Steve and Clive's Diary

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The Diary

March 9th 2003

We have been working on this project for five months and we have only just finished the maquette (model) from which the sculpture will be created.

The full scale front wheel will be finished in plaster this week. This is the first full size part of the sculpture. It will measure approximately 4ft 2” in diameter.

The steel frame is also now being made. This will support the weight of the clay as we mould the motorcycle.

1st April

The full size model of the sculpture is now almost complete. It is made of plaster and clay. Once complete we will begin making a mould of it in preparation for casting it in bronze.

Making the mould will take three men approximately two weeks.

The County Parks office has offered us a provisional permanent location for the sculpture in Highlands Park directly outside Harley’s H.Q. Our task now is to raise enough money to enable the sculpture to stay there permanently

30th April

Here is Jim, the Manager of the Foundry astride the completed Motorcycle model. It measures sixteen feet long, six feet wide and ten feet high. Once on the base the complete structure will measure twenty feet long by twelve feet wide and fourteen feet high.

Shortly after this picture was taken the men in the foundry started to mould silicon rubber around the model and it was destroyed. This is normal in the moulding process."

9th June 2003

The main parts of the sculpture are now being cast. Several small parts have already been finished but today saw the first large section being cast. The two large steel containers enclose the ceramic patterns of the rear section of the motorcycle and the headlight and front forks.

Each sculpture section is buried in sand. Co2 gas is then pumped into the sand creating a chemical reaction which hardens it.

Once the bronze has reached a temperature of 2100° f it is poured into the ceramic shell.

It is possible to reveal the bronze within one hour of pouring although it is still quite warm!

The casting will be complete by the middle of June when the skilled process of bringing all the parts together begins.

Hand Grip Shot

Due to the size of the sculpture it had to be cast in many parts. Once the casting process is complete all the parts will be cleaned and welded together.

Casting Shot

Paul, Des and Peter are seen her casting the headlight and front forks of the Fat Boy. It took most of the day to get the bronze up to the correct temperature and only 5 minutes to pour it!

Peter, in the foreground, operated the crane holding the ladle. Once in position, Des and Paul poured the bronze into the small aperture at the top of the ceramic mould.

Ceramic of Engine Section

Here you can see the ceramic pattern of the engine. It is sitting on end and with Clive standing next to it you can appreciate the scale of the sculpture.

17th July 2003

There is just one week left before the sculpture is complete. All the major sections have now been welded together. The internal framework is in place ready to support its’ great weight throughout its 5,000 mile land and sea journey to Milwaukee.

The mirrors and indicators still have to be attached after which the welds are cleaned and made invisible.

The final stage is to apply the colour to the sculpture.

27th July 2003

The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived. Today the sculpture leaves the confines of the foundry for its first public viewing.

It was craned onto a truck at 10.00 am on Sunday morning in front of a crowd of around 100 people including Anglia Television, the Braintree and Whitham newspaper and the Essex Chronicle. Harley riders had braved an uncertain morning of weather to be the very first bikers to see the sculpture on this first leg of its journey to Milwaukee.

Many Harley Chapters were represented including Nene Valley, III Rivers, Great Western, Essex, Thames Valley, Fulham, Rutland, Surrey and New Forest. A couple also arrived from Guernsey and one rider had come from Poland!

The road from the foundry was lined with local people keen to watch the spectacle of approximately 50 Harleys escorting the sculpture out of Braintree and on to London.

The convoy arrived at the Ace Café on the north circular road at 2.00 pm greeted by 1,000 people who had patiently waited for us.

After lunch the sculpture left the Ace to travel into central London to the Tate Modern. This time it was accompanied by 300 Harleys including three police motorcyclists and several Hells Angels. It was an exciting visual experience but even better to be one of the riders. The entire street vibrated to the sound of V Twins and Bill Hayley as we left the Ace.

The Road Captains and Hells Angels did a fantastic job getting us through traffic lights and around roundabouts without much delay. Riding down Park Lane ten abreast was just the best part of the ride.

The Tate security staff were not at all pleased to see us. We were not allowed to park near the gallery and could only get the sculpture onto an access road but this did not dampen our enthusiasm. The BBC filmed the event and lots of photographs were taken for the family album. Johnnie Walker climbed on top of the sculpture and Clive and I joined him. The girls from “For Your Eyes Only” posed for pictures and everybody had a great time.

It was the best day ever and Clive and I would like to thank everyone that joined us and all those helped make it possible.

We would even like to thank the security staff and management of the Tate Modern for being as stuck up as we expected them to be. What right do they have to stop a work of art arriving at an art gallery that we, the tax payers, finance? Answer “None”.

Where has all our Freedom gone?