2005 05 fab

Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metal

Fabricator

Official publication of the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association

May/June 2005 $6.00

2005 Ernest Wiemann Top Job Winners, see pg. 60 Tips and Tactics

Hot fab tips from METALfab 2005, pg. 10

Shop Talk

Field measuring basics, pg. 18

Special Feature

METALfab 2005: The week in review, pg. 52

President’s Letter

Dedicated to the success of our members and industry.

NOMMA OFFICERS President Curt Witter Big D Metalworks Dallas, TX President-Elect Doug Bracken Wiemann Ironworks Tulsa, OK

Vice Pres./Treasurer Chris Connelly DeAngelis Iron Work Inc. South Easton, MA Immediate Past President Chris Maitner Christopher Metal Fab. Inc. Grand Rapids, MI

FABRICATOR DIRECTORS Breck Nelson Kelley Ornamental Iron LLC Peoria, IL Fred Michael Colonial Iron Works Inc. Petersburg, VA Rob Mueller Mueller Ornamental Iron Works Inc. Elk Grove Village, IL

Rod Stodtmeister Stodtmeister Iron Sparks, NV Sally Powell Powell’s Custom Metal Fab Inc. Jacksonville, FL Don Walsh Pro-Fusion Ornamental Iron Inc. San Carlos, CA

SUPPLIER DIRECTORS David T. Donnell Eagle Bending Machines Inc. Stapleton, AL

Gene Garrett Regency Railings Inc. Dallas, TX

Bob Borsh House of Forgings Houston, TX

NOMMA STAFF Executive Director Barbara H. Cook Meetings & Exposition Manager Martha Pennington Communications Mgr. J. Todd Daniel

Administrative Assistant Liz Ware Technical Consultant Tim Moss Editor Rachel Bailey

2005 ADVISORY COUNCIL Jay Holeman Mountain Iron Fabrications Tom McDonough Master Metal Services Inc. Rob Rolves Foreman Fabricators Inc.

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Lee Rodrigue Zion Metal Works Nancy Hayden Tesko Enterprises Contributing Writers John Campbell Hugh Bell Amanda Southall

New and exciting challenges ahead In typical fashion, my first column for the Fabricator deals with vision for the year ahead. Fortunately, the board and staff provide some guidelines for each new president in the form of the NOMMA strategic plan, mission statement, and by-laws to help me guide this association through the coming months. These documents also represent the continuity within board leadership, serving each president with the same advice year after year.

However, even with the presence of some underlying principles of NOMMA governance I can still say that what lies ahead for our association is at once exciting, challenging, and concerning.

The excitement of the future lies in the NOMMA Education Foundation (NEF) and its commitment to education within our associations and industry with better, broader, and more hands-on education programs, new instructional videos, books, and reenergized national, chapter, and regional education programs and opportunities. Excitement also lies in a renewed relationship between NOMMA and the Metal Museum, which will give all of us more opportunities for education in the near future.

NOMMA is also maintaining an active presence in the major code bodies with the help of the technical committee and Tim Moss’ efforts. On going and future projects include the NOMMA/NAAMM finish manuals, the standard trade practice document, and an online, searchable, knowledge base. Dues paying members have access to a wealth of knowledge and information far beyond anything we have had in the past thanks to the on going upgrades to the www.nomma.org web site.

However, despite these recent and long term successes, the challenging and even concerning aspects of NOMMA’s future cannot be avoided;

increasing costs of doing business for all of us is now also affecting the NOMMA budget, which is increasing demands on NOMMA staff to do more with less for the third year in a row.

The funding required to execute much of the NEF strategic plans currently does not exist. Concerns over static membership growth, the emergence of the NFPA as a significant new player in national codes, concerns over the state of the trade show and convention along with other challenges cannot go unaddressed. I believe tough choices lie directly ahead for this association and its board, and we need your input and support to address these challenges so the outcome is beneficial for NOMMA members and the industry as a Doug Bracken whole. is president of However, as long the National as we all maintain our Ornamental and Miscellaneous vision for a better future for our indus- Metals Association. try and maintain the energy behind the vision, we will ultimately succeed.

I encourage everyone to become more involved with NOMMA in the next year. For example; minimal but vital participation in the technical committee requires only an email address now. A tax deductible contribution to the NEF will help to fund a host of education programs.

Participating on one of the other task forces or committees will return more than you invest and ultimately lead towards shaping the future of our entire industry for the better.

To borrow from JFK “Ask not what NOMMA can do for you but what you can do for NOMMA”

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Tips& Tactics

Tips and Tricks Send your tips and tricks to: Fabricator, Attn: Editor, 532 Forest Pkwy., Ste. A, Forest Park, GA 30297; E-mail: fabricator@nomma.org Ph: (423) 413-6436.

Tips from METALfab 2005 It helps to find out how other people do it. Save time in the shop and save money on repairs by following these simple metal tidbits.

By Rachel Bailey Editor During METALfab I try to soak up as many fabrication tips and tricks as I can. It helps me understand the industry I work for and offers great editorial ideas. Here are some tips I picked up this year in New Orleans.

Tips learned during the Rolling, Bending & Forming education session led by Jack Klahm, Klahm & Sons Inc.

Create jigs for your pyramid roller and mark them wiht the number of turns used to creat each one’s curve.

Remember to allow dead space on the work piece, flat areas on the font and back ends that can’t go through the roller because the ends fo the workpiece nick the roller’s dies. Allow for an extra 12 inches on the front end and 6 inches on the back.

Each time you make a pass, you increase the curve.

Check the back of your machine for more adjustments.

Align top and bottom rollers to parallel.

Gaps cause the work piece to walk.

(NOMMA members can see upcoming issues of Fabricator’s Journal for more on pyramid rollers.)

Tips learned from the Pneumatics—The Do’s & Don’ts of Pneumatic Tools education session led by Dean Curfman, BIG BLU Hammer Mfg.

The life of an air hammer depends on the way it sites on teh shop floor.

10

Jack Klahm facilitated a session on pyramid rollers with demonstrations by Ralph Schmidt, Production Machinery and David Donnell and Alfredo Stevens, Eagle Bending Machines Inc.

Make sure the hammer head and anvil are plumb by using a level.

Use only Occupational Safety and Health Administration approved air hoses.

After running an air hammer for a couple of hours, fabricators should adjust the head again and the bolts that hold the piston to the hammer.

(The April issue of Fabricator’s Journal features more tips from BIG BLU on pneumatic hammers.)

Tips learned during the shop tour to Manufab Inc., Kenner, LA

To secure glass panels, Manufab uses a shorter shoe, which costs less than a taller shoe, But they make up for the stability lossed using a shorter shoe by securing the insert with Rockite.

Rather than laying their template tables flat, Manufab’s tables stand on a vertical tilt. Templates are secured with clamps. The tilted table takes up less shop space and offers fabricators a

better view of their work.

Tips learned from sitting next to Steve Engebregsten, The Wagner Companies, on the shop tour bus ride:

For cleaning oil used in manufacturing of steel parts prior to fabrication or painting, Engregsten’s customers typically use two materials. One is Zylene. The other product, called Simple Green, is available at home improvement stores. It is bio-degradable and can be used in two ways: (1) Pour Simple Green into a five gallon bucket and wash the parts by immersing and swishing. (2) Mix 50–50 with water and use with a steam cleaner.

Be sure to send Fabricator your fabrication tips and tricks to Fabricator, Attn: Editor, 532 Forest Pkwy., Ste. A, Forest Park, GA 30297.

Or e-mail us at fabricator@nomma.org.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Tips& Tactics

Ask our expert Contact: Maureen Williams

D&D Technologies USA Ph: (800) 716-0888, ext. 292 Web: www.ddtechusa.com

Promote pool safety to increase fence business D&D Technologies offers some tips on safety, along with dependable hinges and latches, to help boost your fencing sales.

By Maureen Williams D & D Technologies USA Summer is a great time to increase sales while providing an important, potentially life-saving service. Some of the most beautiful fences in the world are fabricated of ornamental iron or metal. These fences also play an important role in safety. They can be an attractive addition to the yard’s landscaping while providing that allimportant barrier between a home and a pool.

With a few facts in hand from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), you can help homeowners to understand the value of isolation fencing. This configuration, which separates the pool or spa from all exits from the home, is the only barrier that’s been proven to be tive. Above-ground pools can have a effective in saving toddlers’ lives. smaller fence and gate surrounding When you visit a home to quote the steps or ladder. And don’t hesitate on a new fence or repair, survey the to discuss pool fencing with people yard. If there’s a pool or who have no children livspa with no barrier ing in the home. Tell them About the author: around it, you have a great Maureen Williams is a the facts, per the CPSC: 35 opportunity to educate percent of all toddler member of ASTM F14 the homeowner and, drownings take place at a fencing subcommittee and chairs a task group potentially, increase your home other than the business. Some consumers working on a standard child’s residence. for self-closing, selfwho are concerned about Most parents vigilantly latching gates. She is either cost or aesthetics supervise their children, president of the may not want a fence but maintaining direct National Drowning Prevention Alliance, a completely around the visual contact with a todperimeter of their pool. In board member of the dler every moment of the International Aquatic that case, a fencing profes- Foundation, and active day is virtually impossible. sional can recommend a A fence between the home with several drowning fence and gate surroundand the pool can buy prevention coalitions.

She is public relations ing the patio (and enclosadults the few minutes manager for D&D ing all exit doors from the needed to re-establish eyeTechnologies. home) as a viable alternato-eye contact with a child 12

The Magna-Latch features a powerful magnet that draws the latch bolt from one housing into the other, latching it securely without having to overcome mechanical resistance during closure.

when it’s been momentarily lost.

The CPSC recommends a fence or other barrier at least four feet high, completely surrounding the pool.

Many state and county pool codes require the fence to be five feet high.

The gate must open outward, away from the pool. It must be self-closing and self-latching, and should include a locking device.

To protect against liability, fencing contractors should ensure that they use the safest self-closing, self-latching hardware available on every gate.

Extensive child drowning studies in Australia show that 90 percent of “unauthorized” access by toddlers to fenced pool areas occurs as a result of a gate being inadequately latched or propped open.

For a gate to close completely every time, it must be in proper working Fabricator

May/June 2005

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order. Traditional mechanical or gravity latches can move out of alignment, corrode, or be affected by paint or rust so that gates no longer latch. They must be frequently inspected to ensure they’re in working order.

D&D Technologies’ award-winning MagnaLatch magnetic, selflatching safety gate latch and Tru-Close self-closing hinges were The Tru-Close Hinge (above) designed to meet the and the Tru-Close Mini-Multi Australian Standards, Adjust Hinge (below) are rustsome of the most strinfree, like all of the MagnaLatch and Tru-Close products. gent in the world. The Magna-Latch features a powerful, high-tech magnet that draws the latch bolt from one housing into the other, latching it securely without having to overcome mechanical resistance during closure.

Magna-Latch and TruClose products are rustfree, and are fully adjustable, horizontally and vertically, at any time after installation.

Both the top pull (longer) style, which was designed to bring the latch grip to the required 54 inch height when mounted on a 48 inch gate, and the vertical-pull, designed for gates at least 5-feet tall, are key-lockable.

Fencing professionals should take the lead in promoting isolation fencing for pool and child-safety areas. Over the past several years, D&D Technologies has been working to establish a national coalition of individuals and organizations working toward the goal of preventing drowning. A 24-member board was formed in January 2004, and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) is now a reality. D&D Public Relations Manager Maureen Williams is president, and CEO David Calabria is a member of the board of directors. Board members represent virtually every aspect of drowning prevention, including four parents of children who have drowned, representatives of government agencies, health and safety experts, fire fighters, swimming experts, and pool safety product manufacturers. D&D Technologies continues to sponsor the NDPA, which is now an independent non-profit organization.

For free copies of D&D’s “Blueprint for Gate Safety,” pool safety tips and other related information, call (800) 464-6400, ext. 292 or send an e-mail to mwilliams@ddtechusa.com.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Shop Talk

Field measuring 101: Basic tools and principles For your information

About the author: Lee Rodrigue has 18 years of experience in the metals industry and has worked in the Atlanta, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR markets as a fabricator, detailer, and project manager.

About the article: This article on field measuring is part one of a two-part series.

Throughout the article Rodrigue offers technical tips to help make field measuring easier, more accurate, and more precise.

By learning how to measure accurately, you can minimize the number of days you have to spend in the field.

A review of tools and basic principles necessary for recording accurate and precise field measurements may help make your Top Job your most profitable job.

By Lee Rodrigue

mistakes. Sometimes, the purpose of field measuring is to simply verify that you shouldn’t be field measuring at all!

However, by learning how to measure accurately, you can minimize the number of days you have to spend in the field, which can make your Top Job also your most profitable job.

Whether you are a backyard blacksmith or build fencing by the mile, all fabricators and erectors eventually have to ensure that their product fits relative to existing conditions.

For most people, this means measuring the surfaces to which your work will later attach and designing the piece to fit to those surfaces. In some cases, Tech Tip you may need to accurately duplicate those surfaces, either with a precise drawing or a template. Calibrate electronic measuring devices, like In other cases, simple measurements are only Smart-Levels and laser required to determine the range of acceptable levels, before every dimensions for your product. By determining the use. Their high precision tends to make degree of precision and the types of information required, you can ensure that your field measure- users overconfident in their accuracy. Don’t ments are accurate and efficient. drop them, and keep It is important to note that field measuring is them off of surfaces rarely as accurate as building a project onsite. By carrying large amounts of current—like welding simplifying a complex set of criteria to “just tables! numbers,” you will invariably encounter some 16

Precision and accuracy

Let’s face it; your measurements can only be as good as the tools you use to acquire them. That’s why it is important to understand what kinds of tools are available and when and how to use them. The construction industry has evolved with technological advances in the last 30 years, and the end result is that is it easier than ever to quickly gather accurate information.

Before we investigate the tools available, let’s consider the principles of precision versus accuracy. Precision refers to how closely a series of measurements are to each other. If you measure a single opening five times with a tool and get the Fabricator

May/June 2005

same measurement, this indicates a high degree of precision. However, this does not necessarily mean that the measurement is the true measurement. Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the actual dimension.

Having a tool that is precise, like a Smart-Level or digital tape measure, does not mean that the tool is necessarily accurate. Tape hooks can be bent, levels dropped, and electronics fall out of calibration. To ensure accuracy, you should always calibrate your tools and check dimensions regularly using different methods.

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A tape measure is a standard tool for measuring length. The tape measure you choose should be based on the types of situations you most often encounter.

Some tape measures, such as the Stanley FatMax, have a wider and thicker blade, allowing them to be extended up to 11 feet. A majority of the tape measures on the market use a spring-loaded mechanism for retracting the tape. If you use a tape like this, it should have a mechanism for locking it to prevent Tech Tip unwanted (and “Calibrate” the hook sometimes on your tape measure. rapid!) retracPush an object of known length against a tion. If you have surface, then push a tendency to your tape against the use your tape in same surface. Measure the locked posithe length of the tion frequently, object. Then hook the end of your tape over like many shop the edge of the object, workers do, and measure again. consider a tape Adjust the hook and with an autorepeat until the measlock. These urements are the same. tapes lock the tape blade by default and require user action to retract the blade. Another usefule option is the newest class of battery-powered tape measures, like the Black and Decker Auto Tape Measure. These tapes use a battery-powered motor to both extend and retract the blade, so they can be extended with one hand. This is useful when one hand is holding another tool, and you need to extend the tape to a surface that cannot be “hooked.” Springloaded tapes generally don’t exceed 30 feet in length because the spring tension May/June 2005

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Tech Tip: For measuring between two walls with a tape measure, make a line between them, then measure from each wall to the line. This eliminates the need for estimating the measurement based on a bent tape measure.

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needed to retract longer lengths of tape is too high.

Tapes over 30 feet in length generally use a manual retractor, which can come in the form of a pop-out handle for rewinding the tape. These are frequently geared up, to enable reeling of the tape with fewer turns of the crank.

They don’t have a curvature, and therefore can’t be extended over an open space. They can, however, be hooked and pulled over an open space. These “tape reels” come in a number of materials, most often steel and fiberglass.

Fiberglass tapes are more resistant to abrasion and oxidation (they do not rust), so they don’t get easily damaged when pulled through sand, rocks, and water. They are frequently chosen for use in surveying for these reasons.

Steel is the material of choice for accuracy because of its ability to maintain a length more accurately in different temperatures and because of its strength. As materials get warmer, they tend to expand. In the case of a tape measure, this affects the measurement taken. The more a material expands or contracts with heat, the less accurate it is. Steel has a coefficient of thermal expansion equal to 0.000007 per degree Fahrenheit. This means that for every degree Fahrenheit in temperature change, each dimension of a steel tape would change 0.0007 percent. This may not seem like much, but consider the following example: A steel tape reel used on a cold, 35degree jobsite can produce a measurement of 80 feet 5 11/16 inch, and the same tape used on a warmer, 80degree day would produce a measurement of 80 feet 6 inches—a difference of 5/16 inch!

For this reason, you should always record the temperature of the environment in which you took your field measurements. It may not seem important while you’re in the field, but it is always better to have a piece of information available than to have to return to the jobsite to get it again!

Angels

When you connect two points, you create a line. It’s important not only to 18

Fabricator

May/June 2005

note the length of the line, but also its of the angle relative to a level line in orientation relative to other lines, decimal degrees. which is typically done by measuring Sometimes, the base line does not the angle between two lines. If the need to plumb or level. In this case, a base line is established relative to gravsimple protractor will suffice. ity, then it is called either plumb (verHowever, the precision of the protractical relative to gravity) or tor is very important to level (horizontal relative to Tech Tip consider, since a few tenths gravity). For measuring the Carry spring-loaded of a degree may make a angle relative to gravity, a large difference in the final clamps or bar clamps to hold the end of your measurement. For any disSmart-Level is invaluable.

By placing the Smart-Level tape measure against a tance over about 6 inches, surface when measuron an angled surface, it consider using a digital proing by yourself. tractor to measure angles to provides a digital readout

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the nearest 0.1 degrees.

Before digital protractors came along, fabricators relied on trigonometry and geometric principles to measure angles accurately. You can reproduce shapes in the shop by using triangular measurements. Any three points will create a unique set of three lines, and in 2-dimensional space, there is only one triangle that can be made from lines of three lengths. If you can create three points in a single plane and measure the distances between the three to the nearest 1/16 inch, you can very accurately recreate them in the shop. Although you should strive to use right triangles (a triangle with one angle that is 90 degrees), it is not always necessary to do so.

For smaller triangles, a framing square can be used to create a right triangle and measure the run (x-axis) and rise (y-axis). By using the largest measurement possible, you can obtain angles with a high degree of precision.

Consider the following example: A fabricator measures an angle with a simple angle-finder, and determines the angle of a stair to be 32 degrees, +/- 1 degree. He then uses a framing square to determine the rise (153/16 inches) for a given run (24 inches) of the stair. If his degree of accuracy is +/- 1/16 inch, then the actual stair angle can be between 32.2 and 32.5 degrees.

This yields an angular measurement of 32.35 degrees, +/- .15 degrees. In this respect, using the lengths of the sides of a triangle can produce a much more precise measurement of an angle than a protractor.

To ensure accuracy, it is always a good idea to check angles using more than one method. For example, you can measure the length (with a tape measure) and pitch of a stair (with a Smart-Level), and also measure the rise of the stair (with a tape and level).

Use the rise and the diagonal to quickly compute the pitch, and see how closely the calculated value is to the value measured with the Smart-Level.

