Red Tailed Black Cockatoo

Sheet metal Red Tailed Black Cockatoo. My tribute to this endangered species which lives around my area.

To make, I used the following process:

• Started with images from different angles of a cockatoo and traced around it's outline on my computer in Bluebeam PDF editor. Happy to share the PDFs if you need help.
• I printed the outline on A1 paper to use as a template.
• I used contact adhesive to stick the paper template to a piece of 1.6mm mild-steel.
• To cut it out, I used a plasma cutter. I have a cheap eBay 50A plasma which is super handy for jobs like this!
• I folded it up in the bench vice with a drop in brake bender also from eBay.
• All welded together using my TIG welder with argon shielding gas. My favourite welder as it makes no mess, the welds are super tidy, and my wife enjoyed having a go at welding one up also!
• It was primed using spray primer, then 2 coats of satin black Dulux Metal Shield spray paint. Red tip on the tail using the same paint but red colour.