was determined and installed (green vinyl with blue accents to give a flower like appearance of  (I like forget me nots and will likely color the hub yellow in the future). The green vinyl was a fun pickup. I thought about going with something more natural but decided for a more distinct color combination. I initially tried to use saran wrap for the blades on the spokes but then went with sections of vinyl. I applied all of the vinyl in sections to make it easier to apply. This was much less time consuming than painting. All parts had been previously cleaned for welding so prep was fairly minimal except for cleaning the welds and heat affected zone/additional spatter.

 















Possible improvements to wind blades/petals in future to improve wind capture. Perhaps swap hub and steerer tube bearings in future.Site of install to be determined.