If you aren’t a math whiz, consider getting some electronic help like a construction calculator. These calculators use construction terms on their buttons to make calculations of right triangles a breeze. By entering any two Fabricator

May/June 2005

Tech Tip When mounting posts on specific treads, record the specific distance of the tread from the first nosing.

Tech Tip: To ensure accuracy, it is always a good idea to check angles using more than one method. For example, you can measure the length (with a tape measure) and pitch of a stair (with a Smart-Level), and also measure the rise of the stair (with a tape and level).

variables, you can easily find the other two variables.

Here’s how you can check the accuracy of your Smart-Level using a construction calculator with the same stair: Length (nose to nose, using tape measure) = 643/8 inches Pitch (using Smart-Level) = 31.7 degrees Rise (using level and tape measure) = 3313/16 inches On the calculator, enter 643/8 [DIAGONAL], 333/4 [RISE];

then hit [PITCH]. The result is 31.7 degrees. The measured angle is likely to be accurate since it was confirmed using two different methods.

Level and plumb

Whether you’re measuring angles or lengths, you need a reference point—a point that you can measure from. In

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Fabricator

May/June 2005

Tech Tip For checking the slope of a surface with a hump in the middle, place a long straightedge on the hump; then make the spaces under the straightedge even on both ends.

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most cases, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good idea to use a universal constant. Gravity provides one such constant in that is always pulls down relative to a person standing on the surface of the earth. By measuring either from a vertical line (plumb) or a horizontal line (level) relative to gravity, you can ensure easy duplication of our measurement.

For determining plumb, a plumb bob is commonly used. This is basically a weight on a string, usually pointed, that can be suspended from a reference object. By measuring the distance between surTech Tip faces and the string, you When spending money on a laser-level, invest can determine how far in one that projects each surface is two square lines. You can use it to map a from a plumb curve accurately and line. However, quickly without setting up multiple string lines. over any length, plumb bobs can be affected by wind and vibration. In cases where a plumb bob will not settle, a self-plumbing laser can be used.

Similarly, a level establishes a line perpendicular to a plumb line. Small levels, like torpedo levels, use an air bubble in a liquid to illustrate when the bubble is level. The user must assume in this case that the bubble is aligned with the object encasing it (whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a plastic, aluminum, or wood bar). Other levels, like sight levels, use a telescope to establish a level plane, from which tape dimensions can be read. The dimension of an object from a level plane is called an elevation. Laser levels work in a similar fashion, with the added benefit of Fabricator

May/June 2005

Tech Tip Use corrugated plastic when a template can be traced, like on a short skirt wall or edge of a deck. When you must cut your template material to fit a curve, consider cardboard instead, which can be cut more easily.

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only requiring one operator to obtain elevations. Some laser levels are selfleveling, meaning that use gravity to level themselves, rather than relying on an operator to calibrate them each time they are moved. Others can produce a rotating beam, enabling measurement over a large area without reorienting the beam each time. Another useful feature is the use of mirrors to split a beam into multiple perpendicular beams. This allows the level to work as a plumb, level, and square.

Finally, remember that any control line can provide useful information. It doesn’t need to be level or plumb if the situation doesn’t require it to be.

In these cases, a string line or laser beam can work just as well. Like the plumb bob, a string line can be subject to vibration or interference. To help avoid inaccuracy in using a string line, make sure that the string line is located far away from any objects that might cause it to move or vibrate. Try to use a braided line instead of a twisted one, since these can be pulled much tighter and won’t stretch as much during use.

Templates

Making a template is an excellent way to ensure that fabricated items fit an unusual shape or curve. In the NOMMA NEF video “Curved Stair Rail Fabrication,” Jack Klahm demonstrates how 1/4 inch plywood can be used to create templates quickly and easily, to allow pre-rolling of pieces for a helical stair handrail. This technique has the advantage of using a lightweight and portable surface to accurately replicate a curve, then transport that curve back to the shop.

Cardboard can serve the same purpose but may get damaged either by weather or rough handling, like being packed with tools that may cut or puncture it. A nice compromise is corrugated plastic, available in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets. It is extremely durable and lightweight, can be cut with a knife (unlike wood), is waterproof and puncture-resistant (unlike cardboard), and can be re-used extensively by labeling lines with either job names or dates.

When one sheet of template mateFabricator

May/June 2005

Corrugated plastic, available in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets, makes excellent template material.

rial isn’t big enough, lay down as many as you need and overlap the material. Trace the edge where they overlap to help re-orient them in the shop, and label them sequentially (#1, #2, etc.). Another trick for making sure you maintain the relative position of templates is to draw points on each template to create triangles. Label the points, then record the distance between points on different templates. When you return to the shop, lay the templates out and adjust them until you replicate the distances between the points.

Coordinate systems

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sions. Even when a rail makes turns and twists it can frequently be represented accurately in a plane from at least one angle. For this reason, it’s good to be aware of a couple different ways of representing points in a 2-dimensional plane.

A Cartesian coordinate system, named after a French mathematician René Descartes, is based on using a horizontal axis (the x axis) and a vertical axis (the y axis). Each point can be represented as a distance from the origin on each axis, and by using positive and negative numbers, you can describe the location of any point in a 2-dimensional plane. When measuring lengths only (like elevations and diagonals), you are using a Cartesian system. Even though you only record the Y value (the elevation), you can calculate the X value from knowledge of the diagonal distance.

When using a protractor, Smart-Level, or other angle-finding device, you generally are switching to a polar coordinate system. In a polar system, you can represent any point by its distance from the origin and the angle between a control line and the line between the point and the origin. When you measure the nosing-to-nosing distance and the angle of a stair, you are using a polar coordinate system.

Why does it matter what kind of coordinate system you use to measure in the field? For one thing, field conditions may prevent you from using one particular system, so you must know an alternative. A classic example of this is when the nosings of a stair don’t line up, making it difficult to determine which of the multiple angles you measure truly equal the angle of the whole stair. In this case, switching

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Nothing is more frustrating yet elegant than a welldesigned curved railing or stair. In fact, a quick review of the Top Jobs from years past shows that NOMMA members truly respect the difficulty of a beautiful curve, since over half of the winners in the Complete Stair category are curved! The difference between your next curved Top Job being a tremendous success or a money pit could be the accuracy of your curve measuring.

When measuring curves, it’s important to know the different types of curves and how they are constructed. By understanding their basic nature, you can simplify their measurement to just a few quick minutes and be on your way back to the shop (and home!)

The simplest type of curve is an arc, which is basically an incomplete circle. Because an arc, when extended, forms a complete circle, it can be defined by its radius and an angle in polar coordinates. An arc can also be defined in a Cartesian fashion by creating a chord, which is the line that connects the endpoints of the arc. If the midpoint of the chord is the origin, then the chord height represents the highest y-value on the curve. Note that this is where X = 0.

When measuring an arc, it may be helpful to try and find the center point. If you measure the chord length (L) and height (h), you can compute the radius (R) of the arc using the formula R = (4h2 + L2) / 8h. Finding the point that is this distance from each endpoint gives you a rough idea of where the center is. You can verify this by checking the distance from this point to any other point on the curve. If it is truly an arc, the distance between the center and any point on the curve should remain equal.

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If you have multiple arcs linked together, you can use both Cartesian and polar coordinate systems to define their overall shape like this: One: Locate the centers of each of the arcs.

Two: Mark and label them.

Three: Measure the distances between the center of each arc and the centers of the adjacent arcs.

Four: Record each of these.

Five: Visually determine the start and end points of each arc.

Six: Measure their chord lengths and heights.

Seven: Check the distances from the endpoint of each arc to the center.

When these dimensions are used, it enables you to re-create the arcs in the shop with a very high degree of accuracy.

Of course, not all curves are that simple. Sometimes, a curve can still be 2-dimensional but not a simple arc.

However, if it is an ellipse, you can describe it easily with just a few measurements. An ellipse is a curve defined by two points, which act like the center of the arc, called the “foci” Fabricator

May/June 2005

(singular = “focus”). If you measure the distances from each focus to any point of the curve, the sum of these two distances will be equal at any point on the ellipse.

The farther apart the foci are from each other, the narrower the ellipse becomes.

Note that when the foci are on top of each other, the ellipse becomes a circle.

If presented with an ellipse, try this trick to locate the foci: One: Find the center of the ellipse.

Two: Place a screw equal distances from the center, on the long axis.

Three: Tie your string line between the two screws and put your pencil inside the string so that your pencil falls on the curve when pulled against the string. If tracing around the curve pro duces an ellipse too wide, spread the screws further apart. Similarly, if the ellipse produced is too narrow, place the screws closer together (toward the cen ter).

Four: Once you locate the foci, record their distance apart and half the length of the string.

With this information, you can replicate the ellipse in the shop with ease.

Sometimes, a curve doesn’t fit any formula, and making a template of it is impossible.When this is the case, consider making a Cartesian map of the curve.: One: Place two control lines (with a laser or two string lines) at right angles to each other. These will become the X and Y axis for your “map.”

Two: Mark points along the curve with tape and a pen, and measure the dis tance from each point to each axis.

Three: If you’re not sure whether you’re measuring perpendicular (at a right angle) to the axis, swing your tape measure each direction. The shortest length measured is the perpendicular distance.

Four: By recording each of these points in the plane, you can re-create the curve with some accuracy.

The more points you use, the more accurate your curve in the shop will be.

In the next article on field measuring, we’ll show how to use some of these principles to measure in 3-dimensional space, including making helical stairs, spirals, and other complex shapes.

32

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Shop Talk

Add light to your repertoire Understand the process of hand-blown glass and its characteristics to make working with glass artists easier.

These lighting fixtures were made by NOMMA fabricator member Myers & Company, glass

by K Dahl Glass Studios.

From candelabra globes to lampshades we have been called upon to create custom glass for metal fabricators for the past 16 years in our small western Colorado “hot shop,” K Dahl Glass Studios. As glass artists it is our goal to create objects of beauty, as well as function. We hope to shed a bit of light on the art of forming glass and give fabricators some basics to consider when working with glass and metal. First, having a working partnership between the fabricator and the glass artist is essential, and consulting with your glass artist while your project is in the design phase will save you time and money.

In part one of this two-part series we will explain hand-blown glass; in part two, we’ll cover kiln-formed glass. Both processes offer a distinctive look and make an excellent addition to almost any project.

While kiln-formed glass can be useful for 34

large bowls, cylinders, or pieces with large compound curves, using more than one piece of glass to create assembled projects, hand-blown glass is often the better choice for smaller-sized globes or pieces which need a fitter or a flared end.

Specifying hand-blown glass

Hand blown glass can be difficult to work with, from both the metal fabricators' and the glass artists' point of view.

For the glass blower, the larger the piece, the more difficult it is to blow. For the fabricator, inconsistency in glass size, shape, and wall thickness can be a challenge.

Working closely with your glass blower will let you know his or her parameters concerning size and shape. Wood or metal molds can be used in the process to give more consistent shape and dimension.

However, free blown work is fantastic!

Please expect irregularities, bubbles, reams, striations, and an occasional tool mark.

For your information

By By Rick and Kathy Steckel K Dahl Glass Studios

About the author: K Dahl Glass Studios, run by Kathy and Rick Steckel, offers flat, bent, and blown glass shapes for lighting applications.

About the article: This article on hand-blown glass is part one of a two-part series. Look for specifics on kiln-formed glass in an upcoming issue of Fabricator.

Tip: A working partnership between the fabricator and the glass artist, particularly during the design phase, can help save time and money.

Contact: K DAhl Glass Studios, Crawford, CO Ph: 970/921-6160 Web: www.kdahlglass.com

Fabricator

May/June 2005

ABOVE:

Examples of cylinders with a variety of edge treatments.

ABOVE:

These pieces were hand-blown using molds, giving them more standard dimensions.

Some choices will come up when working with hand blown glass, and some are fairly easy for the glass blower to manipulate, such as color, texture, opacity, and seeds (bubbles in the glass). For example, the edge finish of the glass on cylindrical shapes can vary from smooth to flared, to crowned or petal shaped. A simple, cost-effective machine finished edge can ensure consistency in the height of a cylinder and is used mostly when the edges are hidden behind a band of metal. In some cases, the metal fabricator can supply the mold. Sections of pipe, well casing, or rolled metal can sometimes be used for cylindrical shapes. The more labor intensive edge finish is done by hand while the glass is hot and still on the pipe. This handfinished edge can be left exposed, as it is often the look that the client is expecting from hand blown glass.

When specific shapes are needed, such as a fitter, glass blowing molds can be made from metal, wood or graphite. Cost varies widely depending on the complexity of the shape, from $100 to over $1,000. Wood or graphite molds are created for pieces requiring curves, necked-down areas, or fitters.

Once a mold is created, the glass blower can expect to use it for literally hundreds of pieces if cared for properly.

After the wood mold, made from green wood, has been "burned in" it must be kept submerged in water to keep it from cracking.

Process of hand-blown glass

The process of glass blowing itself May/June 2005

Fabricator

ABOVE:

Examples of hand-blown glass with no molds required.

hasn’t changed in centuries. A mixture of silica sand, sodium carbonate, and lime are typically mixed and shoveled into a 2400 F. furnace. This melts over a 12-hour period, then cooled to a working temperature of 2100 F. Taking a small bit of hot colored glass onto the tip of a cherry red stainless steel blowpipe, the glass blower gathers several layers of glass onto the blowpipe by sinking the end down into the molten glass, turning the pipe, then lifting it out of the furnace. One gather is enough for a small lamp globe, while it takes three or more for a large shade.

After each gather the blower returns to the workbench where he shapes the glass with wooden cupshaped blocks. These blocks are carved from green fruitwood and are kept soaked in water. A pad of wet newspaper is also used to shape the molten glass. The wood and paper never actually touch the molten glass because of the water they contain. As the water gets closer to the glass it heats rapidly and turns to steam. Water expands 1,700 times when it becomes a gas.

This creates a “steam cushion” between the glass and the shaping material.

After heating the glass in the glory hole, a 2,500°F working furnace, air is blown into the hot, soft material to expand it and a tweezer-like hand tool, called a jack is used to thin the neck of the piece. This process is repeated until the proper size and shape is achieved. Hot bits of glass can be added to create a base, or to

ABOVE:

After heating the glass air is blown into the hot, soft material to expand it and a tweazer-like hand tool is used to thin the neck of the piece.

ABOVE:

This process is repeated until the proper size and shape is achieved.

BELOW: Hot bits of glass can be added to create a base, or to add decoration.

35

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This fixture was also fabricated Myers & Company, with glass by K Dahl Glass Studios.

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Then the assistant heats a small bit of glass on a pontil rod or punty. The punty is then attached to the center of

the shade; the glass blower gently raps on the blowpipe, and crack!—the piece breaks off the blowpipe.

Secured to the punty now only by the small bit of hot glass, the piece must be handled delicately by the blower. He heats the piece in the glory hole until the rim is glowing, then cuts the lip off with shears. Using heat and centrifugal force he creates the final shape. The finished shade is separated from the punty with a quick tap to the rod, and sharp edges of the telltale punty mark are smoothed with a hand torch. On a small piece this punty mark might be 1/2 inch in diameter, and with a large bowl for a chandelier, this mark may be 2 inches in diameter. This punty mark needs to be taken into consideration in the design stage. The still hot piece (1000°F) is placed into the annealing oven to cool to room temperature over an 18-hour period.

Annealing glass

The process of annealing glass differs from the similar process in metal

mostly in what happens inside the material. The glass is held at a target temperature, around 950°F for about one hour for every 1/4 inch of thickness. At this temperature our glass is still soft enough to be flexible, yet hard enough to retain its shape. This allows the temperature to equalize throughout the piece, eliminating the stress caused by uneven cooling.

Expansion and contraction

It is also important to note that glass and metal expand and contract at different rates and amounts.

This makes it nearly impossible to fuse glass to metal in one piece.

When the materials cool the metal shrinks away from the glass, causing them to separate. One exception would be enameling, which works because of the extreme thinness of the components.

In Part II of this article, we will discuss kiln-formed glass, which can have a different look and can be used in larger projects than hand blown glass.

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www.jansensupply.com Fabricator

May/June 2005

Member Talk

O’Malley Welding & Fabrication Service Inc. operates with 10,000 square feet of work and storage space and a fleet of four trucks.

And now NOMMA’s got him. Meet Mark O’Malley, owner of a successful five-man shop outside of Aurora, IL. O’Malley Welding & Fabrication Service Inc., Yorkville, IL, is a five-man shop run by Mark O’Malley, a former weld technician. Fabricator magazine recently caught up with O’Malley and learned how he’s grown his business from an after hours extra income earner to a full-time thriving enterprise.

Fabricator: How did you get into the ornamental metal business?

O’Malley: I was into race cars in high school and got pretty proficient at welding in my vocational classes. Right out of school I got hired as a weld technician at a government research lab called Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL, which focuses on high-energy physics. We were working on super conductors. After eight years I became an instrument welder. Eventually I learned all the phases of machining and welding, especially with stainless steel and 44

For your information

The welder turned fabricator has his own

NOMMA member: O’Malley Welding & Fabrication Service Inc., Yorkville, IL. Owner: Mark O’Malley

other specialty metals. I learned stuff there you won’t learn in a regular metal shop.

When the lab asked me to move to Texas for a big project going on down there I decided to go out on my own rather than move my family. I had already started doing repair welding at night when the kids came so that my wife could stay home with them. So O’Malley Welding really began in 1987, but I went full time with it in 1992.

Fabricator: Tell us about your shop.

O’Malley: I started out with a 1,500 square foot rented building in Batavia, about 20 miles from our home. As other small businesses in that complex moved out I acquired their space until I outgrew even that. So then in 1998 I bought a building in Yorkville, which is just five miles from my home.

This building had been previously owned by a steel fabricaFabricator

May/June 2005

O’Malley (middle) and his sons, Scott, 16 (left) and Tim, 19 (right).

tor so it was already set up for manufacturing; it had an overhead crane. I worked on that building for three months before I could move my shop in there.

That of course became my second job.

The new building has 8,000 square feet. A couple of years ago I added 2,000 square feet of storage space, a shed. A second story off the front serves as office space.

I’ve got a lot more room to do layout work now. And after getting the idea from a NOMMA shop tour we decided to turn the front downstairs space into a show room, rather than an employee lounge. We’re in the process of putting up a rail from the first floor to the second with various picket designs and finishes, textures and colors. I got that idea from the shop tour as well. It’s good to see how other people do things—not everybody does it like your shop does—to get ideas on how to make your shop look more professional.

Fabricator: What does your shop specialize in?

O’Malley: Ornamental and miscellaneous is about 60 percent of our business now: new construction and railing for parks in our area. We recently fabricated 70 0linear feet of rail around the Millennium Park in downtown Aurora. Previously, though, 70 percent of my business came from manufacturing hydraulic storage tanks. Now the tides are turning and we do less manufacturing and more ornamental work.

Fabricator: How have you built up your client base?

O’Malley: Most of our work comes from relationships we’ve built with the community. Several years ago some buddies of mine from high school who run RC Wegmen Construction Co. asked me to do the metalwork on a casino boat project they were working on. I got into the community through that project, and now all our work comes through networking and our Yellow Pages ads.

Recently I sent out a brochure, describing our services, to names I gathered out of the Yellow pages.

We now have more high-end work to show perspective clients, so I’m hoping this brochure will bring in even more of that kind of work.

May/June 2005

Fabricator

45

Fabricator: How may people work in your shop?

Previously, 70 percent of O’Malley’s business came from manufacturing hydraulic storage tanks. Now he says the tides are turning as his shop produces more ornamental work like the railing show above and the exterior accent shown at left..

