No. 6 The Triceratops Project.
I stared a new project tentatively called the Triceratops machine
I base the idea on the original model made some 68 million year ago.

Normally, when I make a sculpture, I kind of build everything all equal.
In other words, I build all components all together until they are all completed at the same time.

This time I am going to change my approach and build the head first, up to about 90% and then start of the body and then the legs.

End result:
438 hours build time.
Made of Silver, brass, copper stainless steel.
Set with emeralds, amethysts, rubies.
Designed and made by Hans Meevis.

Home

More Jewelry Tutorials

Then I made the two sides domed to give the face some depth .
I sort of draw the eyes position and shape. Very tentative at this point, but it actually was already close to what actually was made.

I added the top and bottom.
I use a silver solder that I mix myself.
30 grams Fine Silver--9.2 grams Copper--- 6.9 grams Zinc
It is not jewellery solder, but is works well with non ferrous and ferrous metals.
The red look is what brass does in a pickling solution that has iron contamination from the iron of the soldering tweezers. No problem though, everything will get sanded down multiple times before the final polish is done.

I have to keep an idea where I am going with the body, as in proportion, length and stuff.
Getting an idea as to the central horn and the top of the head, which is, at this stage, quite variable.

I didn't like the top horns so I cut them off.
Then I added a 3 mm plate on his neck, because I figured I would need quite a lot of material for carving and screw attachment.

The central horn is made out of stainless steel.
I hate a 8 mm rod and the file it to a square taper.
Then I use an oxy-gas torch and heat the rod hot in the middle and twist the steel.
It is actually quite easy to do it this way.

I also made two curved horns for his secondary fighting horns.

The main horn and the secondary horns.

I always spent an inordinate amount of time making the eyes of my sculptures, it seems.
This one was certainly no different.

I wanted a reptilian type eye for the Tricera War Machine.
Something hard and emotionless, that when you see it peering through the bush, you know you are in deep and immediate trouble.
I made a bunch of test eyes and eventually decided on the tawny colour of ground brass.

I eventually decided on this type of eye.

Then I made a round disk. Then I cut a marquise shape using the edge of a setting burr.
Then the marquise shape is filled with black enamel .

Then I use some borosilicate glass from my glass blowing stock and make some high domes.

A nice round bulb

I cut it off with a diamond disk.

Then I flatten the bottom on a diamond lap and polish it.
Polishing it is easy because all that has to be done is to use a buff stick with 280 grit, then 1200 grit and then polishing paper and it's done.

I solder some 3 mm threaded bar on the back.

Then I drag a 180 grit buff stick at 90° to the cat pupil.
This gives a cats eye effect when the glass is glued on.

Both eyes finished and ready for mounting.
Check how the glass cabochon makes the pupil bigger.

Then I made the eye background out of silver.
Later, I will colour the background with Liver of Sulfur to make it black.
The eye screws into the head and so holds the background in place as well.

I made quite a few different teeth models and I finally settled on the is one.
I kinda like the 'ragged tooth shark' look the back teeth made. Unfortunately, these were not the final design.

Working out where the jaw actuators are going to go.
These were the final teeth. Each one was screw able in so I could remove them to finish off the inside of the mouth. I kept the ragged tooth shark look.

I made the actuators and attached them on either side of the mouth.
I also made two mean looking saber tooth tiger type of teeth out of stainless steel.

Starting with the copper work on the front of the face.

I made some mouth lining and copper cladding.  The copper cladding is basically in place.
I have still to file it half round and fix the placer screws, but this is the look I am going for.

The front view.

Making the body.
 I make the frame out of 2 mm thick metal.  The head is screwed to the body with a 6 mm bolt.  I make a cardboard template for the front of the body.

I was happy with the cardboard template in the previous picture, so I cut and shaped it out in metal.

Again, I am using cardboard and Plasticine to get the feel of the direction I want to go.

Using various clamps and heat to form the metal for the body.

Soldering more body panels in.  This is where the stand works so well, because I just pick it up and put it onto my bench and solder.

Panels soldered in.

Messing around with putty. To get the feel of it.

So then I wax carve a rear leg blank and sand cast it. This is only a blank, so there is plenty of work to do after the cast.  Sand casting leaves a rough finish on the outside.

The basic front leg idea. I also carved these into wax and sand cast them.

Here I have soldered the feet blanks on. I spray the piece to cool it down after soldering.

First I use Plasticine to check how the claws will look. 
Then when I like the look, I make similar ones in steel.

I made claws out of stainless steel rod, filed them to a point , bent them and soldered them in place.

All six front claws in place.

The rear legs, also cast in delft sand and then soldered together.

Messing around with the rear claws.  I am going to theme snakes everywhere.
During the entire construction I was kind of obsessed with snakes and I made many different examples, but at the end I didn't use any.

Messing around with the rear claws. I am going to theme snakes everywhere.
During the entire construction I was kind of obsessed with snakes and I made many different examples, but at the end I didn't use any.

