Jul/Aug 2014 O&MM Fabricator by NOMMA

Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metal

Fabricator ÂŽ

The official publication of the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association

July / August 2014 $6.00 US

2014 Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence

Forging flowers from aluminum C l os e c lient c o llab o r atio n h e l p s Klahm and So ns win Top J ob industr y awar d page 36

Member Talk David Evansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; business is by the good book, page 46

Shop Talk Pre-finishing with sands, beads, chemicals, page 14

Shop Talk Tame the Little Giant beast, page 24

Shop Talk Handy: Ball stakes and band saw, page 30

Biz Talk BenFab working more on business, page 60

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Become A NOMMA Member And Receive

Tools To Help Your Business More Revenue. Greater Profits. More Stability. Today, as a metal fabricator, you need more and better advice to get you through tough times. And, you need it at your fingertips. NOMMA, the trade association of the ornamental and miscellaneous metalworking industry, can help. Join NOMMA now for access to valuable resources that drive your profitability to the next level.

Our Two Featured Benefits ListServ

Most NOMMA members stay connected through our popular ListServ. Simply post a question and get instant answers to your questions from your peers around the world. We call it the “Where to find it, how to do it” list.

Mentor Program

Upon joining we’ll connect you to a veteran mentor who can help you with either a specific project, a specialty, or just provide general business guidance. We also have mentors at our convention to make you feel at home.

A Partner To Build Your Business New Small Shop Category

Now, a 1-2 person shop with gross sales of under $250,000 can join NOMMA for $350 per year ($250 introductory offer). This is a full membership that allows you to tap into powerful member benefits, such as access to our online library, downloadable documents, the ListServ, Mentor Program, and more.

Fabricator Magazine

Receive 6 issues of our glossy, 4-color magazine that features articles on fabrication, spotlights on fabricators, and job profiles. You’ll also find business articles that cover everything from bonding to personnel management.

Attend Our Annual METALfab Convention What is METALfab?

See what NOMMA’s all about by attending our annual convention and exhibits. The exhibits are free but we recommend that you sign up for the entire program to benefit from the education sessions, networking events, and more. Visit our website or call for details.

Here’s What You Get

Our annual convention features education on shop and front office topics, trade show exhibits, awards contest, shop tours, spouse program, networking events, and more. You will receive so much information at METALfab that it will be “like sipping from a fire hose.”

NOMMA has given me all kinds of tools to help me run my business and get me through the down times. Every morning when I check my email I see what NOMMA’s doing for me. — Scott Colson, Iron Innovations Inc., Clinton, MS

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When you join NOMMA, everyone in your business becomes a member with access to all benefits. *First time members only.

National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127-311 Fayetteville, GA 30214 Ph. (888) 516-8585 Fax (888) 279-7994 nommainfo@nomma.org

www.nomma.org

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Inside

July / August 2014 Vol. 55, No. 4

The beast. “Uncle” Bob Walsh goes all out with his Little Giant power hammer, modifying it to work on light, delicate jobs. More than that, he made an hour-long, how-to video. Learn more on page 24.

NOMMA Network

Shop Talk

Randy LeBlanc named Gulf Coast Chapter president........................ 10

Also: Women in Business group formed. | Upper Midwest Chapter sees finishing demo............................ 11 Shop Talk Pre-finishing with sands, beads, and chemicals, oh my........................ 14

Finishing your metal is one thing; pre- finishing is another. The first step is to treat the metal to accept the proper finish. Here’s an overview. By Jeff Fogel Also: Date not set yet for ruling on OSHA silica standard plan....... 17 Shop Talk How to tame the Little Giant beast.................................. 24

In this article, you will learn how to modify a mechanical power hammer so it will make light delicate blows when operating at very slow speeds. This modification gives the operator extreme control when working on small and detailed work. By Robert “Uncle Bob” Walsh President’s Letter........... 7

Tech affairs: Volunteers needed.

Biz Talk

Handy tools: Fabricated ball stakes and band saw......................... 30

Bendinelli working more on the business, not in the business..... 60

If the nature of your work warrants their use, these tools will save you money and help minimize frustration in your shop. By Robert “Uncle Bob” Walsh

Bill Bendinelli, owner and lead designer of BenFab Architectural Metalwork, has an epiphany while attending a GoldmanSachs small business program learning more about operations, marketing, human resources, and sales. By Linda Erbele

Heitler Award Job Profile Klahm and Sons forge top notch flowers from aluminum............. 36

The design of two identical forged gates called for 1,000 hand-hammered pollen stems. Then Klahm and Sons won the industry’s highest honor, the Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence. By Linda Erbele Member Talk Evans Metal Products does business by the good book.......... 46

A business seminar based on the integrity of religious values and the vision to be the best during the recession turned David Evans and Evans Metal Products around.

