Weathervanes
This weathervane was designed for the San Pasqual Elementary School, San
Pasqual Valley, CA,
July, 2003.
The Fleur-de-lis is their school emblem. It was made by sandwiching brass
in the
center,
copper in
the middle on both sides and brass on top, both sides -- with brass acorn nuts
holding
the
assembly together.
The layering gives the Fleur-de-lis more of a 3D look and makes
it stronger.
The bottom of the Fleur-de-lis is attached to the upright column by inserting it
into a sloted
short
stainless steel bar (to eliminate electrolytic corrosion), held secure with
brass rivets. The
stainless
bar was threaded to screw into the steel pipe (just barely showing in picture
below).
The picture below shows the assembled weathervane prior to installation on
site. The upright
portion
is made from plumbing parts (to acknowledge the valley's agricultural history).
The
arrow is steel tubing
with the head and feathers made from gilded brass, attached with stainless
steel
(again to eliminate
electrolytic corrosion), to acknowledge the Native American heritage of
the
region. The shorter portion
of the arrow was weighted inside with lead to help balance it.
The compass letters are brass, held with copper tubing attached to stainless
steel screws which
were
welded to a steel ring, with a set screw so it could be oriented correctly and
then held
firmly in place.
The arrow pivots on a shaft that is inserted into two sealed ball bearings,
secured in section of pipe
designed to shelter them from the weather.
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More to come