Some people look at a pile of scrap metal and all they see is junk.
Some people look at it and see the potential to create something unique.
Oxford High School juniors Cody Blanchard and Tyler Oke fall into the latter category.
They cut and welded together old parts from the auto shop’s scrap bin to create a life-size sculpture of a tricycle.
‘It looks so realistic,? said Auto Technology teacher Dan Balsley. ‘It was really cute and creative.?
Blanchard and Oke used three brake rotors for the wheels, a muffler for the seat and exhaust piping to create the frame and handlebars.
‘I was most impressed with the detail that it has,? Balsley said. ‘It has a little fender. It has a splash guard. It has a little simulated headlight. It has amazing attention to detail.?
‘We were digging through the old parts bin ? you know rusty parts they took off of cars and no one needs them ? and we pretty much decided to make something cool,? Oke explained.
‘We were going to make a bike, but then it kind of just turned into a tricycle,? Blanchard said.
‘There’s always a whole lot of rotors (in the bin) and we’ve always wanted to use them as wheels,? Oke said.
While the tricycle looks like a person could just jump on and take off, it doesn’t actually move.
‘We didn’t have many parts to work with,? Oke noted.
‘If we had some better parts, we could have made the wheels roll, but it’s good for what we had,? Blanchard said.
It took the pair two classes, a total of four hours, to build it.
‘I like it,? Oke said.
They created it in order to earn extra welding points for their auto technology class.
?(Welding is) one of those shop skills that’s important when you’re working on cars,? Balsley said. ‘You can do more and fix more if you know how to weld and braze and solder, so I teach those skills.
?(Students) can get lab points for welding, but (Blanchard and Oke) took it a step beyond what I was even asking. I just want them to be able to put pieces of metal together. They actually created something.?
Oke noted they’ve been asked to display the tricycle in the art room at OHS.
‘I grabbed the art teacher, brought her down and showed her what a nice job they did,? Balsley said. ‘They may end up using it in the art room to sketch. That’s kind of neat.?
This isn’t the pair’s first scrap sculpture. Last semester, they turned a bunch of old parts into a friendly-looking, little canine that now adorns the auto shop’s classroom.
‘I plan to do more welding stuff like this,? Oke said. ‘It’s fun to do. I really like it. It’s enjoyable.?
So, what’s the next creation going to be?
‘It all really depends on what’s left in the bin,? Oke said.