Exec. Director’s Letter.... 8

New “groups” feature on NOMMA website.

Also: 6 takeaways from the Goldman Sachs small business program....... 62 What’s Hot! News....................................................... 67

TS Distributors expands facilities.

People.................................................... 67

International Gate Devices and The Wagner Companies make personnel moves.

Products............................................... 68 NOMMA Supplier Members........ 65 New NOMMA Members................. 66 Ad Index................................................ 73

NEF................................... 12

Thank you, donors. And here are a few ways to help.

Metal Moment................74

Metalwork collection getting showcase museum.

About the cover Klahm and Sons, Ocala, FL, won the 2014 Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence, the industry’s highest honor, for a forged gate. The gate also won gold honors in its category (Gates / Doors — Forged) in NOMMA’s Top Job contest. The cover shows a close-up view of the gate’s gladiolas. See story, page 36 . July / August 2014 n Fabricator

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President’s Letter

Tech affairs: Volunteers needed Few NOMMA endeavors have as during hearings. Time requiremuch useful and critical impact ment: 2 evening phone calls per on our entire industry as our hearing, 1 to 2 times a year. Technical Affairs program. At our June meeting in Miln Standards and task force monitoring. NOMMA has waukee, your NOMMA board of directors devoted an afterofficial status on five indusnoon reviewing the program, try committees. Most of the which has educated, protected, Mark Koenke, committee business is handled and advocated for our industry Germantown by phone calls and email; few Iron & Steel since the 1980s. physical meetings are required. Corp, is For many years, NOMMA Time requirement: 2 to 3 hours president of NOMMA. has paid the expenses of a per month. small, diligent group of volunteers to keep NOMMA and its memn Technical manual production. bers, and our industry as a whole, We produce our manuals jointly with up-to-date on the technical deliberaour friends at the National Association tions of numerous standards-making of Architectural Metal Manufacturers entities, such as ASTM, and to advo(NAAMM). Two publications are in cate for our positions. the works now: However, the time has come that 1) the NAAMM-NOMMA Stanwe must ask for more volunteer help dard Trade Practices manual and because some members who have vol2) the NAAMM-NOMMA Metal unteered for so long now are stepping Rail & Stair manual. aside to handle other responsibilities. Task force members review secNOMMA now calls on members to tions and provide feedback, as well step forward to help us with this most as review the overall structure of the critical task of working on technical publication. Time requirement: About affairs for all of us in this industry. 1 meeting per month and 1 day-long, Few areas affect your daily work face-to-face meeting per year. more. You can make a difference. n Technical support. We provide Here’s where we need technical support not only to our your effort: members, but also to architects, interior designers, specifiers, and engin Building code advocacy. We neers who call NOMMA regularly. need volunteers who can attend code Questions are typically emailed to the group meetings and hearings. As a team and answers are compiled and NOMMA representative, you would sent to the questioner. Time requiretravel to code hearings and promote ment: 1 to 2 hours per month. our positions at various meetings. Time requirement: 3 to 4 days, 1 to 2 Each position gets plenty of training. times a year. You’ll first work with a seasoned volunteer before going solo. NOMMA covers n Building code monitoring. Not travel expenses for some meetings. everyone is comfortable in front of a Our current technical affairs volmicrophone, thus a great behind-theunteers have kept us strong. Won’t you scenes position is our Code Advisory help us go to the next level? Won’t you Council. This group reviews code prohelp yourself get there, too? posals and makes recommendations to the board. Once the positions are approved, they become our platform July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Dedicated to the success of our members and industry. NOMMA O FFICERS

President Mark Koenke, Germantown Iron & Steel Corp. Jackson, WI President-Elect Allyn Moseley, Heirloom Stair & Iron, Campobello, SC Vice President/Treasurer Keith Majka, Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ Immediate Past President J.R. Molina, Big D Metalworks, Dallas, TX

F ABRICATOR D I RECTORS

Greg Bailey, Bailey Metal Fabricators, Mitchell, SD Max Hains, Mofab Inc., Anderson, IN Maciej Jankowski, Artistic Iron Works, Norwalk, CT Tina Tennikait, Superior Fence & Orn. Iron, Cottage Hills, IL Cathy Vequist, Pinpoint Solutions, Jupiter, FL Henry Wheeler, Wheeler Ornamental Metals, Dothan, AL

