William C Mang

I'm a general contractor in Rocklin, California.I started building casual art forms from everyday building materials for Halloween decorations to please the many visitors who visit my Halloween display every year.

In 2003, I received a 135 MIG welder for Christmas and that's when I had an awakening of my artistic abilities. My first project was a 13-foot tall fire-breathing dragon named after my Dad, Frankie, which I made with mild steel. I soon discovered I liked the way steel looks when its sanded and wire brushed.

The problem with mild steel, however, is that it soon rusts so it has to be painted. I quickly moved into stainless (T-304, T-0316) and begin creating large scale sculptures. Stainless steel is in a class of its own and is 2 to 3 times harder than mild steel because it contains nickel and chromium to keep it from oxidizing (rusting); and it is about 5 to 7 times more expensive. To compound matters the hardness of the steel makes it almost impossible to sculpt. I go through an exorbitant amount of grinders, sanding discs and cutters which are also very expensive and can only be bought at specialty welding shops or custom ordered. Even the gas I use to weld with is custom and expensive because it contain...

Self taught sculpture