Mailbox Art Made From Scrap Metal
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Curly Leiker of Hays, Kan., has a lifelong passion for creating sculptures from scrap metal. He’s been perfecting the craft since the 1960’s when a rainy day on the farm led him to experiment with a welder his dad had bought. “I just made an itty-bitty thing, but I was hooked,” says Leiker. “I have something in me; I look at junk and see what it could be.”
Leiker’s specialty is mailboxes; he’s made more than 250. They can be found across the country and even as far away as South Africa. “I made my first mailbox when my brother-in-law challenged me to make him one like no one else had,” he says. Since then, Leiker has made mailboxes that look like full-sized cowboys, Native American chiefs, tennis players, and numerous other athletes. Most of Leiker’s business comes from word of mouth. He explains, “My mailboxes are usually on main roads, so they were essentially billboards. Drivers would stop and ask the homeowners about them, and then I’d have a new customer.”
Most of Leiker’s pieces are made from discarded materials. He used to take monthly walks through the salvage yard to find inspiration and frequently had farmers call with offers to pick up their scrap. Sometimes customers will donate objects of sentimental value and request he turn them into a keepsake.
Leiker never considered making art his job, so he strove to keep his prices reasonable and often made pieces as gifts. “I have a job; I wasn’t making a living off this,” he says. “I could afford to be generous.”
Visit Kansas today, and you’ll find Leiker’s work in many local museums and art galleries, including the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas. Over the years, he’s made many notable pieces, including a chrome horse and longhorn bull made from car bumpers and a 3D geese water fountain prominently displayed in front of a condominium complex.
While Leiker now considers himself retired, he’s still working with metal and happy to take on smaller projects that customers commission from him.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Curly Leiker, 1678 230th Ave., Hays, Kan. 67601 (ph 785-628-8161).
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Mailbox Art Made From Scrap Metal FARM HOME Miscellaneous Curly Leiker of Hays Kan has a lifelong passion for creating sculptures from scrap metal He’s been perfecting the craft since the 1960’s when a rainy day on the farm led him to experiment with a welder his dad had bought “I just made an itty-bitty thing but I was hooked ” says Leiker “I have something in me; I look at junk and see what it could be ” Leiker’s specialty is mailboxes; he’s made more than 250 They can be found across the country and even as far away as South Africa “I made my first mailbox when my brother-in-law challenged me to make him one like no one else had ” he says Since then Leiker has made mailboxes that look like full-sized cowboys Native American chiefs tennis players and numerous other athletes Most of Leiker’s business comes from word of mouth He explains “My mailboxes are usually on main roads so they were essentially billboards Drivers would stop and ask the homeowners about them and then I’d have a new customer ” Most of Leiker’s pieces are made from discarded materials He used to take monthly walks through the salvage yard to find inspiration and frequently had farmers call with offers to pick up their scrap Sometimes customers will donate objects of sentimental value and request he turn them into a keepsake Leiker never considered making art his job so he strove to keep his prices reasonable and often made pieces as gifts “I have a job; I wasn’t making a living off this ” he says “I could afford to be generous ” Visit Kansas today and you’ll find Leiker’s work in many local museums and art galleries including the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas Over the years he’s made many notable pieces including a chrome horse and longhorn bull made from car bumpers and a 3D geese water fountain prominently displayed in front of a condominium complex While Leiker now considers himself retired he’s still working with metal and happy to take on smaller projects that customers commission from him Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Curly Leiker 1678 230th Ave Hays Kan 67601 ph 785-628-8161
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