02M-10

 

 

  

 

 

A Filter for Truth

In the early morning the alley is a bustling place. People come and go on high purpose, opening their stores, getting ready for the day. Chill air fills the spaces between buildings but the clear sky promises warmth to come.

"It's open. Come on in."
The big grey cat looks up at me with hope in his eyes. I think I know what he wants, and lean down to pick him up. He settles over my shoulder with a soft purr.
"His paws get cold, and I'm moving too fast for him. Any stationary warm object is fair game, as far as he's concerned."
"I don't mind. He has a nice purr."

"Now, here's what I called you about." Is that a twinkle in his eye?
"Well, umm . . ."
"You were about to say it's the ugliest damn thing you've ever seen, right?"
"Well, umm . . . Let's just say it's not like anything else here."
"I know. Its beauty is in two areas, one proven, one not. I made this in three hours. Your box filter took two days."
"That is beautiful. But . . . that thing looks dangerous."
"Yah. I'd suggest gloves." We both laugh.
"How's it work?"
"I don't know. I called that friend of yours, but he seemed to prefer his old proven technology to this new thing. Mainly because I wouldn't let him use it with your cloth forms."
"Good idea. I guess this means I'll have to be your guinea pig again, right?"
"Let's just say that I had hopes along that line." We laugh again.

Sharp edges abound. Little sharp-ended twists of wire are all over the place; it looks rather like a Medieval torture device.
"Well, today will be a good day to test. The tide is high, and I'll need to use native sand. You know, this cat is heavy!"
"I know. Builds up your back muscles. I should charge you rental to carry him around!"
I put the cat down. He doesn't want to put paw to floor. "Thanks for the screen. I'll let you know."
"I'll eagerly await word."

The first time through for anything is rough. The PVC pipe frame is all right, but the method I used to attach the 0.125" hardware cloth is clumsy. I originally named it the Quick Filter because I hoped it would be quick to build and quick to use. As I look at it the name changes to the Ugly Filter. It sits on the garage floor, waiting. I look at it and think of ways to improve it, but the basic question is about if it works at all.

Experiments have many ways to go awry. The screen could tear away from the frame under the load of that wet sand. The PVC pipe could break; it's brittle stuff. It could be just as obstructive to sand as my existing box filter. One thing is certain: there's no point in planning improvements until I get some experience.

Build number: 02M-10 (lifetime start #257); 2 units on individual riser bases flanking sculpted borrow pit
Title: "Cooking Thai" (for Bert Adams)
Date: November 27
Location: Venice Breakwater, on the flat
Start: 0830, construction time 5.5 hours
Unit A: 30 inches tall, 19 inches diameter, immersion screened native sand (Short Form)
Unit B: 30 inches tall, 19 inches diameter, immersion screened low-tide sand (Short Form)
Plan: Unit A on elongated base on east bank of borrow pit. Unit B on elongated base on west bank of borrow pit. Pit shaped to wrap around each piece in a sort of S shape. Bases sloped to fit together.
Helpers: none
Digital Images: 60, with Canon Powershot G2
Photo 35mm: none
Photo 6X7: none
Photo volunteer: Rich, w/Baggiemat
Video motion: none (camcorder left at home deliberately)
Video still: none
Video volunteer: none
New Equipment: Quick Filter, 0.125" hardware cloth on PVC pipe box frame

1. Taming the Sand

I made the Quick Filter for Larry Dudock, but its genesis lies in years farther back than the start of our relationship. I started screening sand in 1995, with a simple flat frame and large hardware cloth. The screen failed structurally, and the half-inch holes allowed big shells to sneak through on the diagonal. I tried again with quarter-inch hardware cloth; this gave me better screening but I ran into a new problem: getting the sand to go through the screen. Pouring water on it helped flow the sand through but there was no way to control the water. It ran all over rather than being concentrated on the sand. A further problem was that the quarter-inch holes still allowed fair-size shells through.

OK. Let's think about this. We need finer screening, and we need a way to control the water that's poured through. Some checking reveals that there is such a thing as eighth-inch hardware cloth. That should be fine enough, and if we put it on a box-shaped frame we can drop it into the form and then pour the water in so the sand will come out. Further research reveals one problem: no one has fine hardware cloth. What they do have, however, is heavy-duty window screen with holes roughly one-sixteenth of an inch across. Finer is better, right? We have to use water to get the sand through anyway, right?

I took my roll of window screen home and built a box frame from wood I had around the house. I attached the screen to the outside with a combination of screws, hot glue and cover strips of Masonite. In the summer of 1996 this got its first test.

It didn't go as planned. Getting the sand out of the filter took a lot of water, but I learned to solve that problem by having six inches of water in the form so that I could move the filter around and thereby wash the sand through. This was work but the pile quality was sensational. With sand packed that well, and guaranteed to be free of shells, I could make sections thin and delicate. The last element of the Small Sculpture Revolution was in place.

