14 Mar Old Glory Bottle Cap Flag Art in Progress: March 9-12

Beginning the fourth panel. The first step is lining up the rows so that they match the edge of the last panel. This is slightly difficult because they’re both 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall so it’s quite a reach to get the caps nailed along the edge with the panels side by side. I work from both ends and then climb up on top of the panel for the last few caps in the middle. Once the edge has been nailed as seamlessly as possible, I can move the sawhorses apart to make it easier to reach.

Now that Stephen Blauweiss has visited to shoot footage for the documentary, I can return to panel two and finish that up. Since stars and stripes both present different difficulties, I divide my time between panel two and four to minimize repetitive stress.

Just a close up of the stripe’s borders laid out on panel four because it’s kind of pretty at that stage.

Progress on all four panels. Once I’ve finished all four, they’ll need to be laid out side by side so that I can finish the bottom two stripes.

About a month into the assembly process, things are looking pretty good.

Follow the creation of Old Glory from start to finish—

• The Making of Old Glory, Part One: February 12-21
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Two: February 22-28
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Three: March 4-8
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Four: March 9-12
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Five: March 18-21
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Six: March 22-28
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Seven: April 4-17
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Eight: Stagecoach Festival Setup
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Nine: Old Glory on View at Stagecoach Festival
• The Making of Old Glory, Part Ten: The Documentary