FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How will the sculptures hold up in the weather?
Although my creations are made from different types of stainless steel even it will weather over time. The areas where pieces are welded together might be the noticable places that could get a brown tarnished patina or rust, not all of these areas will discolor. However, the stainless steel might be acceessible to the atmospheric conditions over time.
Will the sculpture get an all over patina in time?
No it won't, all of our sculptures are made with stainless steel which does not patina. Sterling silver, silver plated or bronze products get a patina.
How do I clean the sculpture?
You can use a stainless steel cleaner like you would on your bar-b-que grill or your refrigerator.
Do you make custom orders?
Unfortunately I don't have the time to take custom orders. It takes all of my time to keep up my inventory level for the shows and festivals we do as wel as for our on-line sales.
Where do you get your flatware?
I now purchase on-line through a restautant supply company. I go through about 3,000 to 4,000 pieces of flatware a month so it is no longer feasible for us to go to garage sales and flea markets.
How did you get started making these sculptures?
I have always enjoyed doing art of many forms. When I started welding I made my wife some yard art out of shovels, rakes and such. One of my son-in-law's gave me some flatware from old houses that were being cleaned out and I used them to tig weld a frog and some garden stakes. One of my daughter's convinced me to try and sell some pieces at a junk in the trunk type of flea market her and my wife were going to be vendors at. I made about 55 pieces of a variety of sculptures from garden stakes, flower stakes to table pieces. In the 4 hours the sale lasted I sold them all. The rest is history!
How are the sculptures made?
My sculptures are created with the art of tig welding. I also polish and buff the pieces as they are being created and a final buffing when they are finished. Each piece goes through many steps in the process of coming to life.
How long does it take to make a sculpture?
An example of this would be: When I make hummingbirds it takes about 2 hours for each one. With that being said I usually make between 30 to 120 of an item at one time depending on the sculpture. So, it takes several days to rebuild my inventory back up on one item.
How many helpers do you have in your studio?
I design, create, cut flatware, weld, buff and polish every sculpture individually. I also, do the painting and hydro dipping. My wife makes most of the glass stones I use on the flower sculptures, handles shipping, scheduling shows and paperwork. We both set up and work the art shows, garden shows, craft fairs and festivals.
How many Art Shows and Festivals do you sell at a year?
We do about 12 to 16 shows throughout the year, most of them are in the spring and fall. We love doing these shows and being able to interact with our customers. It brings me great pleasure to see people smile and admire my work as well as being able to get customer feedback. See our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JustTiggingAround for our show schedule and updates.
Do you ever travel out of state for Art Shows and Festivals?
Yes we do from time to time. We enjoy venturing out of our home state of Texas. We have been to shows in Colorado and Oklahoma and look forward to other areas in the future. However, Texas is so large that we can travel several hours and still be in our home state. :)