L-40 retiree Frank Linton displays two of his paintings and samples of his metal art — a life-size turkey and sculpture of Blue Heron.
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L-40 retiree creates metal art using skills he developed on the job
AFTER WORKING 35 years as a field construction Boilermaker, Frank Linton is now using his welding skills to create some rather spectacular metal art.
Linton, who joined Local 40 (Elizabethtown, Ky.) in 1973, may have retired two years ago, but he never put away his welding tools. Instead, he has been using them to make herons, turkeys, deer, and ducks.
Linton, who has been drawing and painting all of his life, has only been creating metal art since 2004. He begins each piece by designing a metal framework. Using 16-gauge carbon steel, stainless steel, and steel cable, Linton cuts most of the steel pieces with metal shears and a plasma arc. He then welds the pieces to the framework using his MIG welder.
Each piece of art is intricate in its design and detail, and takes days to complete. The turkey, for example, took seven days, ending with Linton hand painting the final details. The Blue Heron sculpture includes cattails, lily pads, and dragonflies.
Linton’s art is not for sale. However, he did donate his first piece — a Blue Heron sculpture colored with steel bluing — to the Relay for Life Cancer Society, where it sold at auction for $576.
