Most of Erik Kraft's work is done in sheet copper, brass and stainless steel. The process begins with hand or plasma cutting the metal to a rough shape, "cold" hammering to give it 3 dimensions, then silver-soldering the pieces together to begin to take the shape of the creature I am working on. After adding fins, mouth, tail, etc., the piece is treated to a heat-patina to bring out the beautiful reds, greens, blues and golds that approximate the markings found on the real fish. Finally, each piece is sprayed with a protective coat of clear enamel to ensure that the colors remain vivid for many years.