Scrap Iron Sculpture

"That would be kind of scary," he said. "I'm already making just about all I can make."

He has no shortage of raw material to work with.

"It takes three seats for every turkey," he said. "You wouldn't think there'd be that many seats in the country. But I'm continually going to farm sales, buying that scrap iron. I've probably bought 300 or 400 seats from one guy."

And when he eyes an old piece of equipment or machinery, nothing's sacred.

"Oh, I cut up lots of stuff that probably shouldn't be cut up," he said. "The old machinery collectors probably hate guys like me. But I do save some of it for the collectors. They'll come out here and just jump into my scrap pile. It's an interesting business ... you just shouldn't throw nothing away."

John likes the patina of rust, so he does not paint his sculptures.

"And there's not a whole lot of clean-up," he said. "I just go over the metal with a wire brush, and brush away whatever's loose. I don't do any sandblasting. And then I just put on a coat of clear lacquer (which needs to be reapplied periodically if the sculpture sits outside)."

It's work he enjoys, and work that pays the bills, but it's not necessarily work he wants to do forever. With any luck, his craft will endure.

"I have thought about quitting," he said. "I'd like to teach somebody how to carry this on." FC 

For more information: John Scott, PO Box 2, Bunker Hill, Kan., 67626; (785) 483-6615.