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O’Malley: I’m still hands-on in the shop. So including me I’ve got five people working in the shop and a secretary who works three days a week in the office. One guy is the shop foreman or leadman. Another is a young guy who does the shearing and cutting. Then my two sons also work in the shop. Scott is 16 and runs the burn table. Tim is 19. He’s like my protégé and has been coming to the shop since he was in kindergarten. That’s when he told his teacher that when he grows up he’s gonna work with his dad. He is graduating from a vocation high school this year and then will come work for me full time. He started out grinding and has worked his way up.

Now I’m teaching him FABCAD, and he’ll soon help with layout.

Fabricator: So many fabricators I’ve talked to speak highly of that software. Can you tell us about your experience with it?

O’Malley: The first METALfab show I went to was in Nashville (1999). I ended up hanging out in Dave Filippi’s booth the whole time. Then I went to the Galveston show (2002) to buy FABCAD, even though I still wasn’t familiar with digital layout at the time.

I spent many late nights with it. I took the pre-convention seminar Filippi held a year later for the Covington convention (2003). I had a year’s worth of questions to ask and Filippi answered them all. FABCAD makes sure your gate or rail has full clearance with room for hinges, etc. If you’ve cut everything right, it will fit. If not, the program helps pinpoint design problems. Plus it’s a great sales tool.

What the customer sees is what the customer gets. Filippi has actually asked me to help lead an education session at METALfab 2006 in Savannah.

Fabricator: What other equipment in your shop can you talk to us about?

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O’Malley: About two years ago I purchased an Ercolina pipe bender with bender software. Whereas before I had Fabricator

May/June 2005

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O’malley uses FABCAD to ensure his designs fit, like the gate (left) and stair rail (right).

to either buy elbows and cut and weld pipe twice to fit each end of the elbow or cut the pipe on a 45° angle and weld-

fit the two piece together, now I can just put the parameters into the software and bend pipe without distorting it.

Quality is always in style

Also two years ago I invested in a Scotchman pipe notcher. Now I don’t have to cope out holes in my upper and lower horizontal rails with a torch. I was introduced to both of these machines at the NOMMA show.

Let’s see I also have an 18 inch vertical bandsaw and a Pirannah Ironworker, which I bought years ago when I first got started on my own. It was the only one I knew, so I got that one. It’s still a great machine.

I’ve also got a 1/2 inch by 10 foot sheer, got that five years ago. I’ve got a 250-ton press breaker, which I initially used to form up hydraulic tanks, and now we use it to make stair pans. And then I’ve go a burn table with four oxyfuel torches which I can change out.

And of course I’ve got a significant truck fleet—four trucks for just my five-man shop.

Fabricator: So, aside from outfitting your shop, how else has NOMMA helped your business?

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O’Malley: A big part of what NOMMA has done for me comes from attending the METALfab shows. I even attend the classes that go on before convention officially starts. What I’ve learned and the people I’ve met help me run a more successful shop, like my good friend Carl Grainger. I met him during my first FABCAD class. On our way out of the class we found our wives sitting on a bench talking to each other.

We’ve all become friends, and Carl and I have picked things up from each other that have helped both of our businesses. I’m more of a cut and weld shop, and Grainger is more of a blacksmith, so I tell Carl what to buy for his fabricating needs, and he tells me what to buy concerning blacksmithing.

Needless to say he’s got me interested in doing custom forge work. In fact I took the scroll class Roger Carlsen taught at this year’s convention. I’ve got a strong math background and found that scroll theory centers around mathematical equations. One very valuable tip I learned is to not leave that straight tangent on the end of a scroll. Just curving that out adds a custom, high-quality look to the scrolls that come out of my shop.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

NEF Metal Moment

Keep your biz skills sharp too!

NEF Trustee: James Minter, Imagine Ironwroks, Brookhaven, MS.

NOMMA Education Foundation Trustee James Minter talks about how NOMMA and NEF have helped him run a better business.

Tip: There’s more to running a successful fabrication shop than just fabricating well. NEF helps fabricators develop strong business management skills too.

Fabricator: What can you tell us about your involvement with the NOMMA Education Foundation?

Minter: I’ve learned so much from NOMMA that now I almost feel compelled to give something back. So last July I joined the NOMMA Education Foundation (NEF) board and became a trustee. I also served on the education committee for METALfab’s education program this year in New Orleans.

The basic goal of NEF is to help our members become more successful in running their business. One of the programs NEF is currently working on is developing a Standard Practices document. NOMMA’s Communications Manager Todd Daniel has set up a schedule to work on that and has done an excellent job of getting things going. With this document we’d like for NOMMA to set precedence for the whole industry on what the best practices in ornamental metalwork would be.

Todd and Charlie Mercer and myself attended a meeting in August to find out more about what goes into setting up a trade’s standard of practice. And then we held a meeting open to the membership at METALfab 2005 to get some input on how we should go about setting up the document and what should be included in it.

NEF would also like to eventually provide regional seminars for training and education that would take place over weekends. These would be May/June 2005

Fabricator

aimed more at business managers rather than shop floor employees.

Fabricator: What brought you to NOMMA? Minter: I first heard about NOMMA in 1990 through another fabrication shop. A copy of Fabricator magazine got delivered to our mailbox instead of theirs. After I purchased the business from my father in 1998 our ornamental work really started taking off, so I decided to find out more about NOMMA. I attended the convention in Galveston (2002), which was close to our shop, and loved the hands on demonstrations. When I attended the convention in Covington (2003), which featured Michael Stone, my eyes were opened to the value of running a successful and profitable business, not just a good fabrication shop. During the Covington convention I ended up focusing on the business education sessions. That kind of program really attracts me because where I live we just don’t have programs like that.

Fabricator: What do you get from your involvement with NOMMA? Minter: We’re all a collection of small businesses that happen to work with metal, and NOMMA provides a network and source of education just for that niche. Even more than the handson fabrication end of things, NOMMA offers guidance with the business end of things.

I also appreciate NOMMA because it provides an outlet to learn from

other people’s experiences. Why bother reinventing the wheel? For example, recently on the NOMMA member ListServ (e-mail discussion list for NOMMA members) someone inquired about using a certain kind of epoxy. Another member got on there and said, just be sure to use the whole thing, not half of a batch or anything because ‘the amounts are precisely measured and bottled, and failure to use the ENTIRE amount of each ingredient ruins the batch.’ The member offering this advice said he wanted other fabricators to learn from his mistake. That’s what I like about NOMMA – it attests to the idea that you don’t have to face life’s problems by yourself.

There aren’t too many organizations out there where you can call up a Jan Allen Smith, or Mike Boyler, or Doug Bracken, and get their personal help.

I remember my first convention when Sally Powell said to me, ‘You’ll pick up something here that will pay for your whole trip.’ And it was true.

It’s not something that you can measure literally. But the tips you pick up just save you so much time and make your business run that much smoother.

The NOMMA family has taken me in, and I hope I can give back with my involvement in NEF. But really it is going to take more than volunteers giving their time to NEF in order to make programs like regional education seminars take place. That’s why I sent my own check in for $250—that’s just a dollar a working day. Right now about 35 to 40 companies have sent money to help NEF get rolling. That is great, but we definitely need more.

51

METALfab 2005 The Week In Review METALfab 2005 offered education sessions designed to help you run a better shop and a better business, a trade show packed with exhibitors offering all your fabrication needs, and loads of fun.

Hotel Monteleon. The next morning METALfab registration opened, and NOMMA’s annual business meeting convened. After lunch it was nonstop education sessions for the rest of the week, and by midafternoon the trade show opened.

This year’s education program included hands-on fabrication demonstrations like the rolling, bending, and forming session facilitated by Jack Klahm (See page 10 for a highlight of some of tips and tricks shared during this session). Roger Carlsen led a course on scroll theory. (A video covering much of what Carlsen discussed and more is now available through NEF. For details see page 50). The basics of pneumatics was covered by Dean Curfman. (See the April issue of Fabricator’s Journal for more on forging with power hammers, featuring Dean as well.) Business education sessions

For your information

New Orleans, LA, March 2–5, 2005—The National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA) celebrated its 47th annual trade show and convention in style—Mardi Gras style. If you missed it, you missed one heck of a good time. Not only did attendees enjoy the fun and excitement of staying right in the French Quarter, but they were also treated to one of the best education programs ever put on by NOMMA thanks to the growing support for the NOMMA Education Foundation (NEF).

The historic and beautiful Hotel Monteleon located on Royal St. served as host hotel, just blocks from the Ernest B. Morial Convention Center, where the trade show presided.

On Tuesday night, before convention officially began, The Wagner Companies hosted a 50th anniversary celebration at the

METALfab: NOMMA’s annual convention and trade show.

Next year: March 8–11, 2006, Savannah, GA. Exhibitors: Contact Martha Pennington, Ph: (404) 3634009, ext. 11; E-mail: martha@nomma.org.

Attendees: METALfab is open to members and nonmembers of NOMMA. Read Fabricator and visit NOMMA’s website for details on next year’s event. NOMMA, Ph: (404) 363-4009; Web: www.nomma.org.

Start planning now for next year’s show! METALfab 2006 takes place in Savannah, GA March 8–11, 2006.

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Saturday night’s banquet honors outstanding members of the industry and the Ernest Wiemann Top Job winners.

Living legends Jack Klahm and Ernest Wiemann join in the festivities of the Thursday night theme dinner and party.

included Sally Powell’s “Internal Honesty” and Maximizing Your Computer,” led by Rob Rolves and Todd Daniel. Attendees were also treated to several technical education sessions, involving gate operators, with a special appearance by DASMA President Rick Sedivy, cutting technologies, and shop safety.

The trade show presented exhibitors supplying ornamental components and hardware, fabrication and blacksmithing equipment and accessories, finishing materials and equipment, gate operators and access control accessories, and more.

Once again, attendees also enjoyed video and live shop tours, the Top Job Jamboree, where fabricators share the stories behind the jobs they enter, a theme dinner, live and silent auctions, and the Saturday night award’s banquet.

This year’s theme dinner began with a marching band leading METALfab attendees in a parade from the Hotel Monteleon to the party venue on Bourbon St. (See page 56 for picture’s from that event.) Dinner and dancing were complimented with a silent auction benefitting NEF. The Saturday night live auction and award’s banquet capped off the week. Special thanks go to all fabricators and suppliers who donated items for the auction. Items ranged hand forged miscellaneous items by the likes of Jerry Grice and Boyler Ornamental Iron, to the fabrication services of Paul DiFrancesco and Lloyd Hughes, to Byan Systems gate operators.

To find out details about METALfab 2006 in Savannah, GA, March 8–11, 2006, stay tuned to future issues of Fabricator and visit NOMMA’s website: www.nomma.org.

NOMMA members view Top Job entries and cast their vote for award winners in each category during the trade show.

NOMMA’s sponsored insurance agency, Industrial Coverage Corp. offers a custom fit plan for NOMMA members.

Shop tours, give fabricators a chance to see how other shops run.

Thanks to Manufab, Keller, LA, for hosting METALfab attendees this year.

Education sessions are designed to meet the needs of small to mid size business owners and their staff.

May/June 2005

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Lawler Foundry Corp. www.lawlerfoundry.com The Wagner Companies www.wagnercompanies.com

Silver Julius Blum & Co. Inc. www.juliusblum.com Carell Corp. www.carellcorp.com Colorado Waterjet Co. www.coloradowaterjet.com Crescent City Iron Supply www.crescentcityiron.com Decorative Iron www.crescentcityiron.com D.J.A. Imports Ltd. djaimports.com Eagle Bending Machines Inc. www.eaglebendingmachines.com Innovative Hinge Products Inc. www.ihpinc.net King Supply Co. Inc. www.ihpinc.net Lavi Industries www.ihpinc.net Regency Railings Inc. www.regencyrailings.com Tennessee Fabricating Co. www.tnfab.com

Bronze Atlas Metal Sales www.atlasmetal.com ITW Ransburg Industrial Finishing ransburg.com Ohio Gratings www.ohiogratings.com Rik-Fer USA www.rikferusa.com 54

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Thursday Night’s Theme Party

NOMMA members gettin’ down.

Marty Martin, Fred Martin Welding, on the horn.

Clifford H. Brown Award is presented to individuals who make outstanding contributions in the area of industry education.

NOMMA Past President Mike Boyler presents the award to industry verteran Stan Lawler, Lawler Foundry Corp., Birmingham, AL.

George Bandarrra, The Iron Hammer, on the harp.

The lovely Carla Duus, Hans Duus Blacksmith, sporting the Mardi Gras boa.

Saturday Night’s Auction and Award’s Banquet

No NOMMA party is complete without Jim and Judy Wallace, National Ornamental Metal Museum.

LEFT:

Outgoing President Curt Witter, Big D Metalworks, Dallas, TX, swears In incoming President Doug Bracken, Wiemann Ironworks, Tulsa, OK. LEFT: Metal purse fabricated by Mittler Bros. and accented with Pam Beckham’s decorative pin, was one of several items donated for the live and silent auctions held at METALfab 2005. Proceeds benefitted the NOMMA Education Foundation.

LOWER LEFT: The late and great Mr. Jerry Grice, Jerry Grice Welding, was not able to be with us this year. But his faithful associates, wife Tycee (shown here) and daughter Tonya, joined us. For the Saturday night NEF auction Tycee donated one of Jerry’s damascus knives and a copper repoussé piece Jerry originally made for the last convention in New Orleans.

Somehow the metal portrait of Bacchus didn’t make the trip last time. At this year’s auction it went for $900. The knife: $1,100.

LOWER RIGHT: Carl Grainger, Grainger Metalworks, served as Saturday night’s auctioneer.

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Industry Award Winners

5186-F Longs Peak Road, Berthoud, CO 80513

Frank A. Kozik Award is presented to individuals who consistently show an outstanding spirit of volunteerism. Jan Allen Smith of Allen Iron Works, Birmingham, AL is the 2005 recipient.

Henry Bills, recently retired from The Wagner Companies after 40 years of service to the industry, recieved the Julius Blum Award. It is presented to individuals who make major contributions toward the betterment of the industry.

Special thanks from Bills NOMMA Board of Directors: I would like to thank the Board for presenting me with an honorary affiliate membership in NOMMA. Over the past 35 years I have always tried to promote and build NOMMA in any way possible. During the many years with NOMMA I have become personal friends with many ornamental iron people and fabricators. These are true friends not business associates.

At this turning point in my life my Barbara and I would like to wish continued growth and success to NOMMA. NOMMA people are real people and all successful in their own way.

Hope to see you in Savannah. Sincerely, Henry BIlls May/June 2005

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LEFT:

Top Job entries are displayed in a gallery on the trade show floor.

RIGHT: Ernest Wiemann, for the which the contest is named, congratulated all of the top job entrants for their outstanding work and progress during the awards banquet Satruday, March 5, 2005.

Top Job 2005 Award Winners ABOVE:

The annual Ernest Wiemann Top Job Competition is open to all NOMMA members. Entrants provide a photo and description of their work, and entries are displayed during METALfab. NOMMA member are given the opportunity to peruse the gallery of pictures and cast one vote per firm.

Once the winners are determined, a committee then reviews Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence Fine Architectural Metalsmiths Chester, NY Category A: Driveway Gates GOLD: Powells of Banner Elk Banner Elk, NC SILVER: Kelley Ornamental Iron LLC Peoria, IL BRONZE: Builders Ironworks Inc. Crete, IL Catagory B: Driveway Gates - Forged GOLD: Jamie MacDonald Blacksmithing Woodside, CA SILVER: Vaclav Metalcraft Inc. Middletown, NY BRONZE: The Leader Metal Works Corp.

Miami, FL Category C: Interior Railings - Ferrous GOLD: Groll Ornamental Iron Works Pittsburgh, PA SILVER: Kelley Ornamental Iron LLC Peoria, IL BRONZE: Allen Iron Works & Supply Inc. Birmingham, AL Category E - Interior Railings - Forged GOLD Wiemann Ironworks Tulsa, OK SILVER: Northwinds Forge Ltd. Colorado Springs, CO BRONZE:Russian Blacksmithing Moscow, Moscow Reg, Russia Category F - Exterior Railings & Fences GOLD: Fine Architectural Metalsmiths Chester, NY 58

NOMMA members get one vote per firm.

the gold winners and selects one job that merits additional recognition. This special job is presented with the Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence, and is considered the “best of the best.” The following awards were presented Saturday, March 5 during METALfab 2005 in New Orleans, LA.

SILVER: Upsurge Design Huntington Beach, CA BRONZE: Cape Cod Fabrications North Falmouth, MA Category G - Exterior Railings & Fences Forged GOLD: Iron Touch LLC Louisville, KY SILVER: Northwinds Forge Ltd. Colorado Springs, CO BRONZE: Russian Blacksmithing Moscow, Moscow Reg, Russia Category I - Furniture & Accessories Forged GOLD: La Bella Ferro Designs LLC Fallon, NV SILVER: The Leader Metal Works Corp.

Miami, FL BRONZE: Bighorn Forge Inc. Kewaskum, WI Category J - Gates/Doors GOLD: Kelley Ornamental Iron LLC Peoria, IL SILVER: The Leader Metal Works Corp.

Miami, FL BRONZE: Upsurge Design Huntington Beach, CA Category K - Gates/Doors Forged GOLD: Eureka Forge House Springs, MO SILVER: Klahm & Sons Inc. Ocala, FL BRONZE: Art’s Work Unlimited Miami, FL

Category L - Stairs Complete GOLD: Russian Blacksmithing Moscow, Moscow Reg, Russia SILVER: Columbia Wire & Iron Works Inc. Portland, OR BRONZE: Germantown Iron & Steel Corp.

Richfield, WI Category M - Structural GOLD: Columbia Wire & Iron Works Inc. Portland, OR SILVER: MCT Sheet Metal Inc. Katy, TX BRONZE: Big D Metalworks Dallas, TX Category N - Most Unusual GOLD: Carnahan-White Inc. Springfield, MO SILVER: Bob’s Ornamental Iron Studio Kansas City, KS BRONZE: Medwedeff Forge & Design Murphysboro, IL Category O - Restoration GOLD: Wiemann Ironworks Tulsa, OK SILVER: DeAngelis Iron Work Inc. South Easton, MA BRONZE: Flaherty Iron Works Inc. Alexandria, VA Category P - Art/Sculpture GOLD: Eureka Forge House Springs, MO SILVER: Art’s Work Unlimited Miami, FL BRONZE: Post Road Iron Works Inc. Greenwich, CT Fabricator

May/June 2005

Top Job Winners

ABOVE:

Mr. Ed Mack of Fine Architectural Metalsmiths wins the Mitch Heitler. l to r: John Steel, Ed Mack, Bob Ponsler, Keith Majka, Mike Bettinger.

TOP RIGHT:

TODD -you know these guys??

RIGHT: This guy??

LEFT: Lead fabricators from DeAngelis were present to accept their silver award for restoration.

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METALfab 2005

Thanks again to our Exhibitors For a detailed listing, visit: www.nomma.org Advanced Measuring Systems 972-552-3337 www.locstop.com Measuring for cut-off applications,.

Ameristar Fence Products 918-835-0898 sirwin@ameristarfence.com Ornamental fence.

Colorado Waterjet Co. 970-532-5404 www.coloradowaterjet.com Waterjet shape cutting services.

FABCAD.COM 804-862-8807 www.fabcad.com Ornamental CAD software.

Joachim Krieger eK 011-49-64-258-1890 www.wrought-iron-systems.com Wrought iron machine systems.

C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. 800-421-6144 www.crlaurence.com Hardware.

Graham Mfg. / Anyang Power Hammer 209-839-0339 www.anyangusa.com Power hammers and tools.

