Rocket! 30.5" — $2400

Rocket! 30.5″

Rocket! 30.5″ x 12″, hammer formed and riveted aluminum, by Steve Eichenberger. $2400 including free cont. U.S. shipping. <p><small> [Note: PayPal account <u>not</u> required to complete purchase.]</small></p>

$2,400.00

30-1/2″ tall x 12″ wide, hammer formed aluminum, hand-set rivets. My original design.

diagonal rocket for etsy

Photos are of the actual rocket for sale in this listing. A real challenge to build from scratch; made individually by hand so is unique; patina never the same twice. Not sure how many rockets I will make…this may be the last or I may make more, time will tell. This is only the second one in existence of this size (the largest I’ve made or plan to make).

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My inspiration to make this rocket:

• I tried to imagine the “quintessential” rocketship design…and a very specific vision came to mind. I did a quick pencil sketch of it…

• Then I realized that, with the hammer forming skills I’d taught myself the past couple of years, I could actually *make* my idealized vision in aluminum!

• So I scanned my pencil sketch and refined the design in Inkscape (open source vector drawing application) on my Mac, and printed out trial patterns.

• My first experiment at rocket building was a fail… It was clunky, with inelegant overlapping metal sections.

• The next iteration, however, exceeded my expectations, bringing my inner vision of the “perfect spaceship” to life! The construction method (using edge-to-edge joints between sections rather than overlapping) was far more exacting and time consuming to build, but the streamlined result was well worth it.

• On a personal level, the payoff has been greater than the physical sculpture; it has been cathartic to focus on a fun, optimistic vision of the future for a change! It has helped elevate my overall outlook.

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If you were to deconstruct this rocket sculpture, you’d find it’s made from over 60 individually hammer-formed aluminum pieces, into which I drilled about 800 holes, fastened together with ~400 rivets. Starting with my original design, I traced and cut out the 60 parts by hand, hammered them over various forms I made until they fit properly together, drilled the holes, then hand riveted the pieces together. For the patina, I tried to evoke a scorched, re-entry look and feel.

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With high quality materials and craftsmanship throughout, this rocket sculpture will last for many generations. Signed on the inside of the fuselage exhaust bezel.

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I envision it in modern homes, urban lofts, high tech environments, hipster offices, or retro / atomic style decor. It’s stable, sturdy, lightweight — easy to place on any table, mantel, shelf, desk, niche, ledge, or floor next to a fireplace etc.

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I just love it…and I hope you’ll like it as well as I do.

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