Category Q - Art/Sculpture

Gold: SO Metal, LLC

Title of Entry: Riveted Steel Chess Knight
Designed by: Fabricator & Architect (jointly)
Material: 3/16″-7/16″ mild steel, cast bronze, black granite, glass
Finish: Antique Brown patina with boiled linseed oil finish
Total Labor Hours:1600

A unique homage to the power and majesty of the horse, this piece is (unofficially) the world’s largest chess knight. Consisting of nearly 2000 forged 1/2″ rivets and over 100 shaped plates, it stands 15 feet tall and 9 feet in diameter. It weighs in at around 6 tons, and the base is a bench of 20 stones, waterjet cut from out-of-tolerance 6″ black granite inspection tables.

The co-artist designed and built custom molds for the 5 cast bronze portholes, giving visitors the ability to see interior authentic construction details, as well as some small curiosities that can be changed out over time through an access panel in the base. Internal lighting allows the portholes and blown-glass eyes to glow at night. Some large challenges included shaping compound curves in the plate and getting into tight spaces to hot-set all the rivets.

To learn more about SO Metal, LLC, and to see more of the company’s signature work, visit www.sometalfab.com.