HOMEFRONT
BR ECK IRON WOR KS
Metal m asters Owner and president Mark Bookman introduces the workshop first. Entering from the back, we walk past tall piles of metal log replicas of every variety. These are the components of the popular Fire on Demand fire pits that Breck Iron Works ships all over the country. Inside, the workshop is cavernous. The ceiling stretches high overhead and nearby tables are littered with scraps of metal and half-finished projects. Bookman points out several rows of circular metal pieces. They’re log ends, for the fire pits. Eventually they’ll be shaped and roughened to look like random bits of wood that one might find in the forest and gather for a campfire. Except these will burn on someone’s patio, and they’ll never disintegrate. Nature is the inspiration for much of Breck Iron Works’ PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRECK IRON WORKS
custom designs. Beyond the log ends, Bookman holds a small pinecone up to a metal replica several times its size. Although the metal one is gigantic, it looks just like the pinecone, down to the slight twists and bends of each bristle. Customers can order a particular species of pinecone, and Bookman’s crew will use a real-life model for the design. Outside, in front of the workshop, are more fire pits, starting small at 200-pound pieces and up. Bookman estimates that Breck Iron Works deals with approximately 45 tons of steel a year.