A Sprinkler Artist

 

Artist Francis Flanagan hand-crafts lawn sprinklers from copper tubing.

Francis J. Flanagan of Wilbraham, Mass. saw an old copper sprinkler at an antiques shop and decided he could build a better one.

In his basement workshop, he maintains a notebook of his design creations and exact specifications for making each one. His sprinklers stand about five feet tall and cast a wide arc of dancing spray across a garden.

The come in two basic forms – circle or helix – mounted on a pole. “The circular sprinklers create a spray that is formal and elegant, “Flanagan said, “while the helix creates a more whimsical pattern.”

“Store-bought sprinklers wobble when they spin,” he explained, then demonstrated how smoothly his creations turn. Balance, he said, is key to creating a perfect spray and a sprinkler that keeps moving effortlessly.

Good water distribution is also important in this functional art, and Flanagan knows exactly where and at what angle to place the holes in the copper tubing to achieve the right spray.

Each of his creations is signed and numbered, and every one of them is tested on his front lawn. He exhibits his work at local shows only, including Brimfield and Longmeadow, but his copper sprinklers can be seen in gardens in all fifty states, South America and Poland.

Interested parties can email the artist at FranFlanagan@cs.com

—The (Mass.) Republican