Years went by. The prototype filter fell apart, destroyed by the rust on its screws but the screen itself never tore, which was the failure I expected. Using what I'd learned I built an improved model.

Fine screens like this have limitations. They're only good on fine sand. When I went to Harrison Hot Springs, and Santa Cruz, my filter simply plugged up. For Venice low-tide sand, however, it worked great. Then I started, for various reasons, using the coarser sand at high tide. The emphasis on these sculptures was speed so I tolerated shells and other junk.

Larry sent me video showing him at work. Yeow, what a hassle. He'd set his flat screen on top of his form, put some sand on it, pour some water on that, then use his gloved hands to push the sand through. Labor. Time. For the one-day beach sand sculptor these must be minimized. There must be a better way.

By this time Mauricio and I had made the Bigfoot Tamper. My planned replacement, which would have been very pretty, would have taken at least a day to make. The Bigfoot took about 14 minutes. That kind of beauty I can appreciate. Naturally, when Larry's screening problems became apparent I started thinking about a PVC-pipe framed filter.

There were problems here, too. The main one was that PVC pipe is designed as a system for plumbing, not for building things. The fittings I wanted didn't exist; I tried several times to find them and then gave it up. Watching Larry work in person one day rekindled the interest. If I can't find the parts I want, how about using the parts I can find?

There it is. I gave first-use rights to Larry, until he balked at my statement that it shouldn't be used with cloth forms. I assumed he'd be using his pool plastic, but he has become a quick convert to the no-hassle sailcloth form, and he demurred on using the new screen. Pretty much on a whim I added what I'd started calling the Ugly Filter to the load on the cart and headed for the beach.

The day is cool, dry and clear. Strong Santa Anas blew yesterday. Anything could happen today; there's a large spreading cloud south of Palos Verdes. I choose a spot and start digging and hauling water.

"I really liked the sculptures you did the other day. Especially the one with the stripes. That was interesting!"
"That was made by a friend of mine. Mine was right behind you, where that hump is." She's one of the people I've seen out here regularly for years, always walking north. I wonder how she gets back south?
"They were still here though. I was surprised."
"That must have been Monday?"
"I don't know." She smiles. "Have fun today, and a good Thanksgiving."
"Thanks. You also." She heads on north. Maybe she takes the bus home.

In all the thinking about screens I never really though very much about the sculpture. I dust off an older idea and plan a two-unit multiple, with one sculpture on each side of the borrow pit, with some sort of earthworks to connect them. After building the first base I put the Short Form on top. Here we go.

Well, what a delight. This validates the original concept: put the filter into the form, throw in some sand, pour on water, shake the screen a couple of times and it's empty. Take it out and tamp. Repeat. After a time not much longer than an unscreened pile would have taken the form is full. I caught some good-sized pebbles in the screen, too. For Unit B I build a base on the west side of the borrow pit. The sculpture is made of sand hauled in from the low-tide line, eight buckets screened. I estimate that screening the sand with this instead of the fine filter takes about half as long as using the fine one. It's also less work because I don't have to pick up the filter when it's loaded. OK. It's quick, but is it effective?

I give Unit A a thorough spraying to counteract the dry breeze and then pick up the Sand Knife to start the shaping. Native sand sculptures are soft and easy to cut. I take a nice big bite and the knife stalls. What's this? I push harder and the cut goes on. The whole pile is like this! Noticeably more solid than usual. I should have guessed; immersion filtering improved the quality of fine sand piles; why wouldn't it work for coarse sand? Native-sand sculpture will never be the same again. I should have built this thing years ago.

There are a few small shells that got through gaps, but no sculpture-breakers. The pile doesn't dry out as quickly as an unscreened on, which also confirms fine-sand experience: the better the pack, the better it retains water. Wow. Another experiment succeeds. What a year this has been. Larry's gonna have to fight me for this item.

2. OK, Fine, the Screen's Great But What About the Sculpture?

Two piles on the beach. One has rough shaping done on one side. With an effort of will I convert myself from a sand-pounding ox to a carver with sensitive fingers.

"Good morning."
"Hi, Tim." He's wearing a wetsuit and his surfboard lies on the sand nearby. "Any ideas of what the weather's doing?"
"Yesterday was really windy. Today there's a storm off Baja, and high pressure over the desert. The wind is supposed to come back in the afternoon. The surfing has been good because of the combination."
"Oh, my. That's trouble for me."
"The sculptures dry out?"
"Yes. Faster than I can spray."
He picks up his board. I turn back to the sculpture. I will have to work fast; between the stormy-looking cloud to the south and the promised winds I may lose the whole thing.

Make it lean a bit. That's good. Now, undercut here a little. This new kind of coarse-sand pile will take it. Cut this away, and this, and slant the top like that. I like the overall shape, kind of blocky but graceful. There are subtle facets that just invite holes; I look over the whole thing and plan entries and exits. Nice simple holes, pleasing shapes fit into the facets.

