Pewter sculpture, 10″ high x 6″ x 6″. Made from clay original, silicone rubber mold, then poured molten pewter. Completed September, 2012. $2500.00
Feb
09
Stone In Motion
*Hand Sculpted Natural Stone Dumbbell Sets*
5-lb Arizona Banded Travertine
burnished brass bar, red oak base
5-lb Belgian Black Onyx
polished brass bar, red oak base
5-lb Verde Antique
polished brass bar, red oak base
5- lb brown and white banded travertine,
polished brass bar, red oak base
8- lb French marble,
polished brass bar, red oak base
About Hand Crafted Dumbbells
Each of these dumbbells has been individually hand crafted from natural stone. Each dumbbell set includes a red oak base with a hand rubbed Minwax tung oil finish.
Each dumbbell set has a copyright and is individually indentified with a unique serial number and year of manufacture, plus the sculptor’s logo stamp.
Being made of natural stone, there may be small voids in the stone, which is characteristic of some of the materials used, particularly travertine.
The pictured dumbbells are examples of what is available, and what can be done. There are a multitude of stone types which can be used, each with its own colors and patterns. Materials can even be selected to match, compliment, or contrast stone used in a home or office. A few of the options available include malachite, turquoise, rhodochrosite, lapis lazuli, jasper, agate, petrified wood, etc., etc.
The bars pictured are all brass, with a burnished or highly polished finish. Copper or stainless steel can be substituted for brass during assembly. Solid sterling silver or sterling clad bars can be supplied. Gold is also an option.
Other wood types are available to match or contrast home of office decor. These include maple, cherry, mahogany, teak, or exotic hardwoods.
Use, Care and Cleaning
The natural stone used to fabricate these dumbbells is moderately durable, but cannot be subject to severe abuse like common iron or steel weights. If they are dropped on a concrete surface, they may break. The finish can be scratched if the dumbbells are slid over hard or abrasive surfaces, or even softer surfaces if they have abrasive particles of sand or metal on them which can contact the stone.
During use, a clean towel or piece of carpet can be used as a temporary rest for the dumbbells. This will prevent scratching.
If the stone needs cleaning, wash with a mild soap and water solution. A waterproof industrial epoxy resin is used to bond the stones to the bar. Water will not affect it in any way. Dry with a soft cotton towel. Do not use abrasive cleansers or strong acidic or caustic cleaners. These will etch the soft stone.
The brass (or other material) bar can be polished with any fine metal polish. Brasso works very well. Mother’s polish is another good polish. For a light touch-up polish, use a jeweler’s rouge-impregnated polishing cloth.
Feb
09
Squareknot
Colorado Marble
Motorized, slowly rotates
22 ” high on 24″ square base
Sep
15
Epicyclic is a unique kinetic stone sculpture which combines motorized motion with highly polished travertine and granite. The smoothly flowing oscillating, rotary, linear and intermittent motions are mesmerizing to watch. The piece took one year and about 750 man hours to conceptualize, design, prototype, fabricate and fine-tune.
This piece was an exploration into what happens when one makes a machine out of stone, and what types of motions can be generated by an old-fashioned analog machine with no computers to sequence or direct complicated interrelated motions.
It is the first of a series of increasingly complicated kinetic stone sculptures.
Ken Ronney, the designer/sculptor, is a retired engineer with a long-time background designing and fabricating precision industrial and aircraft machinery and equipment. He has been involved in lapidary work and silversmithing for thirty years. After retirement from engineering, he decided to get into stone sculpting. After making a few “normal” stone sculptures, he decided to try something completely different.
For additional information or a copy of the DVD showing Epicyclic in motion and during fabrication and assembly, contact me directly.
Ken Ronney,
Sculptor
Ken Ronney, 7357 Hesperia Ave, Reseda CA 91335 tel 818 996-1630; cell: 818 625-6510 ; e-mail Kronney@aol.com
Kenneth Ronney Sculpture 