Lavi Industries 800-624-6225 www.lavi.com Tubings and fittings.

Apollo Gate Operators 210-545-2900 www.apollogate.com Automatic gate operators.

Crescent City Iron Supply Inc. 708-345-6660 www.crescentcityiron.com Fence products.

Atlas Metal Sales 303-623-0143 www.atlasmetal.com Silicon bronze.

Custom Orn. Iron Inc. 804-798-1991 www.customornamentaliron.com Aluminum railing system.

Auciello Iron Works Inc. 978-568-8382 www.aiw-inc.com E-Z sleeve.

Custom Orn. Iron Works 604-273-6435 www.customironworks.com Components.

Big Blu Hammer Mfg. Co. 828-437-5348 www.bigbluhammer.com Power hammer.

Davison Publishing 800-328-4766 www.davisonpublishing.com Fence blue book.

Julius Blum & Co. Inc. 800-526-6293 www.juliusblum.com Stock components.

D.J.A. Imports Ltd. 718-324-6871 www.djaimports.com Components.

Byan Systems Inc. 307-334-2865 www.byan.com Hyd. gate operators.

DKS DoorKing Inc. 800-826-7493 www.doorking.com Gate operators and accessories.

The Cable Connection 800-851-2961 www.ultra-tecrailings.com Cable railing products.

Doringer Cold Saws 310-366-7766 www.doringer.com Cold saws.

Century Group Inc. 337-527-5266 www.centurygrp.com Precast concrete stair tread.

Eagle Bending Machines Inc. 251-937-0947 www.eaglebendingmachines.com Fabrication equipment.

Cleveland Steel Tool Co. 800-446-4402 www.clevelandsteeltool.com Ironworkers, portable tooling.

Encon Electronics 800-782-5598 www.enconelectronics.com Gate operators and accessories.

CML USA Ercolina 563-391-7700 www.ercolina-usa.com Bending equipment.

EURO-FER SRL 011-39-044-544-0033 www.eurofer.com Components.

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GTO/PRO Professional Access Systems 800-543-4283 www.gtopro.com Gate operators and accessories.

Hebo GmbH 011-49-645-391-3321 www.heboe.com Wrought iron machine systems.

Homeway Ornamental Metals LLC 504-888-5334 www.homewayusa.com Doors and stair rail.

House of Forgings 281-443-4848 www.houseofforgings.net Components.

Illinois Engineered Products Inc. 312-850-3710 www.fgfred.com Steel folding gates.

Industrial Coverage Corp.

631-736-7500 www.industrialcoverage.com Insurance programs designed for NOMMA members.

J. Walter Inc. 877-210-7427 www.jwalterinc.com Abrasives and chemical tools.

Jerith Mfg. Co. Inc. 215-676-4068 www.jerith.com Fence, aluminum, and wire.

King Architectural Metals 800-542-2379 www.kingmetals.com Components and gate operators.

Lawler Foundry Corp.

205-595-0596 www.lawlerfoundry.com Components.

Liaoyang Shenzhou Hardware Co. Ltd. 011-86-248-625-2829 Hardware and castings.

Logical Decisions Inc. 800-676-5537 www.ldi.com Gate operators and accessories.

Marks USA 631-225-5400 www.marksusa.com Ornamental locksets.

Master Halco 888-MH-Fence www.fenceonline.com Fencing and gates.

Metal Fabrik India 011-91-832-564-1074 www.metalfabrik.com Railings, gates, components.

Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool 636-463-2464 www.mittlerbros.com Ultimate tubing notcher.

Frank Morrow Company 800-956-7688 www.frankmorrow.com Decorative metal stampings.

New Metals Inc. 888-639-6382 www.newmetals.com Decorative expanded metals.

National Ornamental & Miscellaneous MetalsAssociation (NOMMA) 404-363-4009 Fabricator

May/June 2005

www.nomma.org Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trade association.

NOMMA Education Foundation 404-363-4009 www.nomma.org/nef Charitable education foundation.

Ohio Gratings Inc. 330-479-4295 www.ohiogratings.com Grating.

Ornamental Decor 818-262-6644 ornamentaldecor@yahoo.com Decorative panels.

Pro Access Systems 813-664-0606 www.g8pro.com Gate operators and accessories.

Production Machinery Inc. 410-574-2110 www.promaco.com Roll bending equipment.

Ransburg, Binks, DeVilbiss ITW Industrial Finishing 630-237-5106 www.itwif.com Spray painting equipment.

May/June 2005

Fabricator

Regency Railings 214-742-9408 www.regencyrailings.com Components.

Sparky Abrasives 800-328-4560 zsparky@aol.com Abrasives.

Tusa Metals Inc. 800-995-8872 www.tusarailing.com Components.

Rik-Fer USA 630-350-0900 www.rikferusa.com Components.

Striker Tool Co. (USA) 916-374-8296 www.strikertools.com Forging hammers/platen tables.

Universal Entry Systems Inc. 216-631-4777 jmkopis@yahoo.com Gate operators and accessories.

Rockite Div. of Hartline Products Co. Inc. 216-291-2303 rockitecement@aol.com Cement.

Sumter Coatings 803-481-3400 www.sumtercoatings.com Paints.

Valley Bronze of Oregon 541-432-7551 www.valleybronze.com Components.

Tennessee Fabricating Co. 901-725-1548 www.tnfab.com Components and hardware.

The Wagner Companies 888-243-6914 www.wagnercompanies.com Components.

Texas Metal Industries Inc. 972-288-2333 www.txmetal.com Castings and hardware.

West Tennessee Ornamental 866-790-3667 Doors, fence, gates, operators.

Sharpe Products 262-754-0369 www.sharpeproducts.com Pipe/tube fittings and bending.

Transpacific Industrial Supply Inc. 909-581-3058 transpacificus@earthlink.net Components and hardware.

W.G.F. Ironwork Products Center Inc. San Leandro, CA 510-483-5900 Components.

Signon USA 718-485-8500 www.signonusa.com Components.

Tubo Decorado SA de CV 011-52-818-313-9834 www.tubodecorado.com.mx Decorative steel balusters.

Wrought Iron Concepts Inc. 877-370-8000 www.wroughtironconcepts.com Components.

Rogers Mfg. Inc. 940-325-7806 www.rogers-mfg-inc.com Fabrication equipment.

Scotchman Industries Inc. 605-859-2542 www.scotchman.com Fabrication equipment.

61

Job Profile Bighorn Forge Inc. won the opportunity to reproduce this late 19th century chandelier orignially made by Cyril Colnik.

Forging a light from the past Reconstruction of this late 19th century chandelier involved close inspection of the surviving piece and reenactment of the original fabricator’s techniques.

Austrian born master blacksmith Cyril Colnik (1871-1958) came to America to help with the ironwork exhibit for the German government at the Chicago Colombian Exposition in 1893. He apparently heard about the “German Athens” to the north (Milwaukee), and proceeded to open his own shop there. At this time, Milwaukee was expanding and defining itself as a major city in the Midwest. Many 48ers, (Germans who had immigrated to America in 1848) had established themselves, as well as their businesses, in this lakeside community. Colnik’s arrival was met with many such individuals, who in turn built expansive homes that would take advantage of his particular command of metal. One such person was Captain 62

Frederick Pabst, owner of the Pabst Brewing Company.

Captain Pabst commissioned architect George Bowman Ferry of “Ferry and Clas” to build him a Flemish Renaissance mansion, which was completed in 1892.

The Captain and his wife Maria lived in this mansion until the Captain’s death in 1904. In 1908, the mansion was sold to the Catholic Archdiocese. Five consecutive archbishops lived in the mansion until 1975. The mansion was then purchased by what is now known as the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion Inc., for restoration. Open to the public, the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion presently plays host to seasonal events and private gatherings.

During the archdiocesan era, the mansion was altered, many fixtures were sold, and generally the mansion fell into disre-

For your information

By Dan Nauman Bighorn Forge Inc.

NOMMA Member: Bighorn Forge Inc., Kewaskum, WI. Project: Light fixture, reconstruction.

Specs: There are 385 pieces in the chandelier, not including rivets, nuts, and bolts. It took approximately 860 hours to produce. The weight is about 150 pounds.

Finish challenge: Nauman did not want to use paint but did want the finished piece to look old.

Solution: He used Gilder’s Paste and enjoyed a live demonstration right at his own shop by David Wareham (www.gilderspaste.com).

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Bark texture for the tubing and round stock were made by hand-made top and bottom dies, used under the treadle hammer, and various hand-made punches, applied by the hand hammer.

pair. One of the items that disappeared was an ornate chandelier that adorned the reception hall, which was made by Cyril Colnik. John C. Eastberg, the Pabst Mansion’s Director of Building Development (as well as the Pabst family historian) had commissioned me to help restore and reproduce many of the forged fixtures in the mansion such as window grilles, fireplace equipment, and wall sconces. One day, he asked me if I could reproduce the reception hall chandelier.

The opportunity to reproduce such an elaborate piece was overwhelming for a number of reasons. Few commissions such as this would come along in one’s lifetime. The fact that the original chandelier was executed by a well-known master blacksmith (who made iron into poetry) was intimidating.

Thousands of people would view the piece annually. The mansion

Bronze winner in Furniture and Accessory—Forged Category. is heavily ornamented with the workmanship of the finest craftsmen of the era. There was no “try” in this project—either do, or do not.

The original chandelier can still be seen at one of Milwaukee’s fine German pubs, namely Von Trier’s. Mark Eckert, the current owner of the establishment, agreed to let me document the piece. This alone was key to reproducing this enormously ornamented creation.

With that, and many months of pondering, I agreed to make the reproduction.

My approach to ironwork is from the Old World craftsmen’s vocabulary. This project would be a tremendous learning experience for me. The goal for me

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Fabricator

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was to establish the many methods utilized by Colnik to create the chandelier, and then use them myself, thereby giving more meaning to the word “reproduction.” My initial inspections of the chandelier often proved insufficient, and required a trip back to Von Trier’s for more research.

Every visit revealed an ever growing smorgasbord of highly detailed ironwork, which paradoxically caused me excitement, but also exasperation. The “fine toothed comb” revealed more work than anticipated.

The fact that the piece was painted hid many of the clues as to how it was made. It soon became apparent that the piece could not have been made without the aid of an oxy-acetylene or similar type torch. The chandelier was a dual unit, in that it was gas as well as electric. (Electricity in the 1890’s was new, and also somewhat unreliable.)

The six gas lamps had to have their components brazed to seal in the natural gas. Further inspection, as well as considerable theorizing, proved that several of the other components were brazed together. At the time, this revelation surprised me, but in hindsight, makes perfect sense. Further inspections revealed that many pieces were made of copper.

Many patterns were made for the leaf-work, figured out by cerebrally unfolding the leaves made by Colnik, then sketching many variations of the same theme. All of the leaf forms made by the French method of repousse’ (raising hammers and complimentary stakes) were hand cut, as was the main 14 gauge ring. As there were 133 oak leaves, the task of hand cutting this quantity would prove to be insane. Hence I had the oak leaf “blanks” laser cut, but there was still a great many tasks ahead before they were completed.

Each leaf was first filed around its entire perimeter, and on both sides, to visually soften the leaf. The stems were cut extra wide by the laser, so I could then forge them down into a round stem. After the stems were forged, there was more filing to produce a fine transition from stem to leaf. I tried numerous “mechanical” methods to vein the leaves, but in the end, the 64

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May/June 2005

only method that succeeded was utilizing a series of hand made curved fullers. The fullers were used in succession with blows from a hand hammer that produced the graceful meandering veins common to Colnik’s work. Other features were then applied to the leaves such as “hash marks” and a detail that looks as if it was from a mini meat tenderizer. These were also applied individually by hand hammer and punches. Finally, the leaves had the contours added by heating them and then sinking the lobes individually into small pockets in a tree stump with a ball punch. There are roughly 15 to 20 minutes in each leaf.

The 35 acorns were made by first forging and filing several “master” acorns, and then using these to make a top and bottom die for production.

Once the acorn was shaped from the die, it was then forged to form the stem, finish filed, and then the dimples in the cap were individually applied with a hand hammer and punch.

The acorn caps were made by cutting and filing out disk shapes. The

May/June 2005

Fabricator

This chandelier was commissioned by a museum local to Bighorn Forge. Measuring 56" high and nearly 7'” in diameter, the piece weighs in at 150 pounds. The most challenging aspect was hot wrapping collars around the antlers without burning them.

The other challenge was to figure the best sequence for assembly. The fabricator chose not to paint because of so much surface detail. The finish was accomplished by sandblasting, which gave excellent "tooth" for applying black Gilders Paste. The application of the paste alone took 30 hours. but it gave the desired finish. The main decorative structure is comprised of forged and textured tubing, through which the electric wires were fed to hide them from view. Approx. labor time: 850

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disks were heated then sunk into a hand made form with a ball tool. They were then dimpled with the same method as the acorns.

The tubing for the lamps was 5/8 inch O.D. by 3/8 inch I.D. Using coat-hook wire, I bent patterns of the original lamp tube contours. Using these patterns, I then hand forged jigs from 1/2 inch square to bend the tubing. I heated the tubing utilizing the forge as well as the torch. Bending forks then eased the orange hot tubing carefully around the jigs.

Bark texture for the tubing, as well as the round stock, was made by a hand made top and bottom die, used under the treadle hammer. More bark-like features were then added by hand-made punches and applied by the hand hammer. The bars that terminate into scrolls had texture applied to the scrolls with hand-made punches and the hand hammer. Needless to say, there was an enormous amount of texture applied by unique punches with the hand hammer.

The decorative collars and bands were also made by making a master, then making a top and bottom die.

After forging, they were then trimmed and filed.

I worked on this piece primarily alone and often had the need for another hand for steadying work and the like. Many a sleepless night was spent addressing how to execute a particular task alone. Occasionally, I did have the help of my employees, Nathaniel Reinartz and Craig Flemal.

Since we have another shop 30 miles away, they were often there and not available. Their main (and welcome) contribution was working on all the other shop projects, freeing me to work solely on the chandelier. This I feel was a departure from Colnik’s piece, as I identified various details on the original that were not concurrent in like forms. This observation leads me to believe Colnik had help making the parts for his chandelier.

The finish also kept me awake at night. I abhor paint, and also wanted a finish to have the appearance of age. I then recalled a conversation with NOMMA member Carl Grainger about a product called Gilder’s Paste. After a few phone calls, and two hours later, Fabricator

May/June 2005

the owner of the product, David Wareham, was in my shop giving me a demonstration of the paste.

(Coincidentally, his office was just 45 miles from my shop.) It was the perfect solution for the finish. I personally sandblasted the piece, removing fire scale, and giving “tooth” for the paste.

I had to use tiny paintbrushes to apply the paste, as anything larger would not get the paste into the heavily textured metal. Cutting the paste lightly with mineral spirits made the paste spread easier. After drying, the parts were then buffed twice with toothbrushes, shoe brushes, or any shape brush that would get into tight areas. This gave a sheen that was above a matte, but beneath a semi-gloss finish. The entire finishing process took 32 hours.

There are 385 pieces in the chandelier, not including rivets, nuts, and bolts. It took approximately 860 hours to produce. The weight is about 150 pounds.

The piece was installed without incident. This came from weeks of figuring out how to transport such a delicate, yet ungainly piece without altering or destroying it. I thought of renting a U-Haul truck or using a horse trailer. But like many aspects of this and other projects, the idea came to me in the wee hours of the night. I made a cradle-like fixture for the piece to be secured during transport. I needed to remove all the antlers, as well as six electric lamps. The main unit was installed utilizing scaffolding.

Then, with ease, these smaller pieces were secured into place.

One note: Because of this method of installation, I needed to use two screws (rather than the rivets I would normally have used) the only two screws in the entire piece. I thought, “They are so small, nobody will ever see them.” However, as master blacksmith Julias Schramm stated to apprentice Francis Whitaker, “Ah, Franz, there is nothing that will never be seen!” Prophecy fulfilled, as two close-ups of the chandelier taken by the professional photographer, George Lottermoser, show these screws magnificently!

My experience producing hand forged elements provided a base from May/June 2005

Fabricator

which to start, but there was not one element on this piece that I had made even similarly beforehand. I have learned to expect failure in repeated attempts to create specific “looks” in iron, and this endeavor tested this approach several times over. I would not, could not, allow “good enough” to enter into the project. Failure should, and does, become a stepping stone to success.

I will return the favor of so many by teaching the many wonderful lessons learned from reproducing Cyril

Colnik’s original chandelier. My sincere thanks go to my employees; plus John C. Eastberg; Dawn M. Day Hourigan, Executive Director of the Pabst Mansion, and Mark Eckert. You have all granted me an educational experience of which to date for me is unparalleled.

P.S. Since writing this, I have learned that I have won a bronze medal for this entry in the “Furniture and Accessory-Forged” division.

Thank you NOMMA members for your votes of approval!

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67

A patio fence adds color to children’s lives

Job Profile

MacDonald used the process of low relief and repoussé to produce the detail in this driveway gate. gate.

This c olo r ful pat io f e nc e ou tlines a pla y ar ea pr ot r uding fr o m the 6th flo o r o f a Ne w M exic o c hildr e n’s hospital. I n a ddit io n t o fab r icat ing the f e nc e, H ig h Dese r t Fo r g e he lp e d d esig n the pane ls and e v e n he lp e d r aise funds t o c o mple t e the pr o je c t.

Rachel was five years old when she died from a debilitating disease. For much of the last years of her life she lived at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. During this time she was confined to the pediatric floor and connected to medical equipment, so she rarely had the opportunity to experience the outdoors. In her memory, Presbyterian Hospital and Child Life Director, Rebecca Armstrong worked with Rachel’s parents to create an outdoor space where young patients can safely play.

A community wide funding drive was initiated to raise money.

Architects, DekkerPerichSabatini were hired to design a patio area to protrude from the 6th floor of the hospital directly from the treatment wing providing pediatric care. An outer space theme was chosen to entertain and challenge the kids.

Bobby George who worked with the architectural firm invited us, Jim and Christine Glidden, to design and fabricate 68

the fence barrier marking the perimeter of the patio. Each panel was to measure 5 feet by 11 feet. Working from a conceptual design by Marshall Monroe, Bobby proposed the idea of using architectural, structural features for a stainless steel or aluminum fence with the possibility of inlaid glass highlights. Jim and I thought about Bobby’s ideas and agreed that using durable materials was a good start.

However, Jim believed that a play area for kids called for a fun, bright, entertaining look, not a sophisticated architectural statement. We decided to ask our landscape architect friend, Rick Borkovetz, to help us design a fence mural.

We stayed with the outer space theme and Jim’s commitment to create something with cartoon-like figures. What Rick drew and we decided to propose at our next meeting with the architects was very different than what we had originally discussed with them. I must say, I was a bit nervous about their response.

To their credit, Bobby and his colleagues were very open to our proposal and in fact,

For your information

By Christine Glidden High Desert Forge

NOMMA Member: High Desert Forge, Albuquerque, NM; Web: www.highdesertforge.com Project: Fence for a children’s play are on the 6th floor of Presbyterian Hospital, dedicated to the memory of a 5year-old patient named Rachel.

Materials: Stainless steel and aluminum with colored glass highlights.

Biggest challenge: Raising funds for the project.

Solution: HIgh Desert Forge fabricated and donated the first panel for display at a fund raising dinner. The architect, general contractor, several subcontractors, and many individual trades people worked at cost.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

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Cutouts of the various children and planets were extracted from each panel’s mesh and discarded. Aluminum waterjet cut figures were made ready to install in the open spaces.

chose to proceed with it with no changes.

