Tri-Portal WIP

This is a medium sized abstract sculpture that I'm currently working on. The model is:
[link]
This medium sized version will be all stainless (bronze is too expensive at present),but I'm hoping to make the big one (if there ever IS a big one) with bronze and stainless (like the model).
It is in the vice SIDEWAYS so it may be a bit difficult at first to see that it is the same (relative)shape as the model.I won't really know which orientation is the most aesthetic until I'm done,but I give myself permission and the freedom to rotate it any way I see fit in it's final presentation. The genesis of the idea was a three portal entryway,a sort of opening to another realm ,or realms or a "liminal crossroads ".
I thought it might be helpful in some way to offer the view of my works in process and to see just EXACTLY how they come together in the studio.
In this shot ,at this stage ,I have just put in the curved piece ON THE INSIDE of the figure. It's a challenge to shape the sheet stainless (12 ga.)using paper patterns,and make it fit correctly first before welding but as my old man used to say,
"massage it lightly with the hammer Stephen",which really meant ,beat the living shit out of it.LOL. In this case with a very heavy RUBBER mallet so as to NOT LEAVE ANY DENTS or gouges to the surface that must be sanded and polished out later. It will be hard enough already to grind and blend the weld seams inside this figure as you can see the space is so contracted. Off to the bottom left you can see one of my 4 1/2 inch grinders that I would normally use for this. That's obviously NOT going to work so I know I will have to use very small right angle AIR DIE GRINDERS of which I have many(thanks to harbor freight).
As I said I'm taking paper patterns off the figure at this stage which I transfer to the sheet stainless and cut out with the PLASMA CUTTER.I then must grind the very rough edge the cutter leaves and begin the arduous task of forming it to fit inside the form. when I get it close ,I start to tack weld it in place,then use the heavy mallet to keep fitting it better as I go, and welding more and more of it's perimeter. Sometimes I have to trim a bit off the edge to make the piece fit,and this is accomplished either with the plasma torch or by abrasive means(an asbestos cut-off wheel).
Btw these three stainless steel circles with holes cut out were scrap from laser-cutting,which I then had rolled to give the nice curve.