Scrap Artist (1962)

Jess Watkins is a retired ex-mariner turned artist who creates sculptures from scrap metal.
Various shots of the pipe smoking Jess picking out interesting bits from a scrap metal dump. Jess exits with a piece of metal.
Interior. Inside his workshop, Jess bangs the piece with a hammer. He then solders the piece to a metal pole - the start of a new sculpture. C/U of Jess adding a rusty iron disk to his creation.
Jess takes his sculpture outside and places it on a plinth. Various shots of Jess' different sculptures against a blue sky.
FILM ID:215.07
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[@willywombat]

I've watched this video hundreds of times and it never gets any less satisfying for me. This clip is something I hold close to my heart as Jesse Watkins is in fact my grandfather. I never got to meet him, sadly, as he died 17 years before I was born, however I was told a great number of stories about his life as an artist and in the navy. Notice how he didn't really use the mask properly when welding the sculpture, I was told he would often return home from work with arc eye, which is when the eyes go all red and gritty and sensitive to light (Health and Safety clearly wasn't a priority back then 😂). I was told these stories by my father Douglas (Jesse's son), who sadly passed away in October this year after a long battle with cancer, which makes watching this video all the more emotional for me as this is a great piece of family history and I am reminded of him when I watch it. Hopefully this video will be preserved for many years to come!
PS: He was torpedoed at the age of 16, not 14!
PSS: Go to the Royal Free Hospital in London, you will find his 'Pisces' sculpture still standing outside in the grounds!