At that point in time, Rachel’s Courtyard was not fully funded. We agreed to fabricate and donate the first of the panels for fundraising purposes. At a formal dinner party at a local resort, donors were invited to fund the other eleven panels. That evening, every panel was funded.

Now that we had one panel completed, we were ready to begin the others.

Following is a description of the materials and fabrication and finishing techniques we used.

Durable materials were a must for this project. The frames were fabricated from 3 inch stainless steel tube and buffed to a #4 finish. Stainless steel mesh was then cut to fit inside the frames. Cutouts of the various children and planets etc., were extracted from the mesh and discarded. In their place, aluminum waterjet cut figures were made ready to install.

Three dimensional figures like the moon, the flying saucer, the telescope, and the girl’s braids were real challenges. The moon’s craters were accomplished by heating and ramming the aluminum with a hydraulic press, but not before one crater was overworked causing splitting. We cheated a bit on the flying saucer. From a local restaurant supply store, we purchased two aluminum salad bowls and welded them together to form the saucer.

The saucer’s bridge was created from a May/June 2005

Fabricator

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The interface between the stainless steel mesh and the aluminum figures was achieved by hand-forming stainless steel frames around the figures and then welding tabs on the figures for mechanical attachment to the frames.

smaller sized bowl and the smaller orbs around the ship from measuring spoons. The telescope was made from various diameters of tube, and the girl’s braids were heated and braided into realistic form.

The interface between the stainless steel mesh and the aluminum figures was solved by hand-forming stainless steel cookie cutter frames around the figures and then welding tabs on the figures so they could be mechanically fastened to the frames. The cookie cutter frames also provided a design feature in that they added greater definition to the figures.

Most of the fabrication work was done by Naoma Jorgensen and Josh Lyle.

Before the figures were installed, they were painted in bright colors chosen by Jim and Rick. Using an automotive paint, Joe Lyle was able to translate their choices on the figures using a spray gun and an air brush.

During this time, glass artist, Denise Taylor coordinated the color of her glass globes to compliment the panels. Each of these globes were handmade of slump glass and signed by Denise before they were epoxy’d into the round openings in the cloud shape sweeping through all twelve panels. As the sun sets, the globes are on fire with color.

Installation was relatively easy. The structural steel installer erected posts that received our panels with mechanical attachment.

The entire project was funded by more than 1,800 donors. The architect, the general contractor, McCarthy Construction, several subcontractors, and many individual trades people worked at cost.

Rachel’s Courtyard now overlooks the city of Albuquerque, and our mural can be seen from Interstate-25 and from the downtown area looking up Central Avenue.

The young patients of Presbyterian Hospital now have their play space and a bird’s eye view of the life within their city.

Rachel’s parents call this a dream come true.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Biz Side

HSA’s provide a new option for lower healthcare costs Although not best suited for people with pre-existing medical conditions, Health Savings Accounts (HSA) may offer an alternative to small and midsized business owners looking for affordable health care for themselves and their employees.

By William J. Lynott

May/June 2005

Fabricator

Each year, you may deposit up to the amount of the deductible on your insurance policy. You then use the money in the account to pay for your medical care.

Once your expense reaches the amount of your deductible, if it does, the insurance policy kicks in.

Consider this example: shop owner Stan enrolls Himself and his family in a plan with a $5,250 deductible policy. He then deposits 400 tax-deductible dollars per month in his HSA savings account.That year, his family’s out of pocket medical expense, paid from funds in his HSA account, comes to $3,200.

Since his total deposits for the year were $4,800, the balance of $1,600 rolls over in the account. It compounds tax-free (as long as it is used to pay for qualified medical expenses).

As the money in the account grows, it becomes a resource available to cover the cost of routine or future medical care.

This is an important feature that makes HSAs far more attractive than their predecessors.

In another example, Tom, enrolls in a similar plan with the same deductible. He also deposits $400 per month in his taxfavored HSA savings account. However, one of Tom’s children had expensive surgery raising the family’s total medical expense for the year to $15,500. Once Tom’s out-of-pocket reached the family deductible of $5,250, the insurance paid the balance of $10,250. In this case, the HSA protected the family against a cata-

For your information

If you’re like most shop owners, you’re fighting what sometimes looks like a losing battle against the onrushing tide of rising healthcare costs.

While this problem isn’t likely to disappear entirely, the Health Savings Account (HSA) legislation signed into law by President Bush a little over a year ago offers you the possibility of making a dramatic reduction in your costs for staying healthy.

In their first year on the market, HSAs attracted thousands of individuals and business owners eager to escape the runaway costs of health insurance. Now, about 1.5 million people are covered by HSAs. William Boyles, publisher of an industry newsletter, predicts that 20 million people will be enrolled within five years.

The new law makes Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) permanent and available to everyone—individuals, business owners, and employees. And don’t confuse HSAs with their predecessor, the Flexible Savings Account. HSAs are the next generation of tax-favored medical insurance.

Here’s how they work: HSAs come in two parts. First you must purchase a lowcost, high-deductible health insurance policy available through a growing number of providers including such giants as Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, Blue Cross, and Golden Rule Insurance.

In conjunction with the insurance policy, you open a dedicated savings account in which you make tax-deductible deposits to pay for your medical care.

What: Health Savings Accounts, a form of health insurance.

How: HSAs come in two parts.

First a low-cost, highdeductible health insurance policy available through a provider such as Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, Blue Cross, or Golden Rule Insurance is purchased.

Next, A dedicated savings account is opened into which monthly tax-deductible deposits are made.

The money in the account pays for medical care until expenses reach the amount of the deductible. At that point the insurance policy kicks in.

Who: A possible option for small to mid-size business owners, their families, and their employees. About 1.5 million people are covered by HSAs. As much as 20 million people maybe enrolled in the next five years.

Implications: Still not the answer for people with preexisting conditions. And they’re not quite competitive with HMOs yet (at least in the northeast, according to Mike Donato, Industrial Coverage Corp., NOMMA’s sponsored insurance agency).

71

Where can I get more detailed information about HSAs? www.hsainsider.com www.ustreas.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa/ www.ehealthlink.com/HSA.asp http://sbinformation.about.com/od/insurance/a/ucHSA.htm www.goldenrule.com / (800) 974-4472

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72

strophic medical expense.

In addition to their tax incentives, HSAs offer control over the choice of doctors and eliminate the often annoying referral requirements of some health plans. Money that accumulates in tax-free HSA savings accounts is immediately available when you need it to pay for medical care.

Current law requires a health insurance policy with a deductible of at least $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for families to open a HSA. The law also limits the maximum out-of-pocket expenses to $5,100 for an individual and $10,200 for a family. Therefore, if there is a health insurance plan with no co-insurance, the deductible can be as much as $5,100 or $10,200 for individuals and families respectively. Of course, the higher the deductible, the lower the premium.

Golden Rule Insurance Co. was one of the first providers of HSAs. Today, one out of every three plans purchased from Golden Rule is a Health Savings Account.

“Our customers have accumulated more than $116 million in their tax-advantaged savings accounts,” says Golden Rule spokesperson Ellen Laden. “As to who’s buying, selfemployed men and women, families with children and early retirees are leading the way,” says Laden. “We feel the reasons why are clear: premiums typically 45 percent to 55 percent lower than traditional plans, discounted healthcare costs through preferred networks, one annual deductible per family, and the four percent annual interest that Golden Rule pays on health savings.”

Golden Rule’s current deductibles for HSA policies are $1,000, $1,750, and $2,650 for singles and $2,000, $3,550, and $5,250 for families. “Our Golden Rule HSA 100 pays 100 percent of covered medical expenses once the deductible is met and there is no co-insurance,” says Laden. The policies of other providers offer similar, but not necessarily the same, provisions.

The tax advantages of Health Savings Accounts along with control over choice of doctors makes them appealing to small business owners and the self-employed as well as the uninsured. According to the IRS, three out of every four people who purchased an HSA policy in the first year were previously uninsured.

“Nearly all of the policies I sell now are HSAs,” says Tom Rogala, Custom Benefit Solutions, Northville, MI. “All of my plans provide 100 percent coverage after the deductible. I can’t imagine why any business owner or individual would want to go any other route.”

Rogala, an independent health insurance broker, says that many of his clients are small business owners who Fabricator

May/June 2005

May/June 2005

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In addition to their tax incentives, HSAs offer control over the

choice of doctors and eliminate the often annoying referral requirements of some health plans. from buying an HSA plan, and some will be reluctant to dip into their HSA savings to pay for medical care with what amounts to their own money. At a congressional hearing in the spring of 2004, Rep. Pete Stark (D., CA) said that he believed that high deductible plans are not consumer driven. “They simply shift costs to so-called consumers who pay more out of pocket.”

“That’s ludicrous,” says Tom Rogala.

“My files are full of examples of individuals who are thrilled with the savings and the service they’re getting through their HSAs. Knowing what I know after 15 years in this business, I just can’t imagine that there is a better deal available to consumers today.”

One disadvantage for some prospective enrollees is the reluctance

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need coverage for themselves and would like to make coverage available to their employees at little or no cost to themselves. HSAs make that possible.

“A business owner can sign up for an HSA for himself and make them available to any employee on a voluntary basis,” says Rogala. “That way, the employee deals directly with the provider. The employer is not involved and makes no contribution. The employer may also sign up for a group plan in which the company pays a portion of the cost for each covered employee.”

The required employer contribution for group plans varies by state. In Michigan, employers are required to contribute a minimum of 25 percent of the cost of the high deductible insurance policy. “That’s still a lot less than it would cost the employer for any other type of plan,” says Rogala.

Rogala tells of one of his clients, a small business owner who was paying $900 per month for coverage for himself and his family. “With his HSA, his cost is $250 per month for the high deductible insurance policy. Plus, he deposits $295 tax-deductible dollars in his Health Savings Account to pay for medical care as needed. If his costs for the year exceed the amount of his deposits, the insurance kicks in with 100 percent coverage. If his costs are less than his deposits for any year, the balance will roll over, accumulating a kitty to pay for future care.”

As might be expected, not everyone is enthusiastic about Health Savings Accounts. Mike Donato of Industrial Coverage Corp. likes the HSA concept, especially the rollover feature that allows unspent funds to accumulate in the savings account.

However, he feels that the insurance companies offering them haven’t yet priced them in a way that makes them competitive with HMOs, at least in the Northeast. “The popularity of HSAs seems to have started in the West,” he says. “I think that will eventually work its way east once the insurance companies get a handle on pricing. But, as far as I’m concerned, that hasn’t happened yet.”

Others argue that the high deductible policies will deter some

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or refusal of some insurance providers to issue policies to people with serious pre-existing medical conditions.

Still, despite the reluctance of some to jump on the HSA bandwagon, there is no denying the rapidly growing popularity of this new approach to healthcare insurance. Employees like the way HSAs give them more choices and more control over their health care. Small business owners say they like HSAs because they help to control spiraling healthcare costs, putting more money on their bottom lines.

As a business owner, you may well benefit from a comparison between an HSA and your present health insurance for you and your employees.

Frequently Asked Questions about Health Savings Accounts

Q: Who is eligible to open an HSA? A: Anyone may apply for an HSA and its companion high-deductible health insurance policy, though individuals with serious pre-existing medical conditions may find it difficult to find a provider willing to accept them.

Q: Where can I open an account?

A: There are now scores of insurance companies and brokerage firms offering HSA coverage including such major providers as Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, Blue Cross, and Golden Rule Insurance Co. In addition, HSAs can be obtained through thousands of independent health insurance brokers Q: Does an HSA pay for the same things that regular insurance pays for?

A: HSA funds can pay for any qualified medical expense, even if they are not covered by your health insurance.

For example, most health insurance does not cover the cost of over-thecounter medicines, but HSAs can. If the money from the HSA is used for qualified medical expenses, then the money spent is tax-free.

Q: Do unused funds in a Health Savings Account roll over year after year?

A: Yes, the unused balance in a Health Savings Account automatically rolls over year after year. You won’t lose your money if you don’t spend it within the year.

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Fabricator

May/June 2005

Biz Side

9 common misconceptions about new overtime rules

For your information

Misconceptions about new overtime rules: 1: Overtime is paid at one-anda-half times a worker's base rate.

2: Unless overtime is specifically authorized, the employee is not entitled to overtime pay.

3: An employee can voluntarily give up the right to overtime pay.

New overtime rules may have you confused about who is eligible for what. Learn about some common misconceptions and avoid making making costly assumptions.

By Charles R. McConnell Most people who supervise the work of others are aware of the basic rule governing the payment of overtime: oneand-one-half times a worker’s regular hourly rate for hours in excess of 40 in a week. They also know that overtime applies to “nonexempt” (hourly) employees, workers who are not exempted from the overtime payment rules of

the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

However, many supervisors harbor one or more misconceptions about overtime, mistaken beliefs that can influence important decisions.

General understanding of overtime has recently been muddied by changes in the eligibility rules. Prior to August 2004, the overtime eligibility rules hadn’t been revisited in about 50 years. The new rules supposedly guarantee over-

“Prior to August 2004, the overtime eligibility rules hadn’t been

revisited in about 50 years. The new rules supposedly guarantee overtime protection for some 1.3 million salaried workers earning $425 per week or less.”

May/June 2005

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4: Whether someone is or isn't eligible to receive overtime depends on job title and whether the person has supervisory responsibilities.

5: Work that's accomplished "off the clock," or outside of regular working hours, doesn't count in calculating overtime.

6: The employer can't require overtime if an individual chooses not to accept it, and a worker can't be disciplined for refusing overtime.

7: If a pay period is two weeks long and the weekly average is less than 40 hours, no overtime payment is owed.

8: Nonexempt employees can be given compensatory time off in place of overtime pay.

9: Certain well-compensated employees can't be paid overtime because the law says they're not entitled to overtime.

75

“One fact is certain, however; lawsuits concerning overtime

have soared in number in recent years and continue to mount at an increasing rate.” time protection for some 1.3 million salaried workers earning $425 per week or less. When the changes were proposed earlier in 2004, interested parties were far apart concerning what these rules really meant. The Economic Policy Institute claimed that as many as 8 million workers could lose overtime eligibility, while the Department of Labor estimated that up to 107,000 high-dollar workers (earning $100,000 per year or more) could lose their overtime.

Arguments over the new rules continue; and still those engaged in the controversy are nowhere near agreement on how many workers have lost overtime eligibility.

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One fact is certain, however; lawsuits concerning overtime have soared in number in recent years and continue to mount at an increasing rate.

The most frequently encountered misconceptions concerning overtime are briefly reviewed as follows:

Overtime is paid at one-and-a-half times a worker’s 1baseMisconception: rate.

The “regular rate” used as the basis for overtime payment is often not an employee’s base rate. Rather, it’s the average of all of the employee’s compensation for the period. In addition to base rate the regular rate includes

shift differentials and other add-ons such as compensation for being available on call and payment for time actually called-in. These earnings are averaged over all worked hours to determine the regular rate. Hours spent at home “on call” are not considered work time unless an employee’s freedom of movement is severely restricted.

Additional factors can figure in the regular rate, and there have been occasional lawsuits concerning what should be included. Thus certain earnings like commissions and sales incentives have found their way into the regular rate. On occasion the regular rate has had to be clarified by the courts.

Unless overtime is specifically authorized, the employ2ee isMisconception: not entitled to overtime pay.

The reality is that all time in excess of 40 hours per week, even if spent on the employee’s own initiative, counts toward overtime. An employer can be held liable for even the 10, 15, or 20 minutes of so-called “casual overtime” created when an employee clocks in early or clocks out late. The solution is to have a reasonably enforced policy on clocking in and out, specifying, for example, that one is to clock in within six minutes before the start of the shift and clock out within six minutes following the end of the shift (many payroll systems calculate in tenths of an hour, so a six-minute threshold is common).

Then someone who consistently punches in early or out late can be dealt with using the policy.

Misconception: An employee can voluntarily give up the right to 3overtime pay.

Say a conscientious employee wants to work an extra hour or two to finish an important task, furnishing this extra effort without expecting compensation. This can’t legally be done. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the labor laws of most states, a nonexempt employee is not permitted to waive the right to overtime Fabricator

May/June 2005

pay. The principal reason behind this provision is that employees could conceivably be coerced into â&#x20AC;&#x153;volunteeringâ&#x20AC;? their services at times.

ZZZ %ODFNVPLWKV'HSRW FRP

Misconception: Whether someone is or isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eligible to receive overtime depends on job title and whether the 4person has supervisory responsibilities.

Not so. Job title means little in determining someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exempt or nonexempt status. Workers designated as exempt must qualify under the FLSA as professional, executive, or administrative employees. Qualifying requires meeting a test or series of tests that look at the responsibilities of the position, the kinds of tasks performed, the amount of time spent on routine work, and the extent to which the person must exercise â&#x20AC;&#x153;discretion and judgmentâ&#x20AC;? (a phase appearing several times in FLSA provisions).

Because of this misconception some employers have been subjected to audit by the Department of Labor (DOL). A DOL audit can be a random event but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually the result of an employee complaint; the auditors wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say which. One of the more common complaints involves denial of overtime because of an employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classification as exempt according to job title. One practice thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caused trouble for many businesses involves re-titling higher-level secretaries as salaried â&#x20AC;&#x153;administrative assistantsâ&#x20AC;? and paying them at least the FLSA minimum for â&#x20AC;&#x153;administratorsâ&#x20AC;? ($425 per week as of August 2004). However, when DOL decides these positions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t measure up to FLSA requirements concerning the extent of â&#x20AC;&#x153;administrativeâ&#x20AC;? duties and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;exercise of discretion and judgment,â&#x20AC;? the employer is held liable for back overtime pay and sometimes penalties as well. And neither does the performance of nominal supervisory duties exempt an employee from overtime. To qualify as â&#x20AC;&#x153;managementâ&#x20AC;? an individual must be the primary overseer of two or more workers and have the authority to hire and fire or so recommend.

Misconception: Work thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplished â&#x20AC;&#x153;off the clock,â&#x20AC;? or outside of regular working hours, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t count in cal5culating overtime.

In reality all time worked counts toward overtime, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;workedâ&#x20AC;? including the likes of changing into and out of required clothing or protective equipment, caring for equipment before or after a regular shift, and attending required meetings or educational sessions on what is normally non-work time. Whatever the activity, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s required by the employer it counts toward overtime pay for nonexempt employees. Even work an employee does voluntarily at home can be counted toward overtime payment.

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“Even though overtime can be mandated, it’s to the advantage

of the business to have a rational procedure for rotating or apportioning overtime to ensure that mandated overtime doesn’t become burdensome.”

Misconception: The employer can’t require overtime if an individual chooses not to accept it, and a worker can’t be disciplined for refusing overtime.

6

Wrong. Mandatory overtime is consistent with FLSA and with most state labor laws, so the employer can require overtime as long as the terms

and conditions under which a person was hired didn’t state there would be no overtime. In most instances employee refusal to accept mandatory overtime can be addressed as a misconduct issue. But even though overtime can be mandated, it’s to the advantage of the business to have a rational procedure for rotating or apportioning overtime to ensure that mandated over-

time doesn’t become burdensome.

Misconception: If a pay period is two weeks long and the weekly 7average is less than 40 hours, no overtime payment is owed.

An example: Employee X works 48 hours during the first week but only 32 hours during the second week, so is not owed overtime because worked hours averaged 40 per week. This is incorrect. Under the FLSA overtime must be calculated week-to-week, so X is owed 8 hours overtime pay for the first week. (The one notable exception to this practice is found in a particular exemption that applies primarily in hospitals and certain other health care organizations.)

Nonexempt employees can be given compen8satoryMisconception: time off in place of overtime pay.

