Lawnmower Blade “Sculpture” #3

Dimensions: Height 23 inches; Diameter of blades 5 inches, Diameter of Base 7 inches; Weight 6 pounds. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind industrial art piece, maybe this is it. It is what it is. You either go for this sort of thing (like me), or you don’t. Because it comes from the third mower I found with five blades spiraling around a central shaft, I call this piece “Quintuple Helix #3.” Was $150, now $125. Click here to purchase.

The Story

I found the lawnmower in an alley, not far from my house in the Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. I disassembled it and retained not only the blade unit but also the two wheel gears—which, unlike the three other lawnmowers I’ve found to date were made of metal; I may use them in other projects. I used a stiff wire brush to remove loose paint/rust, then sprayed on three coats of satin polyurethane. For the base, I cut six pentagons out of leftover pine lumber. I stained pairs of pentagons three different colors (the bottom two Minwax “Provincial,” the top two “Weathered Gray,” and the middle two a 50-50 mix of those colors,) to complement the tones of the metal and patina. I glued them together, offset to go with the spiral design of the five blades. I applied two coats of Minwax water-based clear satin Polycrylic to the wood and drilled a hole to accommodate the shaft; it’s in there pretty tight. The spring and cap on the top are on there loosely; they were originally on the other end of the shaft; you could leave them on or take them off, as you like.

Related Items: Lawnmower Blade “Sculpture” #1, Lawnmower Blade “Sculpture” #2, Lawnmower Blade Table Lamp.