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DACHAU TRIANGLE MEMORIAL
PRIVATE RESIDENCE • BOISE, IDAHO This piece was a collaboration between two students and Delia Dante, completed in 2019. In January of 2017, two clients came in to FireFusion Studio seeking to re-create this powerful piece at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Germany. First, the entire project was separated into 3 pieces in order to scale it to size. The final design would be a 3-D tabletop sculpture, hollow-built out of steel with enameled copper detailing. Our clients began by plasma cutting the shapes out of 16-gauge steel. They then textured the surface of the steel with hammers. Next, they cut ¼” rods for the interior spacing to maintain the same width. The posts and sides were then mig-welded together. Mig welding is the process of using electricity to melt and join pieces of metal together. The next step was to cut the metal strips for the outside and inside of the sculpture, then form them to match using hammers, benders and vices. The strips were tack-welded and ground down to ensure that they were level. The outside seams were tig-welded and the welds were ground smooth. |
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The tig welder creates an electric torch, and the welder hand feeds filler rod into the molten puddle. Once the main steel piece was completed, it was time to create the enameled triangles and stars. The hollow triangles were constructed out of copper wire, and individually scored, formed and tig-welded. The solid stars and triangles were copper-plated to give them a border, then welded to posts. They were then welded into several groupings at different depths.
The triangles were cleaned and pickled. The glass enamel powder was then wet-inlayed into the recesses and fired in a 1500 degree kiln 3-4 times. Silver patina was added to the edges of all the copper. After patina and polish, Delia drilled holes and tig-welded copper posts for mounting the triangles and stars.
The process of welding the groupings of stars and triangles at the correct spacing without cracking the glass enamel was challenging, as glass does not always cooperate in uneven heat! A final black patina finish was added to the steel, then the piece was sanded and clear-coated. A form was built for the cement slab base, then distressed and stained grey.
After almost 3 years, the piece was finished just in time for it to be displayed at the State Capital for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The triangles were cleaned and pickled. The glass enamel powder was then wet-inlayed into the recesses and fired in a 1500 degree kiln 3-4 times. Silver patina was added to the edges of all the copper. After patina and polish, Delia drilled holes and tig-welded copper posts for mounting the triangles and stars.
The process of welding the groupings of stars and triangles at the correct spacing without cracking the glass enamel was challenging, as glass does not always cooperate in uneven heat! A final black patina finish was added to the steel, then the piece was sanded and clear-coated. A form was built for the cement slab base, then distressed and stained grey.
After almost 3 years, the piece was finished just in time for it to be displayed at the State Capital for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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