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Policies awarding nonexempt (hourly) employees compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay are frequently adjudged illegal. It’s best to avoid the practice. However, an occasional ruling has legitimized compensatory time under specific conditions: the time off must be awarded within the same pay period as the extra worked time occurred, time off must be determined at 11/2 times the extra worked time (for example, X works 4 hours extra during week one of the period and thus gets 6 hours compensatory time during week two), and the employee must agree to the practice.

Misconception: Certain well-compensated employees can’t be paid 9overtime because the law says they’re not entitled to overtime.

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Incorrect. The wage and hour laws state who must be paid overtime (nonexempt employees) and who need not be paid overtime (employees who qualify as exempt); the FLSA doesn’t specify anyone who cannot be paid overtime. Some employees who legally need not be paid overtime continue to receive overtime pay at employer Fabricator

May/June 2005

“Overtime can’t be denied by simply

changing a job title or reclassifying a worker from hourly to salary.” option. Few registered nurses, for example, would take jobs in institutions hard-pressed for staff if they received no added compensation for working extra shifts.

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A word of caution

Since April 2004 there has been much information in the public press about the overtime rules, some of it incomplete and some clearly incorrect. The majority of editorial pieces have been critical of the new rules, describing them as changes allowing employers to exploit workers. A surprising number of those writing in opposition to the rules project the mistaken belief that all employers need do to avoid paying overtime is re-title the affected jobs. Some seem completely unaware of the pertinent portions of the FLSA that determine who is or isn’t eligible for overtime. One national columnist claimed the new rules “encourage employers to convert workers from hourly to salary in order to deny overtime.”

Overtime can’t be denied by simply changing a job title or reclassifying a worker from hourly to salary. For example, under the tests laid out in the FLSA, an exempt “administrative” employee must spend no more than 40% of the time on non-administrative work; an exempt “executive” must spend 50% or more of the time in direct management of an organizational unit and must direct the activities of two or more persons. No simple change in title or mode of payment can change a worker’s overtime eligibility.

Enforcement

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is the principal enforcement agency for the FLSA. The DOL and the labor departments of the various states address numerous complaints about the payment of overtime, and when the DOL is involved an overtime complaint usually results in an audit of payment practices. When the investigators find errors in overtime determination— time-reporting errors are common, and payroll-system errors in calculating regular rate are not unusual—they require back payment for a two-year period. Should they judge the “errors” to be deliberate denial of overtime, the back-pay period can be three years.

You can be certain that the jobs of “administrative assistants” and such will be tested against FLSA exempt employee criteria, and that those that don’t strictly qualify will require payment of imputed back overtime.

None of the foregoing guidance is intended as legal advice. When in doubt, consult an attorney knowledgeable in employment law. For answers to other questions about overtime, and for additional information about the Fair Labor Standards Act, visit the web site of the United States Department of Labor at www.dol.gov.

May/June 2005

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NOMMA Nationwide Supplier Members As of April 25, 2005; Bold denotes new members A Cut Above Distributing ............................800-444-2999 Action Ornamental Iron ..............................901-795-2200 Advanced Measuring Systems ......................888-289-9432 Allen Architectural Metals Inc......................800-204-3858 Alloy Casting Co. Inc. ..................................800-527-1318 American Punch Co. ....................................800-243-1492 American Stair Corp. ....................................800-872-7824 Ameristar Fence Products ............................918-835-0898 Apollo Gate Operators..................................210-545-2900 Architectural Iron Designs Inc. ....................800-784-7444 Arteferro Miami ............................................305-836-9232 Artezzi ............................................................800-718-6661 Artist Supplies & Products ..........................800-825-0029 Atlas Metal Sales............................................800-662-0143 Auciello Iron Works Inc. ..............................978-568-8382 Aztec Castings Inc. ........................................800-631-0018 Builders Fence Co. Inc. ................................800-767-0367 Byan Systems Inc...........................................800-223-2926 C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. ..................................800-421-6144 Carell Corporation........................................251-937-0948 Chamberlain..................................................800-282-6225 Classic Iron Supply ......................................800-367-2639 Cleveland Steel Tool Co. ..............................800-446-4402 CML USA Inc. ..............................................563-391-7700 Colorado Waterjet Co. ..................................866-532-5404 Crescent City Iron Supply Inc. ....................800-535-9842 Custom Orn. Iron Works Ltd. ......................604-273-6435 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc. ..................800-716-0888 D.J.A. Imports Ltd.........................................888-933-5993 DAC Industries Inc. ......................................800-888-9768 Decorative Iron ............................................888-380-9278 DecorCable Innovations ..............................800-444-6271 DKS, DoorKing Systems ..............................800-826-7493 Eagle Bending Machines Inc. ......................251-937-0947 Eastern Metal Supply Inc. ............................800-343-8154 Eastern Ornamental Supply Inc. ..................800-590-7111 Elegant Aluminum Products Inc. ................800-546-3362 Encon Electronics..........................................800-782-5598 Euro Forgings Inc. ........................................800-465-7143 EURO-FER SRL. ..............................011-39-044-544-0033 FABCAD.COM..............................................800-255-9032 FabTrol Systems Inc. ..................................888-FABTROL Feeney Wire Rope & Rigging........................800-888-2418 Frank Morrow Co. ........................................800-556-7688 Gates and Controls........................................206-767-6224 80

Geo. Bezdan Sales Ltd. ..................................800-663-6356 Glaser USA ....................................................888-668-8427 Glasswerks LA Inc. ........................................800-350-4527 GTO Inc.........................................................800-543-4283 Hartford Standard Co. Inc. ..........................270-298-3227 Hayn Enterprises LLC ..................................800-346-4296 Hebo / Stratford Gate Systems ....................503-658-2881 House of Forgings ........................................281-443-4848 Illinois Engineered Products Inc. ................312-850-3710 Indiana Gratings Inc. ....................................800-634-1988 Innovative Hinge Products Inc. ..................817-598-4846 Interstate Mfg. Associates Inc.......................800-667-9101 ITW Industrial Finishing..............................630-237-5169 J.G. Braun Co. ..............................................800-323-4072 Jamieson Mfg. Co. ........................................214-339-8384 Jansen Ornamental Supply Co. Inc. ..........800-4-JANSEN Krieger eK Wrought Iron Systems ....011-49-64-258-1890 Julius Blum & Co. Inc. ..................................800-526-6293 Justin R.P.G. Corp. ........................................310-532-3441 King Architectural Metals ............................800-542-2379 Lavi Industries ..............................................800-624-6225 Lawler Foundry Corp. ..................................800-624-9512 Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc. ....................800-221-5579 Liberty Brass Turning Co. ............................800-345-5939 Logical Decisions Inc. ..................................800-676-5537 Loyal Wrought Iron Co. Ltd. ..........011-86-208-469-0306 Mac Metals Inc. ............................................800-631-9510 Marks U.S.A...................................................800-526-0233 Master Halco ................................................800-883-8384 Matthews Intl. Corp., Bronze Div. ..............800-628-8439 Metal Amoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ................................................760-747-7200 Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool ......................800-467-2464 Multi Sales Inc...............................................800-421-3575 New Metals Inc. ............................................888-639-6382 Ohio Gratings Inc. ........................................800-321-9800 Omega Coating Corp. ..................................888-386-6342 Orange Steel & Ornamental Supply ............305-805-6000 Overseas Supply Inc. ....................................866-985-9885 Polished Metals Ltd.......................................800-526-7051 Pro Access Systems ........................................813-664-0606 Production Machinery Inc. ..........................410-574-2110 R & B Wagner Inc. ........................................800-786-2111 R & S Automation Inc. ................................800-543-6001 Regency Railings Inc. ....................................214-742-9408 Rik-Fer USA ..................................................877-838-0900

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May/June 2005

Robert J. Donaldson Co. ..............................856-629-2737 Robertson Grating Products Inc. ................877-638-6365 Robinson Iron Corp. ....................................800-824-2157 Rockite, Div. of Hartline Products ..............800-841-8457 Rogers Mfg. Inc. ............................................940-325-7806 Sahinler Form Metal San. Ve Tic.....011-90-224-245-5465 Scotchman Industries Inc. ............................800-843-8844 SECO South ................................................888-535-SECO Sequoia Brass and Copper............................800-362-5255 Sharpe Products ............................................800-879-4418 Signon USA ..................................................866-744-6661 Sparky Abrasives............................................800-553-7224 Stairways Inc. ................................................800-231-0793 Steel Masters Inc. ..........................................602-243-5245 Stephens Pipe and Steel LLC ........................800-451-2612 Steptoe & Wife Antiques Ltd. ......................800-461-0060 Striker Tool Co. (USA) Inc. ........................866-290-1263 Sumter Coatings Inc. ....................................888-471-3400 Tennessee Fabricating Co. ............................800-258-4766

Texas Metal Industries ..................................800-222-6033 Texas Stairs & Rails Inc. ................................800-633-6874 The Cable Connection..................................800-851-2961 The G-S Co. ..................................................410-284-9549 The Iron Shop ..............................................800-523-7427 Transpacific Industrial Supply Inc. ..............909-581-3058 Triebenbacher Bavarian Iron Works Co. ....800-522-4766 Triple-S Chemical Products..........................800-862-5958 Tri-State Shearing & Bending ......................718-485-2200 Tusa Metals Inc. ............................................800-995-8872 Universal Entry Systems Inc. ........................800-837-4283 Universal Mfg. Co. Inc. ................................800-821-1414 Valley Bronze of Oregon ..............................541-432-7551 W.G.F. Ironwork Products Center Inc. ........888-696-6943 Wasatch Steel Inc...........................................888-496-4463 West Tennessee Ornamental Door ..............866-790-3667 Wrought Iron Concepts Inc. ........................877-370-8000 YAVUZ FERFORJE A.S. ..................011-90-258-269-1664 Join NOMMA ............................................(404) 363-4009

New NOMMA Members As of April 15, 2005; Asterisk denotes returning members Bachtold Metal Works

David Watson Fabricator

Jacksonville, FL Ron Bachtold Fabricator

Iron Knob Corp.

Complete Ornamental Iron

North Hills, CA Minaxi Kamath Fabricator

Bolton, MS Douglas Murrell Fabricator

Jeff Mfg. Inc.

Custom Structural Inc. * Big Bend, WI Dan Minor Fabricator

Torrington, CT Jeff Roesing Fabricator

Lilley Welding

Pole Creek Fabrication Fraser, CO David Zink Fabricator

Sterling Steel Fab. Inc. Patricia Bennett West Palm Beach, FL Fabricator

Studio 308 Dawsonville, GA Damon Lusky Fabricator

Delyannis Iron Works *

Berlin, MD Dave Lilley Fabricator

Paterson, NJ Phillip Delyannis Fabricator

Mickey’s Iron Works

Edlund Iron Works Inc.

Hyattsville, MD Mickey Sites Fabricator

Amherst, NH Scott Edlund Fabricator

P.B. Welding Service

White’s Steel Inc.

Burgessville, ON Canada Rene Burggraaf Fabricator

Indio, CA Ed Neumeyer Fabricator

Iron Images Inc. Wakulla Springs, FL

May/June 2005

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Sullivan Custom Iron Works Inc. Phoenix, AZ C.R. Sullivan Fabricator

TD Constructors Inc. Flint, MI Terry Nelson Fabricator

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What’s Hot?

Inside Biz Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Biz Brief Spotlight . . . . .84 Coming Events . . . . . . . . .86

Get to know ASTM 2200 People outside our industry often underestimate the power of a motorized vehicular gate. While UL 325 addresses safety features of the gate operators themselves, American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) F2200, or entitled Standard Specification for Automated Vehicular Gate Construction, published in 2002, addresses automated vehicular gate construction with the aim of ensuring that proper safeguards are designed into such construction.

We hope the following questions and answers will help you (1) construct automated vehicular gates to conform to the standard, (2) promote good business practices, and (3) implement safer and better operation of automated vehicular gates.

The ASTM F 2200 was developed by a coalition of parties within the gate and access control industries, including representatives of AFA (American Fence Association), DASMA (Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association), and NOMMA (National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association.

The document is now a consensus standard published by ASTM International.

F2200 since it has been harmonized with UL 325.

Designers just need to be aware of the additional provisions in ASTM F2200 that address certain gaps, height of barbed tape/barbed wire, and protrusions. These additional provisions are explained in simple terms.

Some companies have told us that conformance to the standard is very straightforward. But if it seems complicated, companies should make a concerted effort on education. Some companies have used information published by the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) to educate internal staff on how to conform to both UL 325 and ASTM F2200.

“Isn’t a standard for gate uestion: “Why do we need to build operators enough?” to ASTM F2200 if it is not a federal Question: Q law?”

Answer: No. The UL 325 standard is intended to address the operator. UL 325 addresses some aspects of the vehicular gate, but other potential hazards are not addressed. UL and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recognized this in the late 1990s when they challenged the industry to create the document now known as ASTM F2200.

Answer: Conformance with ASTM F2200 makes good business sense.

Remember, the standard is now in the public domain, and is here to stay. We firmly believe that conformance to the standard will reduce serious accidents and the liability that goes with them.

A company’s use or non-use of the standard reflects on the company’s business practices. uestion: “Doesn’t the standard If an accident occurs involving a complicate the task of designing gate that you could have installed conand building a gate sysforming to the standard, and tem?” the standard was not followed, Contact: ASTM your day in court may be difInternational, Ph: Answer: Not at all. ficult. Conversely, you may be (610) 832-9585; Fax: Designers who specify dismissed from such a case if 610-832-9555; Web: visit www.astm.org.

UL 325 listed and the gate was found to conlabeled gate operators form.

Contact: DASMA, Ph: should already be famil- (216) 241-7333; Fax: We have noticed that bigger (216) 241-0105; Web: iar with some of the and heavier gates are being www.dasma.com. specified, particularly for provisions in ASTM

Q

82

Literature . . . . . . . . . . .88 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . .97

gated communities. Bigger gates can mean more potential for injury and greater liability.

We have also seen communities that have refused to request gates conforming to ASTM F2200. They sometimes reason that the gates should be “built the way they’ve always been built.” But today’s gates should be installed according to today’s safety standards.

We live in a changing society where litigation is ever on the increase.

Smart businesses stay current with technology and with the latest safety standards.

To conclude, we highly recommend the following:

1

Obtain and review a copy of the standard. Contact ASTM or ask your gate operator supplier to educate you on the content of the standard.

2

Develop within your company an educational program on the standard. You can use helpful DASMA publications as well as publications from your gate operator supplier.

3

Stay abreast of the latest activities concerning the standard. If your gate operator supplier is a DASMA member, your supplier is likely well informed of the latest developments.

4

Work with your gate operator supplier. Be aware of the relationship between UL 325, ASTM F2200 and the Fabricator

May/June 2005

technology your supplier has built into its products.

5

Know the local requirements applying to each job. In the state of Nevada, for instance, the law requires that gate systems include operators that comply with UL 325. Other local codes, laws, or ordinances may require gates and operators to comply with the standards or provisions contained in the standards.

6

Develop an installation checklist.

List all of the safety related provisions contained in ASTM F2200, and review them with your customers.

7

Compile information materials to share with your customers. Choose information relevant to the specific job and highlight important information.

Note: Where applicable, ASTM F2200 standards include the following requirements:

Covers for all exposed rollers.

Protective screen mesh.

Guard posts.

Slide gates and the adjacent fence must not allow a 21/4-inch sphere to pass through, up to 48 inches above the ground.

Gates must be prevented from falling over if disconnected from the gate opener.

Swing gates with potential entrapment zones of greater than 4 inches to less than 16 inches must be protected.

Swing gates must not have any protrusions on the bottom of the gate.

Of course, this is only the briefest of summaries of the standard. Refer to ASTM F2200 for complete information.

DASMA is North America’s leading trade association of manufacturers of garage doors, rolling doors, garage door operators, vehicular gate operators, and access control products.

This column was developed by Rick Sedivy of DoorKing, former chairman of the DASMA gate operator committee and a member of the DASMA Board of Directors.

What’s Hot?

Biz Briefs National Bronze & Metals expands Ohio warehouse National Bronze & Metals (Ohio) Inc. (NBMO), a manufacturer and distributor of brass, bronze, and copper alloys, has begun constructing a new warehouse with over 24,500 square feet space. This addition to the existing 35,000 square foot facility in Lorain, OH follows the expansion of their corporate headquarters in Houston, TX, where another new warehouse was built in late 2004. The new warehouse should reduce delivery times to customers in the northern part of the country and increase the range of alloy availability from the Ohio location.

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What’s Hot?

Biz Briefs Multi Sales moves after 45 years in Downey Multi Sales Inc., a wholesale distributor of garage door and gate operators, has relocated their main office from Downey California to the city of La Palma.

La Palma is centrally located between Los Angeles and Orange County, bordering the cities of Cerritos, Buena Park, La Mirada, and Cypress. The new address is 5600 Fresca Drive, La Palma, CA 90623. The firm’s phone numbers remain the same, but there is a new toll-free fax number: (800) 647-8511.

Outwater relocates to Bogota, NJ Outwater Plastics Industries Inc. and Architectural Products by Outwater LLC is now conveniently located just minutes from Routes 80, 95, 46, 17, the New Jersey Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway. The firm’s new 250,000+ square foot facility is approximately 40,000 square feet larger that the facility it replaces. Now Outwater Plastics Industries and Architectural Products

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Wagner celebrates by offering more services In addition to recently celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special party at METALfab 2005 in New Orleans, LA on March 1, 2005, The Wagner Companies now offers waterjet machining services. Wagner has added a Calypso HammerHead WaterJet to its manufacturing operation. The HammerHead WaterJet provides a cost effective cutting platform for a wid variety of materials including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, plastics, rubber, and exotic metals. Costs are reduced with the clean, single cutting process that often eliminates secondary operations.The HammerHead uses a 60,000 PSI stream of water and abrasive grit to cut, shape, drill and finish any 2D design in sheet material. It cuts material up to 4 inches thick.

Metal Museum inducts three new board members At the winter meeting of the Board of Trustees, Metal Museum Board members accepted all recommendations from the Nominations Committee, chaired by Lewis Nolan. Michael Guthrie, Susan Adler Thorpe, and Dr. Richard Ranta were unanimously elected to serve three year terms beginning in May 2005 when the Board convenes for its spring meeting.

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May/June 2005

Business Brief Spotlight

ANSI task force update from NOMMA’s Technical Consultant Tim Moss

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The International Code Council (ICC) has announced a call for proposed task groups to review the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) A117 standards for building codes. The ANSI Accredited Standards Committee A117 develops the ICC/ANSI A117.1 Standard on Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities and is currently proposing the following new task groups: (1) Task Group on Technical Requirements for Dwelling Units, (2) Task Group on Coordination of A117.1 and the International Building Code, and (3) Task Group on Coordination with the new ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines. The timetable for these groups is to complete the study and make recommendations by December 2006, so that any changes can be considered for the development cycle for the 2008 edition of the standard.

The first task group, Technical Requirements for Dwelling Units Task Group, looks at Chapter 10 of the ANSI A117.12003 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Chapter 10 covers dwelling units and sleeping units required to be accessible.

The second group, Task Group on Coordination of A117.1 and the International Building Code, reviews the technical requirements in the ANSI A117.1 standard and how they overlap with the International Building Code (IBC). The purpose of this group is to look at the IBC scoping requirements and provisions that overlap or in some cases conflict with A117.1. Stairs, ramps, doors, protruding objects, and other elements are issues that are best addressed in the building code.