Inside the sculpture things are different. Surfaces between holes take on interesting shapes. I leave one hole as a rounded hollow, liking the way it looks, but I know Rich will take me to task for that when he gets here. It's a simple piece but I like it. Elegant. Interesting. On to the second unit.

Unit B is just as solid as it would have been with the fine filter. There are some small shells, like Unit A, but no big stuff. I start hacking away, pressed by time. Santa Anas are coming! Carve! Carve!

I want it to have a lean that counters that of Unit A. The tool I have in my hand, the big offset-handle spatula, isn't ideal for the job but I don't want to take time to fetch the Loop Tool. I slice away successive layers.

The result stops me in my tracks. Rough edges slant downward, each progressively farther into the pile. The effect is very interesting. All right. I had no real idea for this piece, so we'll just use this. Clean it up, open the inside, and punch through each level of the slanted layers into the center.

It isn't exactly beautiful, but it is a neat effect. I reshape, and reshape, and reshape again. By this time it's after noon. Where's the wind? Have I been reprieved? No matter. Carve! Shape those pieces. Give them some grace. Fit them with each other.

Once into fast-carve mode it's hard to come out. When Rich comes ambling across the sand, he comments that I'm already cleaning up.
"Well, I have a lot of base work to do also."
"I see."
I turn around and look at the sun. There is plenty of light-time, but there are clouds building above the horizon. And the truth is there just isn't much else to do.

3. One More For Rich

"I do see one place where you forgot a hole."
"And I know exactly where you mean. I intended to leave that the way it is."
"Surely not. It'll catch sunlight."

He knows how to get to me. Let's review the issue. I like the hollow look, but can I keep that and still poke a hole through to the next space? The answer looks to be yes, so I fetch the Steel Finger and cut the hole. An idea hits me.

"I tell you what, Rich. I'll give you two for one." Low on the broad slab that curves up from the base on the north east, I cut a small shaped hole.
"There. How do you like that?"
"Much better."
That'll teach me to try to sneak something past him. He's too observant.

4. And One For Bert

"Actually, I think there more folks that like abstract than you think. Most every sand sculptor I know looks at your website regularly."
" . . . you basically practice like it's a contest. Most folks take it a little bit easier when they are just practicing."
--Bert Adams, Email of 2002 November 26

Bert has enough energy for three people. He organizes contests, teaches people, and now he wants to make a book on sand sculpture. In between all of that he encourages me, especially to go to contests, saying that my work needs to be seen. He especially likes the multiples I've been doing with their complex basal earthworks.

One of these days I'll make it to a contest. I've learned a lot this year about dealing with sub-optimal sand, and the Quick Filter is a new tool in this. Forget the "Ugly Filter" name. The tool has earned my respect. Anyway, I think I could now fill a plot at a contest with a decent sculpture in the alloted time. Thanks for your encouragement, Bert, this sculpture is for you.

5. Clean-up, Twice

Having brushed both sculptures I go to work in the borrow pit, shaping the bases and the sides of the borrow pit so things fit. Unit B's base slopes down toward Unit A, whose base rises from this tail in the borrow pit. The effect isn't what I'd hoped for. I wanted some energy in the base, as if the sculptures were flowing. I still haven't managed to shake off the "hurry up" mode, however, so don't think about this enough. Get it finished, get some images while we have light and sculpture.

After I get images, a full round and various other angles, the pressure is off. The sun is still high.

"it's about 1415."
"Wow. I was quick on this one. There's time to reconsider the base."

I pick up the Loop Tool and the Vertical Roadgrader and sit in the borrow pit. Unit A's base is the problem, but Unit B needs help also. I cut the west side of A's base so that it bulges, with a curving line along the bottom, where it meets the tail of Unit B's base. That needs some fill so I use the waste sand over there to smooth it out into a continuous line.

Unit B also needs more sand on the west, to fill in some hollows. Sand is easy to come by; I drag it up out of the borrow pit and pat it into place. Better. Not perfect, but we are now losing the light due to cloud and it's getting cold without Ralph warming my back.

I like the new result. The base has more energy. Maybe not as much as I wanted, but more. The whole thing moves more now. This requires more photography even if the light is like cement. Too bad I don't have my black-and-white camera.

"I have a concert tonight, so I'll be leaving before sunset. That won't be a problem for you, I see."
"No, this whole thing is walking-based. Simple. What's the concert?"
"Cello and piano."
"Very nice combination."

Tim drives up in his bright yellow truck.
"Very nice."
"Thanks. I like it."
He ambles around the sculpture, then waves and drives off on patrol. Not very many people are in the water today, other than surfers.

"That's it for me."
"OK, Rich. Thanks for your help."
It's not long before I head for home, hungry and cold. Waves boom against the rocks, under clouds reaching east with lacy fingers.

Written November 28
Updated 2017-12-26 to replace Photobucket links with new edits. Multiple sculptures benefit from larger images.