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Finishes |
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Our standard crop circle art materials are Steel and Aluminum. Please read below for details about the available finish options for each type of material. We will also consider special requests for crop circle art designs cut from other materials. See last paragraph.
Steel Art
We make our steel art objects from 1/8" hot-rolled steel, which we found to be an excellent combination of rigidity and lightness. The steel art's edges are smooth and perfect, but until it's finished, there is a small amount of incidental rust. If left unpainted and exposed to the elements, this kind of steel will continue to rust and discolor over time, which may be exactly what you want.
For steel art we currently offer just two options: Unfinished Bare Metal, and matte black Powder Coating.
Option 1: Unfinished Bare Metal - You can order an unfinished metal crop circle, mount it outdoors as is and let nature take its course. And it will look great, if that's your thing. The picture above shows what the steel art looks like in the early stages of rust attack. Unfinished steel is also a good option if you're going to take  the art and incorporate it into a railing, gate or fence of your own, then finish it with the rest of the metal.
If you're the artistic type and have your own ideas about colors and finishes, then an unfinished steel sculpture would be the best option for you. There are verdigris washes and other non-paint treatments you can apply to your steel art, or you can just go to your friendly local super size hardware store and get the perfect color to go with your yard or house décor. We had good results when we tested some of the textured spray paints like the ones pictured here. There are many colors and textures of spray paint available.
Option 2: Black Powder Coating - If you want to mount the steel sculpture the minute you receive it, want the finish to last forever, and can live with our only color selection - matte black - then choose the powder coating option. The picture below is a close up of the black matte powder coating. We will add other color options based on feedback from our customers. Please call or email us with your opinions.
If you want your steel sculpture powder coated but in a custom color other than black, we recommend that you order the unfinished version, then find someone locally who can do the powder coating for you. This may cost up to $100, but it's the same price whether you do one piece or five pieces. (So buy several!) There are powder coating shops everywhere because it's a popular finish for car and motorcycle parts. They have hundreds of colors and finishes, and sandblasting the steel sculpture prior to powder coating is part of the service.
Aluminum Art
We make our aluminum art objects from 1/4" aluminum. This material is more expensive but is slightly lighter than the equivalent 1/8" steel, and it gives some nice depth to the design. As with steel sculptures, all of the edges are smooth and perfect.
Although it won't rust, aluminum will discolor over time with an unpleasant oxidation layer. We offer three options for aluminum art:
Option 1: Unfinished, Lightly Polished - The design will come to you free of oxidation and ready for painting, or you can get it  powder coated locally with a custom color of your choice. Aluminum accepts powder coating very nicely.
Option 2: Black Powder Coat - See the above description for steel powder coating.
Option 3: Polish and Clear Coat - This produces a beautiful classy finish, but it's the most expensive option because polishing and clear coating requires some manual effort to get just the right look, as shown by the picture on the right.
Other Materials
We'd love to have an excuse to cut one of our crop circle art designs from copper, brass, glass or even wood. If you have a need for a material other than steel or aluminum, call or email and we'll try to help.
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