The third group, Task Group on Coordination with the new ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines, reviews the technical requirements in the ANSI A117.1 standard and in the new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) guidelines. The purpose of this group will be to review the standard and the federal provisions to determine if updates and provisions are needed to coordinate with the ADA/ABA guidelines. This group will also want to address the ANSI 117.1 provisions not included in the guidelines.

My aim is to represent the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA) on either the second or third group. Securing a nomination on the second group, Coordination of A117.1 and the International Building Code, would be ideal because it covers the issues most related to fabrication businesses. However, even if I am not selected to serve on any of the proposed task groups, I will still be in a position to offer suggestions to the groups. In any event, I will keep NOMMA members posted of my status.

Contact: Tim Moss, NOMMA Tecchnical Consultant, Ph: (770) 289-6556; E-mail: Tim@nomma.org.

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Hot?

Coming Events May 19–21, 2005 Southeastern Regions Blacksmith Conference

The Southern Blacksmith Association (SBA) conference takes place at the Lion’s Club Fairgrounds Madison, GA Contact: Karen Wheeler, SBA, Ph: (352) 486-4370; Web: www.southernblacksmithassoc.com.

Summer school for fabricators The following schools offer various summer classes by noted blacksmiths and fabricators, many of whom are NOMMA members. Visit web sites for instructors’ backgrounds, more course listings, and detailed course descriptions.

Appalachian Center for Crafts Smithville TN Ph: (615) 597-6801 Web: www.tntech.edu/craftcenter Classes: Chasing steel, basic blacksmithing, blade smithing, sculpture, and working with nonferrous metals.

May–October 2005

Ph: (888) 753-7505 Web: www.newenglandschool ofmetalwork.com Classes: Traditional joinery, scrollwork, forge welding, and blade smithing.

National Ornamental Metal Museum Memphis TN Ph: (901) 774-6380 Web: www.metalmuseum.org Classes: Basic and intermediate blacksmithing, copper weathervane, pewter fabrication, and iron casting.

June 10, 2005 NFPA 2005 World Safety Conference & Exposition

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) holds its annual conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Contact: NFPA, Ph: (617) 9847312; Web: www.nfpa.org.

August 3-7, 2005 Rocky Mountain Blacksmithing Conference XIV

Rocky Mountain Smiths (RMS) host their conference at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, CO. Contact: RMS, Web: www.rockymountainsmiths.org/conf.htm September 10, 2005 2005 Carbondale Conference

The Southern Illinois Metalsmiths Society holds their 2005 Carbondale Conference on the SIU Carbondale campus.

Contact: Dr. Dan Randall, SIU, Ph: 618-453-3774; E-mail: DKRMETAL@siu.edu; Web: http://mypage.siu.edu/sims.

October 16–20, 2005 SMANCA 62nd Annual Convention and Product Show

SMACNA holds it show at the A JW Marriott Resort and Spa in Palm Desert, CA. Contact: SMACNA, Ph: (703) 803-2998; Web: www.smacna.org.

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Camp Verde School of Blacksmithing Camp Verde, AZ Ph: (602) 567-3681 Web: www.piehtoolco.com Classes: Blacksmithing, bladesmithing, coppersmithing, tinsmithing, sculpture, fabrication.

John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown, NC Ph: (800) 365-5724 Web: www.folkschool.org Classes: Metal spinning, copper etching, carving, engraving, jig and tool making, lighting, basic blacksmith techniques, and enameling on steel.

Center for Metal Arts Florida, NY Ph: (845) 651-7550 Web: www.iceforge.com Classes: Metalwork, blacksmith, and metal arts techniques.

Colorado Rocky Mountain Blacksmith School Carbondale, CO Ph: (970) 963-2562 Web: www.rockymountainsmiths.org Classes: Treadle hammer workshop, blacksmithing.

New England School of Metalwork Auburn, ME

Penland School of Crafts Penland, NC Ph: (828) 765-2359 Web: www.penland.org Classes: Furniture and lighting forging, enameling, anodizing, repousse, and sculpture.

Peters Valley Craft Center Layton, NJ Ph: (973) 948-5200 Web: www.PetersValley.org Classes: Sculpture, forging, finishing, and repousseé.

Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program Williamsburg, MA Ph: (413) 268-3101 Web: www.snowfarm.org Classes: Welded sculpture, tin smithing, welding for women, and the marriage of metal and glass.

Touchstone Center for Crafts Farmington, PA Ph: (800) 721-0177 Web: www.touchstonecrafts.com Classes: Forming, fabrication, tooling, forging, and welding.

Turley Forge Blacksmithing School Santa Fe, NM Ph: (505) 471-8608 E-mail: nudahonga@qwest.net

March 8–11, 2006 - METALfab 2006, NOMMA’s 48th annual convention and trade show, Savannah, GA. Contact: NOMMA, Ph: (404) 363-4009; Web: www.nomma.org.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Event Spotlight

ICC holds phone seminars The International Code Council (ICC) now offers safety seminars over the phone, starting with the Hazard Abatement & Safe Buildings Telephone Seminar Series. The series is taught by experts in building safety and hazard mitigation. Each 90-minute seminar includes handouts and question-and-answer periods to provide participants with a thorough understanding of each topic.

clip art phone

June 22, 2005 Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Planningâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Be Prepared

Instructor: David Price, Director of Homeland Safety/Risk Management for the city of Xenia, Ohio The seminar helps building departments lay the groundwork for developing hazard mitigation and emergency management plans.

August 10, 2005 2003 IEBC Issues with Existing and Historic Buildings

Instructor: International Code Council Senior Staff Engineer Hamid Naderi, P.E., C.B.O. The program provides an overview of the critical concepts of the 2003 International Existing Building Code to increase performance in using, applying, and interpreting provisions of the code.

October 5, 2005 2003 IBC Wind and Earthquake Loads

Instructor: John Henry, P.E., an International Code Council Senior Staff Engineer.

The seminar explains the 2003 International Building Code provisions based on ASCE 7-98 and the static wind force method of load design.

November 16, 2005 2003 IBC Fire Risks of Interior Finishes

Instructor: Dan Smits, M.C.P., C.B.O., and member of a suburban Chicago fire department The program provides insight into the hazards associated with interior finishes and decorations. Participants will review the applicable sections of the 2003 International Building and Fire Codes and associated testing standards.

Registration: The registration fee for each seminar is $175 per site and pays for an unlimited number of participants at one location. The call-in number for each seminar is toll-free and groups may select to attend any number of seminars in the series.

Contact: Joyce Patterson, ICC, Ph: (888) 422-7233, ext.

4322; E-mail: jpatterson@iccsafe.org; Web: www.iccsafe.org/training.

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What’s Hot?

The 3rd edition of The Artful Home: The GUILD Sourcebook of Residential Art is available from the publisher as well as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Literature Spotlights

New design book/catalog THE GUILD recently released The Artful Home 3rd edition, a 333-page book with 600 color illustrations. The GUILD is a marketer of fine craft directly from artists’ studios and publishes desktop resources such as The Artful Home Ed. 3: The GUILD Sourcebook of Residential Art in an effort to connect designers with artists.

Along with this recent publication release, THE GUILD announced its donation of $6,713 to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), an organization assisting craft artists in need. The funds represent a portion of all purchases from the GUILD’s Holiday 2004 Artful Home catalog.

“We make this donation to a wonderful organization on behalf of all GUILD artists,” said GUILD Founder and CEO Toni Sikes. “Artists fill out lives with beauty.

This is a wonderful way for us, our cus-

tomers, and our artists to ‘complete the circle’ and give to those who give so much.

Contact: Ed Taylor, THE GUILD, Ph: (877) 284-8453; Web: www.guilld.com.

French architectural ironwwork designs New from Norton Architecture Books, a division of W.W. Norton & Co., is Classic French Wrought Iron by compiled by Raymond Lecoq and with a forward by Classic French Wrought Richard J. Iron is available from Wattenmaker.

W.W. Norton & Co. According to the publisher the book is a treasury of French wrought iron designs, from grilles and gates to balconies, balustrades, railings, and complex lockand-key mechanisms. The collection provides a history of the traditional French ironwork industry and descriptions of forging, assembly, and fabrication techniques, from the 12th to the 19th centuries.

The book’s author, Raymond Lecoq, was a teacher, writer, scholar, and iron- and metalwork collector of antique hardware and domestic implements. In his forward, Richard J. Wattendmaker, director of the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, affirms Lecoq’s work: “The gentle intensity, conviction of purpose, and insight with which Raymond Lecoq’s investigations were infused resulted in solid achievements that continue to enrich the fund of knowledge for students and scholars alike.”

Contact: Kevin Olsen, W.W. Norton & Co., Ph: (212) 790-4323; Web: www.wwnorton.com.

Metal design books are also available through the NOMMA Education Foundation.

Contact: NOMMA/NEF, Ph: (404) 363-4009; Web: www.nomma.org/nef.

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May/June 2005

What’s Hot?

Catalogs Powder coating handbook

The Powder Coating Institute The Powder Coating Institute has revised and expanded their third edition of Powder Coating – The Complete Finisher’s Handbook and is now available for purchase. Not only does this text cover all aspects of setting up and running a powder coating operation, but it also contains many rewritten and updated chapters, a glossary of powder coating terms and an expanded troubleshooting guide.

The handbook covers the latest information in the powder coating process - powder materials, pretreatment, booth design, application equipment, powder application methods, conveyors, dry-off methods, curing, and troubleshooting.

The book is $95 plus $10 shipping in the U.S. Contact: The Powder Coating Institute, Ph: 703-684-1770; Web: www.powdercoating.org.

Products catalog

Blacksmiths Depot, Kayne and Son Available from Blacksmiths Depot is a new 16 page 2005 catalog. This issue features a new foot operated treadle hammer or “Oliver” for stamping, punching, chasing, and light forging. This machine frees your hands while keeping the control of a hand hammer for precise work. Drop forged anvils, fly presses, gas forges, and tools are just some of the items featured in the catalog.

Contact: Blacksmiths Depot, Ph: 828-667-8868; Web: www.blacksmithsdepot.com.

May/June 2005

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New Products

What’s Hot?

Old silver look patina

Catalogs

Sur-Fin Chemical Corp.

Guide specifications

Spectext® The Construction Sciences Research Foundation Inc. (CSRF), developers of Spectext Master Guide Specifications, announces its schedule for inclusion of the revised MasterFormat™ 04, which includes a new section numbering system in all Spectext Libraries.

Spectext provides an accepted industry standard framework for writing technical specifications.

Software is available to assist subscribers in converting existing documents to the new six-digit system in MasterFormat 04.

Contact: Spectext, Ph: 877-773-2898; Web: www.spectext.com.

Loop detector

Sur-Fin Chemical Corp. announces the development of old silver look patina, or old pewter look. The old silver look finish is for steel and wrought iron and can be used on items such as lighting fixtures, lamps, lanterns, wrought iron railing, hardware, gift items, fabricated steel and iron, decorative products, sculpture, metal furniture and a wide array of products.

6JG %GPVGT HQT /GVCN #TVU 2005 Workshops The Center for Metal Arts was founded in 2003 to provide advanced education for and by accomplished smiths to learn from one another, to pass knowledge on to the emerging generation of metal artisans, and to educate the larger art and architectural design community about the new possibilities in working metal.

Drawing on seasoned metalsmiths, the educational workshops and seminars present a dialogue of the contemporary process.

The 2005 schedule at the Center for Metal Arts includes: Wendel Broussard Rick Dyer Uri Hofi Ed Mack Bob Patrick Ralph Sproul

Fred Crist Peter Happny Charles Lewton-Brain John Medwedeff Nol Putnam

Call for more information on workshop and seminar schedules, contact the Center for Metal Arts at (866) 862-9577 or visit our Skills Training Page at iceforge.com.

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The old silver look can be obtained just by brushing or dipping two of the main products—coffee brown and pewter look. Variations of this finish can be achieved as well. Products are available in 1, 5, 15, 30, and 55 gallon sizes as well as drums.

Contact: Sur-Fin Chemical Corp., Ph: 800-282-3533; Web: www.patinausa.com.

GTO Inc. GTO Inc’s newest product—a Loop Detector—is another element of GTO’s complete package concept. The loop detector works with any GTO/PRO gate operator, and it will also work with any brand operator providing 8–26 vAC/DC. Low power consumption makes the GTO/PRO loop detector ideal for solar applications. It is dip-switch adjustable for frequency and sensitivity and provides easy serviceability with a plug in terminal strip.

Contact: GTO Inc., Ph: 800-5434283; Web: www.gtopro.com.

Ironworker

Scotchman Industries Inc. New from Scotchman is a fully integrated 85-ton ironworker with five built-in stations, an 85-ton punch capacity, and a 10 inch throat depth.

The machine can punch a 11/16 inch hole in 1 inch material. The ironworker’s standard features include: 6 inch by 6 inch by 1/2 inch angle shear; a rod shear that shears 13/8 inch round and 11/4 inch square rod, and a rectangular notcher Fabricator

May/June 2005

that can notch 3 inch by 5 inch by 1/2 inch. The 20 inch flat bar shear features a low rake angle with the ability to shear up to 1 inch by 12 inch and 3/4 inch by 20 inch material.

This machine comes with an electric remote foot pedal, punch stroke control with scale, jog control, keyed punch ram, punch gauging table with fence and scale, shear table and miter fence and notcher table with guide and scale. Optional equipment such as press brakes, tube shears, picket tools, and special tooling can be used on the FI 8510.

Contact: Jerry Kroetch, Scotchman Industries Inc., Ph: 800-843-8844; Web: www.scotchman.com.

upper tool penetrates the sheet metal, a crisp blend line is created.

Bend line penetration is dependent on the ductility and thickness of the workpiece.

Easy Bend tooling can also be used with Mate’s SnapLock™ and SheetMarker™ tooling. SnapLock fabricates interlocking sheet metal components and assemblies and SheetMarker tooling permanently

marks sheet metal parts with assembly codes or other CNC programmable inscription.

Contact: Mate Precision Tooling, Ph: 800-328-4492; Web: www.mate.com.

Swivel kits

Easyfit Inc. Easyfit Inc announces the addition of EF47G Double Swivel Kit and EF48G 90-Degree Corner Swivel Kit to its line of structural slip-on fittings.

According to Easyfit, their fittings are designed as an alternative to welding in the construction handrails,

PC-based control

Cincinnati Inc. 90 t yco s drive toronto, ontario m6b 1v9 tel: 1-800-461-0060 tel: (4 16) 780-1707 fax: (4 16) 780-1814 e-mail: info@steptoewife.com www. steptoewife . com

Albany Spiral Staircase Cincinnati Inc. brings PC-based touchscreen control to hydraulic shears. The new Touchscreen Shear Control (TSC) allows faster programming, easier setup, and higher efficiency and processing versatility. The new shearing program also optimizes cutting precision. The TSC features a 15 inch LCD color monitor, touchscreen interface, and Windows 2000 operating system. Windows menus, touchscreen entry, and a pop-up keyboard speed entry setup and programming on new jobs, while TSC’s program memory store complete setup notes and instructions for other jobs.

Contact: Todd Kirchoff, Cincinnati Inc., Ph: 513-367-7510; Web: www.e-ci.com.

• Distinctive historic design • Modular components in 4 ft. & 5 ft. dia.

• Rugged cast iron construction • Brass or steel handrail • Easy assembly • Complete catalog featuring this and other staircases

1 0 0 y e a r s b e h i n d t h e t i m e s™

Bend tooling

Mate Precision Tooling Mate Precision Tooling’s new Easy Bend™ tooling creates bend lines in metal. Easy Bend tooling features an upper tool with a linear V-line stencil engraved onto the face of the tool, and the lower tool is a blank die. As the May/June 2005

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guardrails, fences, and other tubular pipe structures.

The EF47G Double Swivel Kit has two single swivel fittings connected to a double swivel fitting by plated bolts and other hardware included with the kit. This kit can be used to fasten middle rails to uprights in sloping handrails or to provide bracing to a structure.

The EF48G 90-Degree Corner Swivel Kit features two single swivel fittings connected to a 90-degree corner swivel fitting with a stainless steel bolt and other hardware included in the kit. The EF48G can be used to fasten middle rails to uprights in sloping handrail installations as well as to serve as a brace to a structure.

Both are available in sizes to fit standard 1 inch, 11/4 inch, and 11/2 inch pipe.

Contact: Easyfit Inc., Ph: 877-327-9348; Web: www.easyfit.com.

Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America

ABANA

abana.org

Klem connector

PO Box 816 Farmington, GA 30638

Mini-mill thread

(706) 310-1030 (706) 769-7147 FAX

ABANA

31 Years

of

Excellence

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Outwater Plastics Industries Inc. Outwater Plastics Industries Inc. now stocks Mini Klem and Super Klem. These connectors connect panels with thicknesses at any angle between 90° and 270°. Klem Connectors provide an alternative to other types of fasteners and are suited for joining wallboard units or other construction elements that must be readily changed or dismantled.

According to the manufacturer, the only tool required to fully utilize the connector is a single hex key.

Mini Klem connects panels from 1/8 inch to 5/16 inch or 3/4 inch round tubing without inserts while the Super Klem adjoin panels from 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch or 11/8 inch round tubing without inserts.

Contact: Outwater Plastics Industries Inc., Ph: 800631-8375; Web: www.outwater.com.

Carmex Precision Tools Ltd. Carmex Precision Tools Ltd. now offers the Mini Mill-Thread solid-carbide for the production of internal threads in very small bores. The mini-mill thread is made of a sub-micron carbide grade with titanium aluminum nitride coating. This product features threading from 1/72UNF, the ability to work at high cutting speeds, short machining time, low cutting forces, almost impossible tool breakage, threading up to shoulder in blind holes, machining of hardened materials, and high surface quality.

Contact: Carmex Precision Tools Ltd., Ph: 262-6285030; Web: www.carmex.com.

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Working smarter—not harder

Negotiate warranties more effectively

Warranty tips Get more tips: American Subcontractor’s Association Inc. (ASA), Ph: (703) 684-3450; Web: www.asaonline.com

Use warranties to your advantage by understanding the warranty process and the language used in contracts.

Negotiating warranties can be anything but straightforward. For example, if a subcontractor provides a oneyear warranty of its work, is the construction owner required to make a claim within a year, discover all defects within a year, or merely prove that any claimed defect arose either during construction or the first year afterwards? The hassle of creating a clear and effective warranty can be considerable. The down-side of warranties can be offset by the important advantages they offer, including controlling risks associated with construction defect claims and receiving additional income for maintenance work.

Subcontractors that want to offer warranties need to decide what level of risk they can accept and stand up for their risk tolerance level in contract negotiations.

