waveform

How does a broken industrial part become an elegant candle holder?

It all began with a discarded object found on a street corner in lower Manhattan. I was attracted to the splash of red paint and its strange and sturdy form, so I picked it up and went on my way. I had no clue what it was.

It was only after looking up the patent number debossed in the inside of the wheel that I learned it was a metal ball caster wheel manufactured by Shepard.

Caster wheel patent

I liked the heft of the metal and the aged, artistic look of the red spray paint on it. It needed to put it to use. Initially I thought maybe a drawer pull, a handle, or maybe a button of some sort, but that felt too obvious. I looked at different orientations and placements, and when I put it on its back and put a pencil in the little shaft I thought – oh? A candle holder?

Pencil as candle

Ok, a candle holder. But as it is, it was too dangerous as it moved too easily and the wax would drip everywhere. It needed something to keep it safely upright. I thought about embedding it into the table top of the associated nightstand, but that would compete with the already embedded bowl, so it had to be elevated.

Some material/form experiments

I experimented with different paper forms with different points and curves at different intervals. I arrived at the three-lobed waveform form as it was the sturdiest and most elegant of the forms I was looking at, and I appreciated that the gaps allowed view to the underside and creates a sense of floating.

I went on to refine the waveform, experimenting with different widths and heights. I measured the width of the wheel that touches the ground and based my measurements off of that, playing with wider and thinner waves, but arrived that a wave the same width as the wheel width looked the best, and I added just enough height to mirror the angles of the wheel and allow clear view of the bottom.

Different waves

It sits on its final form

Now it is time to fabricate the actual object. I went with nickel silver to compliment the red paint and to contrast the aged bronze color of the caster wheel. I cut out three waves from sheet and filed the edges to a soft curve. I hammered each piece until they curved enough to meet at each corner. I soldered the three waves together and hammered them some more until the legs were at the right angle and the caster wheel fit nicely in its seat

After soldering and hammering

I sanded the waveform with progressively finer grit and then polished to a soft polish – not too shiny as to compete with the caster wheel. Now it can hold the wheel to allow it to hold a candle and light the way to bed.

you can see photos of the final piece here.