Nearly a decade ago, a friend of mine gave me a bundle of Antique Iron salvaged in the Minneapolis area. During the civil war era, the first railroad bridge to cross the Minnesota River was built near Fort Snelling. After years of neglect and disuse, the bridge collapsed into the river. A local entrepreneur then salvaged the metal by prying the big spikes out of the rotted timbers. Originally, the twisted bars were metal spikes of approx. 1 square and 18 to 24 long. I used a single spike to make this clock and its base. As simple as the design is, the inconsistent quality of the metal made it quite difficult to form. The face of the clock is a scrap metal punch out. I matched the finish of the old metal by baking the disk in a gas forge with an oxidizing flame and the wire brushing the metal clean. This clock was made as a gift for some friends, Christmas 2001.