Science Fiction
Primed finger jointed trim wood is a popular component on the exteriors of newly finished homes and at Jeff Bird Art. The box for this piece is constructed from that lumber harvested from a dumpster at a local construction site. The back is a piece of plywood. The metal grate supporting the water guns is a part of a closet shelf system collected at the end of a driveway (there was no “free” sign, but I am sure they meant to give it away). The collection of vintage space age water pistols is complimented with Lego Star Wars figures. The front door is made from a discarded brochure rack and features a business card hold. Shameless self-promotion. Jeff Bird Art features vintage toy guns and recycled materials. A commissioned piece that resides in a private collection.
Buck Rogers
Way ahead of the sixties, 1929 to be exact, Buck Rogers arrived on the scene. Here two operational relics remain functioning. The lager is a “pop gun.” One pump and the trigger releases a blast of air and a fierce popping sound (thus the name). The smaller unit is a ray gun that doubles as a flashlight, (serious, how cool is that?)A holiday tin of cookies the shape of which was too intriguing to pass up house several smaller Ray Guns from various sources. All the contents are mounted on PVC rectangular slices of railings and balusters. A recycled Plastic lid is shaped to match the can and held in place with a recaptured cabinet hinge and kept closed with a repurposed magnet latch
Laser Danger
In the 1970’s battery powered Ray Guns took over the Space scene. These vintage models are mounted with multicolored Ray Guns puzzles, see if you can put them back together! The energy source is on display in the bottom right, a yellow board game piece is toward the lower left. The 1950’s (caught in hyper-space and just recently returned to earth) astronaut is a very rare Archer Ajax Spaceman figure, with the ALWAYS missing removable helmet.
Ray Gun
An Atomizer. Atomic Ray Gun. Space Gun. All collected from the outer regions of the deepest space (almost crushed) at the bottom of the 1960’s toy box. Yet, in true pressed metal toy tradition they still work! Spewing sparks and making a revving sound they are true examples of the race to space. Boxed in primed finger jointed trim board scraps and backed with a flatten stove pipe and a scrap of hardware cloth, all harvested from a local build site dumpster. Salvaged hinges and a used screw eye round out the presentation.