Windmills of the Mind

THE MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO NICKEL AND ITS APPLICATIONS October 2003 Volume 19, Number 1

STAINLESS STEEL VANES of this sculpture in Portugal were pickled and electropolished by Anopol Ltd.

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For extensive Nickel Magazine coverage on stainless steel sculpture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, click here.

Electropolished stainless steel wind vane arms 

Nickel magazine, October, 2003 -- When the municipality of Loulé in Portugal decided to invest in an ultra-modern sculpture, they engaged the services of Ferro Design, which conceived a work with spinning wind vane arms -- a sort of modern-day windmill.

And so Zephirus was born -- gigantic and illuminated at night for all to see.

Based in Portugal and headed by Beau McClellan and Adam Varley, Ferro Design not only designs sculptures but also constructs them.

The main lower static structure of Zephirus was produced using COR-TEN [R] material, whereas the rotating vane arms were forged in sections from S31600 stainless steel. Black hot forged sections were shipped from Portugal to specialty metal finishers Anopol Ltd. in Birmingham, U.K., for pickling and electropolishing. Assembled, the sections of the longest vane arm on top of Zephirus extend to 12 metres.

Increasingly, pickling and electropolishing of stainless steel are being used in the finishing new art forms.

PHOTOS: courtesy of Ferro Design

Ferro Design Natos de Picota Parragil &100 Loulé Portugal Tel./Fax: 00351 289 432615 Web Site: www.ferrodesign.net For extensive Nickel Magazine coverage on stainless steel sculpture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, click here.

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