Then, for some reason, to complete the center of the body, I thought that layering the side with copper, like sort of roof shingle, would be a good idea.
Patently, it was not, so I removed them.
I went wrong here and I don't quite know what I was thinking..

So I put in side plates. much better for the over all look and the riding position.

Now it was time to make the tail.  I carved the tail out of one piece of wax and then I cut it apart and snad cast.

I use a lot of files and also wax burrs to carve wax.

The tail, finished and ready to be cut into segments and sand cast.

Here are the segments after casting and cleaning up.  I must say, the cleaning up is most tedious.

Set up to see what it will do. Now I need to make the parts that go in between the individual segments.

Set up to see what it will do. Now I need to make the parts that go in between the individual segments.

Fitting the tail. I will bend it more upward later.
I also made the center copper cover in between the front and back body panels.

I also made some 'vane/spikes that I joined onto the tail.

Check out the mean end spike that I made for the tail.
I turned out some stainless steel and the tapped some holes in and screwed a whole bunch of brass spikes in. It will get a hooked end spike in later.

With the end spike and all the other spikes installed.

I made snakes—too obsessed with snakes.

I left the snakes and started on some kind of dragon/snake weapon that would protect the rider.

I puttied them on to see what it would look like.

Some very unfinished snakes that will eventually be soldered in place.

I made some copper covers for the rear legs. I riveted some stylistic snakes made out of silver onto them.

Mounted with placer screws

Then I soldered both snakes on the rear legs.
I was going to attach them to the front ones, but they look meaner at the back.

Then I made two sets of spines and the screw onto the snake /dragon thing.
The placer screws are going to have horns on.

I repoussed some copper to make a set for the Triceratops.

It looked nice but ultimately went the way of the 'do it again' pile.

It looked nice but ultimately went the way of the 'do it again' pile.

Made some side armor plates .

Fitting them to the underside.

Close up of front and side armor. There are two layers for each side.

Showing more armor plates.9This is an later picture, where I have already made the alien princess)

Showing the dragon on the front leg.

So now I get to the actual center piece of this project—the alien rider.
I mess around with Plasticine plenty to just see where I am going.

Sort of to get the arms and body idea. I am going to go for a female look.

I carved this dude out of purple wax first, but after I spray painted him gold I changed my mind and then went for a female look.

I melted the torso to the copper seat in such a way that I could click her on or off and I also could remove the seat .

Adding the legs.

Then the arms and four finger hands.

Designing her head.

Adding detail to her head. I use white out and paint it on the wax and then I draw on it with a pencil.

Molding a three dimensional object made of wax is always a bit tricky, because you don't want to get any marks on it.
So I mix some quick set putty and then put some cling wrap over in.
Then I press the model into the putty, let it harden and pull the cling wrap off .

The hardened putty makes a good custom bed for the model.

Working on the final shape.

I am going to make a pale blue titanium back ground and cover it with cab glass and a maybe round black pupil.

Made her shoes.
I am going to cut her apart and then cast her in brass.
Then I can finish the front controls off. Her hands will be holding them.

I am going to decorate her dress after casting.
She is the leader of the warrior class and she is also going to get a breast plate with her warrior crest on.

Cut the model apart and sprued them up.
It is always risky to cast brass, what with the zinc and all, but bugger that, I go for broke.
I haven't cast in the Netherlands yet so this is a first time cast for everything.
As in, it is best to have a couple of casts under your belt before trying a everything or nothing cast.

Aaaand action. This is a video grab with my dear wife, the ever patient Anne behind the camera.

Cut apart.   Came out  OK and any imperfections I can fix.

I had to set her up in situ, and I thought to glue a stick in place and then solder the leg on would work   It was dicey though.

So I tied my alien girl warrior up with wire.

Here she is with the pro forma control handles

I fell out of love with the first saddle so I carved a new one .

This took a couple of days to set up the sand casting, so in the mean time I carved her some dagger sheaths for her delectable upper thighs.

Here is the basic saddle.
Now I am going to add stuff and things to it.

Started pre carving her feet and stirrups.   Her feet end up in a snake head.

I made her some shoulder gear that denotes her rank.

I messed around with some spikes on her back, but I didn't like them so I discarded them.

Instead I made some shorter steel spikes that I heat treated to blue.
Much more feminine.

I also made stirrups for her feet and carved two dragons for the front feet.

Detail of her sword scabbard. The handle is made out of stainless steel.

These are all the ornaments that she wears.  The breast plate is silver and is set with amethyst and emeralds.    The two bangles are silver and set with two natural rubies.

I made her eyes out of glass.
Once it was cut to shape, I made them cabochon and then painted the iris and pupil with acrylics.

The glass then covers the colour and gives a very nice effect.

Here you can see all her bangles and ornament nicely.

Close up of her dagger after it was finished.

Close ups showing her calf bangle and the copper cover between the front and back.

Showing her breast plate, which is made of silver and set with amethysts and emeralds.

Just showing how pretty she is.

Her silver and ruby bangles.

Pen for scale.