Rick Gordon Birdcage Stand and Fishbowl Stand

In a 1927 issue of Better Homes & Gardens, I found a one-page instruction on how to make your own birdcage stand and “aquarium base”, (I.E; art deco era fishbowl stand).

In an effort to keep my talented metal worker busy so he won’t retire, I thought I would see if these two pet items were as easy to make as the article says they are.

Conclusion; The birdcage stand was pretty straightforward with no problems but the Deco-era hand-hammered arts & crafts fishbowl stand was anything but easy. First, he had to find the correct metal that could support the weight of the fishbowl with water and then the metal needed to be soft enough to show the hand-hammered marks, which are classic of an Arts & Crafts look. He finally settled on copper but it took a little longer than he thought to hand-hammer all 3 legs of this stand.

In the end, the stand cost more to make than if you found an exact 1920s match. Not a problem though because the museum kept our talented metalsmith busy delaying any thought of early retirement!