Offer and counteroffer

What strategies can a subcontractor employ to negotiate a subcontract agreement with the kind of warranty it wants to offer? Before starting negotiations, recognize that a subcontractor’s bid is an offer under the law of contracts, giving the upper-tier contractor the power to accept and lock in the terms. Once the contractor accepts the offer, the signing of the written contract documents is a mere formality if those documents were specified in the bid documents and the subcontractor

bid per plans and specs. expressly conditioned on Learn more about However, if the subconempowering your compa- the use of that standard. ny to advocate the best tractor’s bid is condiASA’s “Addendum to tioned on terms that vary possible subcontract Subcontract” (2004) proterms through ASA’s from the terms that the vides a blank for the inserStand Up! Web page. contractor wants, then tion of a quality standard as the contractor’s insistence Click on the Stand Up! may be applicable to your image at that the subcontractor particular specialty. www.asaonline.com. agree to different terms Another, related concern is, under the law of conis how a subcontractor can tracts, a counter-offer, giving the subrespond to a potential client that contractor the power to accept, reject, insists work be performed not just or negotiate. according to industry standards but also in “strict compliance with the Two important steps specifications.” Strict or absolute compliance with specifications will make So a subcontractor should follow the subcontractor responsible for an two steps to get the terms that are cruextraordinary amount of warranty cial to its estimate into the final conwork above and beyond accepted stantract: (1) include those terms as condidards. The subcontractor can point tions of the subcontractor’s bid, and out that if it performs work in a (2) include those terms in the final, “workmanlike” manner (which the signed agreement. subcontractor by law impliedly warPerformance standards rants anyway), then the work would be acceptable to ordinarily prudent Understanding the dynamics of and reasonable people. By definition, negotiation will help a subcontractor the client that asks for more is asking avoid inadvertently agreeing to perfor more than is ‘reasonable.’ formance standards for work to which Clients may ask for warranties of it does not wish to adhere. If there is a building code compliance, or fitness disagreement about performance stanof materials or equipment for the dards, then it is extremely important owner’s purposes. In this case, the for the subcontractor to learn about design-bid-build subcontractor needs the disagreement before the agreement to remind the potential client that the is already in place. Likewise, if the subbid did not include a cost item to hire contractor’s bid is based on a particuan architect or engineer to review the lar standard, then the subcontractor designs and specifications. It makes should be certain that its bid is

Critical considerations for subcontractors offering warranties:

The statute of repose and statute of limitations that apply to their work.

The written warranty’s definition of the “triggering 94

event” of the warranty.

How the written warranty specifies a time limit.

How the written warranty disclaims implied warranties.

Court and industry opinions regarding the nature of, and standards that apply to, the work.

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May/June 2005

no sense for the subOne easily overlooked ASA members can access contractor to provide a information about these aspect of warranty negotiaand other warranty topics tions is the extension of warwarranty that the in the Stand Up! section materials and equipranties. Subcontractors genof the ASA Web site at ment that it installs erally will not want to allow www.asaonline.com. will be fit for the corrective work to extend the ASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Addendum to ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s particular pur- Subcontractâ&#x20AC;? (2004) also warranty. A negotiating point poses because the to remember here is that if includes model language that can be helpful. owner specified the the subcontractorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warranty materials and equipis extended each time it ment that the subconmakes a repair, it will have a tractor is supposed to use: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The much stronger incentive to deny covowner hired a design team to make erage under its warranties when sure the owner specified what the claims are made. owner wanted, so if you want a warTime limits ranty of fitness, why not ask the design team for it?â&#x20AC;?

Perhaps the most sensitive negotiations related to warranties will relate to Construction defect time limits on warranties. Time limits In a world where construction on warranties are justified to give the defect claims are commonplace, the owner, who is in actual control and responsibility of the owner to properly possession of the premises, appropriate maintain and periodically inspect the incentives to provide for proper mainbuilding to remediate problems before tenance of the finished premises, and they become disasters cannot be to engage in regular inspections for ignored by responsible contractors dangerous or defective conditions. The and subcontractors. If the subcontracdanger to be avoided is that the owner tor finds itself negotiating with a genwill rely on a perpetual warranty by eral contractor or construction manthe builder as an excuse to ignore its ager that is unwilling to discuss the own responsibilities as the operator of importance of proper maintenance the finished facility. When a builderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and inspections with the owner, then warranty limits are challenged, the builder should point out that lengthy the subcontractor might consider that, warranty periods subject the builder to in the long run, it would be better to ever-increasing risks that it will be held pass on the project.

When providing a warranty, the liable for problems caused by improper subcontractor needs to envision and maintenance, owner modifications that become undetectable after the passage address the way it will respond to of time, or misuse. As a practical matclaims. A subcontractor can negotiate ter, the solution to an impasse in negoa â&#x20AC;&#x153;right to cureâ&#x20AC;? that provides the subcontractor with a contractual right to tiations on these issues will often be notice of claims in advance of repairs for the subcontractor to offer a longer or corrections, as well as a way for the warranty period to customers that subcontractor to inspect and repair agree to purchase a regular inspection the work. and maintenance program from the Subcontractors will fare better in subcontractor for a nominal fee. From negotiations by being very clear that the subcontractorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective, the they are not seeking an unfair advanopportunity to keep its own records of tage with a right-to-cure clause: â&#x20AC;&#x153;All regular inspections and maintenance weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re asking for here is whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reasonof its finished work will address the able, for a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;reasonable opportunityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to subcontractorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary concern to make an inspection and fix the probavoid liability for problems it did not lem. When I want to make claims for cause. If, on the other hand, the owner extra compensation based on mistakes rejects the offer of a maintenance and that other people make on the project, inspection program, the subcontracyour contract requires me to give torâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insistence that it must limit its notice, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just asking to make exposure for warranty claims will that reciprocal.â&#x20AC;? appear more reasonable.

May/June 2005

Fabricator

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Warranty tips About the book: The Positive Power of NO: How that little word you love to hate can make or break your business is available through Facts on Demand Press, 2003.

NO for Beginners: Six ready-to-NO scripts to help you get rid of bad clients

ISBN: 1-889150-40-1 About the author: Kim DeMotte specializes in improving corporate sales and management effectiveness.

When you need to turn down business but you’re not sure how, fall back on one of these formulas.

By Kim DeMotte (a.k.a. Dr. NO) Have you ever said “yes” when, in your heart, you knew that “no” was the right answer? Chances are you’ve made this mistake at some point. And if so, you know the consequences can be dire. Just as an illadvised yes in a dating situation could result in a bad marriage, in a business situation it could result in a bad client partnership.

Here’s the problem: saying no is hard. How do you summon up the willpower to say, “I’m sorry, but you’re not right for our busi- Power of NO

by Kim DeMotte ness?”

Two little words: plan ahead. Having a script in mind can make a tough conversation a lot easier.

It’s best to do your disqualifying right up front so you don’t waste time pursuing the wrong kinds of clients. But, despite your best intentions, you will sometimes find yourself having lunch with a prospect who doesn’t have a big enough budget to afford your services, or facing the unpleasant task of firing a client who isn’t working out. If you aren’t armed with a carefully scripted no, you may find yourself thinking, What the heck—I’ll make an exception just this once.

You know the rest of the story. “Just this once” becomes your mantra, and eventually, you find yourself burdened with a roster of compromises you call clients. The result is a company with fuzzy, ill-defined boundaries and a less-thanprosperous bottom line. Such is the price of backsliding from my Power of NO theology.

To help you avoid this fate, here are several ready-made no’s for you to practice and memorize. The next time you’re faced with one of the following situations, you’ll know how to say that tough little two-letter word: Scenari-no #1:

The insufficient budget. You’ve vowed to accept only clients that can spend $35,000 or more. You thought that this prospect fit the bill. But at lunch, unexpectedly, he reveals that his budget is a mere $2,000.

96

Power of NO Script:

It sounds like (INSERT YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE HERE) is something you and your board need to talk about and perhaps budget for the next fiscal year. Would you like for me to call you then?

You might give this prospect another call in eight or ten months just to see if his budget has changed.

You might even decide to ‘drip on’ him with e-mail marketing messages. But don’t spend tons of time and energy (and money) pursuing him if you get the feeling that he’s not going to come around. It’s probably reasonable to assume he’s a solid no.

Scenari-no #2:

The insufficient (but not by much) budget. See previous scenario. Prospect reveals that his budget is $25,000-well under your limit, but you sense that there is potential for an increase.

Power of NO Script:

I’m sorry, but we just couldn’t do an effective job for you at that price. You would need, at minimum, a $35,000 budget. But I think we both really believe (insert your product service here) is perfect for you. Would you consider approaching your board for more money?

This is still a no, but it’s a hopeful no. If the budget your prospect reveals is reasonable, you’re justified in going into sales mode. Just don’t compromise and take the project for $25,000. Being a successful company is all about boundaries.

Set them, stick to them, and don’t waver.

Scenari-no #3:

The incredible morphing project. You’re well into a relationship with a new client, when the project you initially agreed upon begins to change. What the client wants begins drifting away from what you do best. One day, you realize that it no longer falls inside the parameters you’ve drawn for your company.

Power of NO Script:

This project has changed scope dramatically; would you agree with this statement? (Client says yes.) You were originally looking for 40,000 green widgets and now it’s 30,000 Fabricator

May/June 2005

Classifieds Help Wanted Expert fabricator/shop manager. High quality stair railings and gates.

Mission Iron Shop, PO Box 684, San Marcos, CA 92078; 760-744-3740.

Used Roll Benders Wanted Wanted-used Eagle, Ercolina, or Promaco Roll Bender. Prefer single phase with foot control. Able to bend

Contact Rachel Bailey at (423) 413-6436, or rachel@nomma.org. Please note, classified ads promote a one-time sale or offer, or a job listing.

11/2 inch square tubing. Ask for Skip: (615) 790-1244 or (615) 585-8434.

Leave message if no answer.

Recruiter Employment nationwide in structural/miscellaneous steel fabrication. ProCounsel is in communication with over 3,000 structural/ miscellaneous and ornamental steel

Advertiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s index Pg 67 32 23 25 92 83 45 69 77 30 17 24 43 63 49 90 42 9 72 88 57 76 66 7 21 78 79 3 49 88 79 29 70 83 18 59 91 89 74 73 78 76 100 36 77

COMPANY ................................................................................WEBPAGE Acme Metal Spinning ..................www.Acmemetalspinning.com All-O-Matic Inc.......................................................www.allomatic.net Architectural Iron Designs Inc. ............www.archirondesign.com Architectural Products by Outwater ..............www.outwater.com ABANA............................................................................www.abana.org Atlas Metal Sales ..............................................www.atlasmetal.com Big Blu Hammer Mfg. Co. ....................www.bigbluhammer.com Birchwood Casey ..................................www.birchwoodcasey.com Blacksmiths Depot ..........................www.blacksmithsdepot.com Julius Blum & Co. Inc. ....................................www.juliusblum.com Byan Systems Inc. ......................................................www.byan.com The Cable Connection ..................www.thecableconnection.com Cable Rail by Feeney ..........................................www.cablerail.com CAME (America) LCC ................................www.cameamerica.com Carell Corporation ............................................www.carellcorp.com Center for Metal Arts ..........................................www.iceforge.com Classic Iron Supply ..............................www.classicirononline.com Cleveland Steel Tool Co. ................www.clevelandsteeltool.com CML USA Inc. ................................................www.ercolina-usa.com COLE-TUVE Inc. ....................................................www.coletuve.com Colorado Waterjet Co.........................www.coloradowaterjet.com COMEQ Inc. ..............................................................www.comeq.com Crescent City Iron Supply ......................................(800) 535-9842 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc.....................www.ddtechusa.com D.J.A Imports Ltd. ............................................www.djaimports.com DAC Industries Inc. ....................................www.dacindustries.com Decorative Iron..........................................www.decorativeiron.com DKS, DoorKing Systems ....................................www.doorking.com Eagle Bending ........................www.eaglebendingmachines.com Eberl Iron Works Inc. ........................................www.eberliron.com Encon Electronics ................................www.enconelectronics.com FABCAD.com ............................................................www.fabcad.com Gatekeepers Inc...............................................www.gatekeepers.net Glaser USA ......................................................................www.glaser.de Graham Manufacturing ................................www.anyangusa.com Graham Manufacturing ................................www.anyangusa.com The G-S Co. ..................................................................www.g-sco.com Hartford Standard Co. ........................www.hartfordstandard.com Hawke Industries ......................................................(909) 928-9453 Hebo GmbH ..............................................................www.heboe.com International Gate Devices..................................www.intlgate.com Iron Craft....................................................www.chucksimonian.com The Iron Shop ................................................www.theironshop.com Jansen Ornamental Supply Co. ..............www.jansensupply.com Jesco Industries Inc. WIPCO div.................www.jescoonline.com

May/June 2005

Fabricator

fabricators. We can market your skills (estimator, project manager, detailer, shop manager) to the city or state of your choice without identifying you. Employer pays fee. The right location, the right job, at the right money. ProCounsel: Buzz Taylor.

Call toll free (800) 545-5900, or (214) 741-3014. Fax: (214) 741-3019.

Mailbox@procounsel.net.

Use this index as a handy guide for contacting suppliers. Firms in boldface are first-time advertisers.

95 39 74 85 13 2 79 22 48 66 84 54 46 31 87 47 54 95 33 55 4 84 40 37 11 72 61 73 99 27 41 91 14 65 57 20 26 64 28 85 92 70 14 87 15 19

K Dahl Glass Studios ......................................www.kdahlglass.com King Architectural Metals ..............................www.kingmetals.com Krieger eK ....................................www.wrought-iron-systems.com Laser Precision Cutting ..............www.laserprecisioncutting.com Lawler Foundry Corp. ..............................www.lawlerfoundry.com Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc. ....................www.lewisbrass.com Lindblade Metal Works ..............www.lindblademetalworks.com Marks U.S.A. ........................................................www.marksusa.com Master Halco ..................................................www.fenceonline.com Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool ......................www.mittlerbros.com Pat Mooney Inc. ....................................www.patmooneysaws.com Multi Sales Inc. ............................................www.multisalesinc.com National Bronze & Metal..............................www.nbmmetals.com New Metals Inc. ..............................................www.newmetals.com Ol' Joint Jigger Inc. ............................................www.jointjigger.com Linear Entry Systems ..........................www.operatorspecialty.com Ornamental DĂŠcor ..............................www.ornamentaldecor.com Patina Finishes & Copper Coatings Inc. ............(800) 882-7004 PLASMA CAM Inc. ..........................................www.plasmacam.com Production Machinery Inc. ..............................www.promaco.com The Wagner Companies ..................................www.rbwagner.com R & D Hydraulics Mfg. & Machine Co. ..................www.rdhs.com Red Pup Productions ............................www.ornamentalpro.com Regency Railings ......................................www.regencyrailings.com Rik-Fer USA..................................................................(630) 350-0900 Rogers Mfg. Inc. ........................................www.rogers-mfg-inc.com Scotchman Industries ....................................www.scotchman.com Simsolve........................................................................(951) 737-2480 Sparky Abrasives Co. ................................................(800) 328-4560 Spiral Stairs of America LLC ......www.spiralstairsofamerica.com Stairways Inc...................................................www.stairwaysinc.com Steptoe & Wife Antiques Ltd. ....................www.steptoewife.com Striker Tool Co. (USA) Inc. ..........................www.strikertools.com Striker Tool Co. (USA) Inc. ..........................www.strikertools.com Sumter Coatings Inc. ............................www.sumtercoatings.com Sur-Fin Chemical Corp.....................................www.patinausa.com Tennessee Fabricating Co. ......................................www.tnfab.com Tennessee Fabricating Co. ......................................www.tnfab.com Texas Metal Industries ..........................................www.txmetal.com Tornado Supply ........................................................www.owi-inc.net Traditional Building ........................www.traditional-building.com Triple-S Chemical Products ........................www.ssschemical.com Tri-State Shearing & Bending ................................(718) 485-2200 Universal Entry Systems Inc. ..................................(800) 837-4283 Wrought Iron Concepts Inc. ....www.wroughtironconcepts.com YAVUZ FERFORJE VE DEMIR TIC.SAN. A.S. www.fatih.com.tr

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red thingamabobs. Can I spend some time helping you find somebody who is better qualified to meet your new needs?

This is clearly the professional thing to do. Instead of just abandoning the client in mid-stream, you are finding him a new horse. And hopefully, the company to whom you referred him will return the favor someday.

Scenari-no #4:

The ballooning project. You’re a small, flexible organization that specializes in handling smaller projects and providing a personal touch. One of the projects you’ve accepted begins to balloon in front of you. It ultimately becomes so huge that you realize you can no longer handle it without changing your business model and neglecting your other clients.

Power of NO Script:

I don’t want to burn bridges, but at this time you need more time and resources than I have to offer. My workload will not allow me to take care of you in the way you deserve to be treated. I want to refer you to my colleague at Ajax, who specializes in clients like you. In fact, I will be on the first call with you and help explain the project to her.

This is a tough one. It’s hard to say no to a big, potentially lucrative project, and many business people don’t have the courage to do it. But if a client places such huge demands on you that have to alter your business model to work with him, you’re probably not going to do a good job. That could harm your reputation. Know where you excel and establish crystal clear limits, and it will be easier to walk away.

Scenari-no #5:

The toxic client. When you signed on with Jack, he seemed okay. But the more you’ve gotten to know him, the more obnoxiously rude, disrespectful, and contentious he’s become. He’s upsetting your employees and you get a headache every time you have to deal with him.

You realize that keeping him on the roster is no longer worth it.

Power of NO Script:

I’m growing uncomfortable in this relationship. I am trying to communicate professionally with you, but what I’m getting in return is contention and strife. I just don’t think we’re a good cultural fit. I don’t need to be uncomfortable with you, and you don’t need to be uncomfortable with me.

Life’s too short. Don’t you agree?

Hopefully, the client will accept your decision, but he may not. He may apologize and ask for a second chance. If this happens, I suggest that you say, ‘Okay, let’s give it a few more weeks, and if we’re still having problems then, we’ll agree to go our separate ways.’ Chances are, it’s still not going to work. But it may make you feel better to give him a few weeks to straighten out his act. I will say this: second chances are okay, but never give third chances. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Scenari-no #6:

The bad bill-payer. Suzanne is a good match for your business and you like her as a human being, but there’s a serious problem: she isn’t paying. When you ask where your check is she makes a vague statement like, “I’m going to take care of that.” You sent the invoice three months ago and there’s no sign of your check.

Power of NO Script:

Suzanne, we need to have a discussion about money. I sent you an invoice ninety days ago and you haven’t paid it yet. I need to know when this issue will be resolved. I’m uncomfortable letting things get ninety days out. Is there some sort of cash flow problem? Should we back off until you’ve had a chance to catch up?

You have to know where your limits are, and there is no more blatant example of not knowing those limits than continuing to serve clients who don’t pay. Cut her off. Period.

Stop shipping product and/or servicing the account until you receive the check. Then, decide whether to resume business based on whether you feel the late check was an anomaly or her modus operandi. If you let a client abuse you today, she will abuse you tomorrow.

Even when you’re armed with a script, saying no takes guts. But you will get better with practice. Take it one no at a time. Once you see that the world doesn’t come to an end—and the client doesn’t commit hari-kari or run out of the room crying—subsequent noes will be easier. Just remember that by saying no to clients that are wrong for you, you free up resources for saying yes to clients that are right for you. Before you know it, you’ll have a thriving, profitable, fulfilling business—and you’ll be amazed when you look back and realize it all started with a simple little two-letter word.

98

Fabricator

May/June 2005

Metal Spirals from

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Since 1931, The Iron Shop has enjoyed a reputation for outstanding design and fabrication of custom built spiral stairs. Today, we utilize computer-aided technology throughout our production process to guarantee that each stair meets exacting standards—successfully mixing state-of-the-art manufacturing with Old World quality.

Offering the largest selection, highest quality, and lowest prices in spiral stairs—we make sure that you get the right spiral to meet your needs. This has made The Iron Shop the

leading manufacturer of spiral stair kits, with over 100,000 satisfied customers worldwide. And our spirals are still made with pride in the U.S.A. Call for the FREE color Catalog & Price List:

1-800-523-7427

Ask for Ext. FAB or visit our Web Site at www.TheIronShop.com/FAB Main Plant & Showroom: Dept. FAB, P.O. Box 547, 400 Reed Road, Broomall, PA 19008 Showrooms / Warehouses: Ontario, CA • Sarasota, FL • Houston, TX • Chicago, IL • Stamford, CT

Proud nationwide member of...

“The Furniture Guys” is a registered trademark belonging to Ed Feldman and Joe L’Erario ©2003 The Iron Shop

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