Anyone into helping neighbors

[Gary Fowler]

I just finished restoring an American Bald Eagle, I guess you would call it a sculpture, made from scrap iron. It had originally been installed on my neighbors roof but the guy wires had rusted away and it had to be removed. I lay in the dirt under a big oak for a couple of years and rusted really bad. I cleaned it up, repainted it with a primer coat of aluminum powder paint, then put the natural colors of brown for the body and wings, yellow for the beak and feet with white on the legs, tail and head. It looks really neat. I will try to post some pictures of it later.
I had dug a deep hole with my backhoe and installed part of an old telephone pole in it for to mount the eagle on it. My B26 just wouldn't reach high enough to get the eagle on it, so I had to use my LS to get him on top and screwed into place. He looks majestic up there.

My other neighbor saw it and wants me to repaint her rooster sculpture so that he looks like the Foghorn Leghorn cartoon character . I got him pressure washed yesterday which removed practically all of the old paint and repainting will commence shortly. I can see a trend starting here. Now the eagle owner also has a big rooster sculpture that needs repainting. I dont know about other places, but those roosters are very popular around here.

 

[robstaples]

Pictures of eagle?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Lets see if I can find them. He is just about life sized at around 6 foot wingspan

 

[Gary Fowler]

A couple other items in progress with only the primer coat. I cant get the picture of the Indian on horseback shooting at the buffalo to load.

 

[Carl_NH]

Nice work Gary and good job painting too very lifelike. You have great setting for the eagle too!

As far as helping neighbors - yes we do it here all the time - I'm the neighborhood fixit guy welding a mower deck, getting an engine running again, adjusting valves and pushing back snow banks etc. Everybody reciprocates or helps out in one form or another and it makes for a great neighborhood to live in.

If you enjoy painting and restoring these birds, roosters or whatever is and they like it too, it's just part of life and having good neighbors is a blessing.

 

[robstaples]

Great Work! FYI the leggings are brown. I have a nesting pair in front yard so lots of pics.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Wow Gary! (I'm Gary too in Virginia).
My experience helping neighbors is you do it for kindness and it gets repaid in other ways. I do small welding jobs, rewired a neighbor's hauling trailer and we get invited to cook outs. Yesterday the wife brought over a pecan pie with a forthcoming coconut cake!

 

[rgr33]

Holy Heck Gary, that is a fantastic restoration job.
Hope you will post more of these as you finish them.

 

[Molalla1]

Holy Heck Gary, that is a fantastic restoration job.
Hope you will post more of these as you finish them.

Very nice Gary! . . .

 

[Thomas]

Nice..very nicely done Gary. :thumbsup: