ERIN: JEFF WHITTUM IS A MAD SCIENTIST OF METAL. GATHERING INGREDIENTS FOR SOME BIG EXPERIMENTS. EXPERIMENTS BUT END UP AS WORK ON DISPLAY IN THE HOMES AND YARDS OF COLLECTORS THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND. >> I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A SCAVENGER. I HAVE A HARD TIME NOT TAKING THINGS OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT IS AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE THROW AWAY, NOT JUST AT THE SCRAP YARDS BUT AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WILL MAKE A U-TURN, FIND A BEDFRAME, OR IF THERE IS SOMETHING ROUND. ERIN: JEFF SEES POTENTIAL IN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THAT IS SHINY. BUTTER KNIVES OR FEATHERS, PITCHFORKS BECOME TOES. >> NOW THE HARD PART, THE WINGS. THE WINGS, THE BIG FEATHERS TO START WITH, I CALL THEM KITCHEN KNIVES. HAVE TO DOLE THEM. HAVE TO CUT THEM OFF. HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY ARE GOING AND GET -- HAVE TO SHAPE THEM, WELD THEM. I HAVE HAD SOME OF THESE TO TAKE HALF AN HOUR EACH TO GET INTO THE RIGHT SPOT. ERIN: THEERIN: SCULPTOR HAS SPENT HIS LIFE IN THE FURNITURE BUSINESS. IT IS STILL HIS FULL-TIME JOB. BUT A FEW YEARS AGO, HE STARTED TO EXPERIMENT WITH METAL. >> PEOPLE SAY OH, PITCHFORKS, SHOVELS, AND I’M LIKE YUP. TOOLS. AS MUCH SILVERWARE AS I CAN FIND. THE FIRST BOX OF SILVERWARE I FOUND, THERE WERE 40 POUNDS OF KITCHEN KNIVES INSIDE OF A REFRIGERATOR IN A SCRAP PILE. AND I WAS LIKE, YUP, THOSE ARE FEATHERS, THAT IS GOING TO BE WINGS. ERIN: MOST OF HIS SCULPTURES ARE BIRDS. >> I JUST SAW THE SHAPE BETWEEN CROWBARS AND PITCHFORKS AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAN BE LEGS. WOW, THAT CAN BE A HERON ON THE SEACOAST, IT SEEM LIKE A NATURAL THING TO DO. THAT COULD BE POPULAR FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO COLLECT OR PUT IT IN THEIR GARDEN. ERIN: ACCORDING TO JEFF, IT IS THE RUSTY PIECES THAT HE’S COLLECTED THAT DETERMINE THEIR OWN FUTURE. >> THIS WAS MY FIRST FISH. AND ONE OF OUR FRIENDS SAID, WHAT, NO BIRDS? I SAID, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SHAPE. I USE THE HANDLES OF THESE BOLT CUTTERS A NUMBER OF TIMES. STILL HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT A USE FOR THOSE. DOES IT WORK INTO A FISH? YEAH. IS IT AN OWL BY ITSELF? YEAH. BUT NOT YET. BUT EVEN SOMETHING LEVEL -- SOMETHING LITTLE, I THINK THIS WAS A MOUTH HARP. AND IT IS LIKE, IT IS GOT COOL DETAILS ON IT. MAYBE IT IS AN OWL IN ITSELF. I DON’T KNOW WHAT. BUT YOU GRAB IT AND YOU HOLD IT TO PIECES AND TURN IT AROUND AND TAKE OTHER PIECES. AND THEN IT IS LIKE, NOPE. NOT FOR THIS ONE. ERIN: EVEN THOUGH HIS WORK IS DISPLAYED AND ADMIRED IN HIGH-END GALLERIES, IT STARTS HERE. >> WE WILL COME BACK TO THAT. HOTTEST IS COOL, ISN’T IT? SOMETIMES YOU FIND TONS OF THINGS. LOTS OF THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE HOME BUT YOU DO ANYWAY. ERIN: HE COMES TO THIS SCRAPYARD AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, AND IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO FILL UP HIS TRUCK WITH RUSTY DISCARDED METAL DESTINED TO BE REBORN. >> THIS CHANGES EVERY 10 MINUTES. 10 PEOPLE COME THROUGH HERE AND DUMB STUFF, COME BACK TOMORROW, AND THIS PILE IS GONE. THAT IS PRETTY COOL. ERIN: HE BRINGS HIS RECYCLED MATERIALS BACK TO HIS WORKSHOP, A SHED HE BUILT BEHIND HIS EAST KINGSTON HOME THAT IS COVERED END TO END WITH FOUND OBJECTS, SOON BODY PARTS. >> CABINETS ARE CHEAP. YOU CAN GET THEM, THEY HOLD A LOT, THEY WON’T BURN. AS YOU CAN SEE, EVERYTHING GETS COVERED. YOU ARE WORKING, CUTTING, GRINDING. IT TOOK A HALF-HOUR FROM THIS BEING BRAND-NEW TO HAVING EVERYTHING, HAVE STUFF ON IT. I’VE STILL GOT PIECES TO FIGURE OUT. I LIKE THIS YELLOW ONE. IT MIGHT BE REALLY COOL TO FIT IN THERE. SOMETHING DIFFERENT. ERIN: ONCE THE WORK LEAVES THE SHOP, IT ENDS UP IN GALLERIES AROUND THE SEACOAST, LIKE THE SEACOAST ART ASSOCIATION. >> I THINK THE DRILL BITS LOOK NEAT. THESE ARE PLIERS, SOME OLD NIPPERS. PUT A LITTLE BOWTIE ON THEM. MOST OF THIS STUFF HAS BEEN THROWN AWAY. BRING IT BACK OUT INTO THE WORLD FOR PEOPLE TO SEE AND ENJOY. ERIN: JEFF IS JUST STARTING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT HE IS AN ARTIST. >> I’M JUST STARTING TO ACCEPT THAT. I THINK I FOUND WHAT I SHOULD DO WHEN I GROW UP. ERIN: AND WATCHING OTHERS ENJOY WHAT HE’S ABLE TO CREATE FROM TRASH, THAT’S PART OF THE FUN. >> HAVING PEOPLE SEE LIKE THAT’S AN OWL, AND THEN SAY, WHAT IS IT MADE OF? LOOK AT THIS, LOOK AT THAT. AND ON SOME OF THE BIGGER PIECES, PEOPLE WILL SAY, MY GRANDFATHER HAD ONE OF THOSE, I REMEMBER HIM USING IT. THINGS LIKE THAT IS REALLY COOL. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I FOUND THOSE PIECES IN A JUNK PILE USUALLY. AND NOW PEOPLE CAN SEE IT.