INTRO TO HOWLING METAL

Calling all unloved old tools and rusty metal: Your new life awaits, standing tall as a creature or machine welded and shaped by the one they call Howling Metal. A scrap metal artist turning spanners, engine components, wrenches, pliers, and forgotten toolboxes into something new. Your time is here!

My name is Joe Howling. Based in the beautiful village of Barlow, Derbyshire. A spanner's throw from the Peak District, I started my journey in April 2024. I originally set out with the challenge of learning to MIG weld in my garage, a tool I’d never laid a finger on before. The moment I picked up that torch, I had my “hallelujah” moment.

You are effectively painting with liquid metal while an electric arc of 3,000 to 20,000 °C dances over the surface, solidifying in a second into a mass of strength. Every sculpture starts with a spark in the mind: “Oh, that looks like a...”and then the real sparks get flying.

I love when someone looks at a piece and says, “Oh, a crocodile!” To them, in that first instant, it’s a real creature. But as they step closer, the details reveal an extra layer of complexity: “Wait, that’s a spark plug, and that’s a spanner!” It’s a sum of parts creating something alive in your mind, playing on how incredible people are at recognizing patterns and shapes.

Please view the pages to see in depth write up of my creations, events I will be taking part in and links to contact me and view my social media sites.

📍Barlow, Derbyshire