S U PPLI ER D I RECTORS

Bill Schenke, Ameristar, Tulsa, OK Mark Sisson, Mac Metals Inc., Kearny, NJ Dave White Jr., Locinox USA, Countryside, IL

NOMMA E DUCATION F OU N DATION O FFICERS

Co-Chairs Roger Carlsen, Ephraim Forge Inc., Frankfort, IL Lynn Parquette, Mueller Ornamental Iron Works Inc., Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC, Elk Grove Village, IL Treasurer Mike Boyler, Boyler’s Ornamental Iron Inc., Bettendorf, IA

NEF T RUSTEES

Heidi Bischmann, Hartland, WI Carl Grainger, Grainger Metal Works, Nichols, SC Mark Koenke, Germantown Iron & Steel Corp., Jackson, WI Christopher Maitner, Christopher Metal Fabricating, Grand Rapids, MI Rob Rolves, Foreman Fabricators, St. Louis, MO Greg Terrill, Division 5 Metalworks, Kalamazoo, MI

NOMMA C HAPTERS

Chesapeake Bay Patty Koppers, President, Koppers Fabricators Inc. Forestville, MD 301-420-6080 Florida Marco Vasquez, President, Vasquez Custom Metals Inc., Tampa, FL, 813-248-3348 Gulf Coast Randy LeBlanc, President, Metal Head Inc., Lafayette, LA, 337-232-38383 Northeast Keith Majka, President, Majka Railing Co. Inc., Paterson, NJ, 973-247-7603 Pacific Northwest Gale Schmidt, President, A2 Fabrication Inc., Milwaukie, OR, 503-771-2000 Upper Midwest Mark O’Malley, President, O’Malley Welding & Fabricating Inc., Yorkville, IL, 630-553-1604

NOMMA S TAFF

Executive Director, J. Todd Daniel, CAE Meetings & Exposition Manager; NEF Executive Director, Martha Pennington Member Care & Operations Manager, Liz Harris Sales Director, Sherry Theien Marketing Manager, Brian Maddox Editor, O&MM Fabricator, Robin Sherman

F ABRICATOR E DITORIAL A DVISORY B OARD

Terry Barrett, Pinpoint Solutions, Jupiter, FL Doug Bracken, Wiemann Metalcraft, Tulsa, OK Bill Coleman, Arc Angels, Dunedin, FL Nancy Hayden, Tesko Enterprises, Norridge, IL Chris Holt, Steel Welding, Freedom, PA Rob Rolves, Foreman Fabricators, St. Louis, MO

Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metal Fabricator (ISSN 0191-5940), is the official publication of the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA). O&MM Fabricator / NOMMA 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127, #311 Fayetteville, GA 30214 Editorial We love articles! Send story ideas, letters, press releases, and product news to: Fabricator at address above. Ph/Fax: 888-516-8585. E-mail: fabricator@nomma.org. Advertise Reach 8,000 fabricators For information, call Sherry Theien, Ph: 815-282-6000. Email stheien@att. net. Ads are due on the first Friday of the month preceding the cover date. Send ads to: Fabricator at address above. Email ads to: fabricator@nomma.org (max. 5 megs by e-mail). Or upload ads to our website where a downloadable media kit is available: www.nomma.org. Membership Join NOMMA! Beyond the magazine, enjoy more benefits as a NOMMA member. To join, call 888-5168585, ext. 101. For a list of benefits, see membership ad in this issue. Exhibit in METALfab Exhibit at METALfab, NOMMA’s annual convention and trade show. For more information, contact Martha Pennington at 888-516-8585, ext. 104, or martha@nomma.org. Subscriptions Subscription questions? Call 888-516-8585. Send subscription address changes to: Fabricator Subscriptions, 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127, #311, Fayetteville, GA 30214. Fax: 888516-8585, or fabricator@nomma.org. 1-year: U.S., Canada, Mexico — $30 2-year: U.S., Canada, Mexico — $50 1-year: all other countries — $44 2-year: all other countries — $78 Payment in U.S. dollars by check drawn on U.S. bank or money order. For NOMMA members, a year’s subscription is a part of membership dues. NOMMA Buyer’s Guide Published each December as a separate issue. Deadline for all advertising materials is October 31. Contact Sherry Theien at 815-282-6000 or stheien@att.net. Opinions expressed in Fabricator are not necessarily those of the editors or NOMMA. Articles appearing in Fabricator may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of NOMMA.

How to reach us

Executive Director’s Letter

New ‘groups’ feature on website A new section on our website

working, these books conveyed called “Groups,” is a special the power of passion and the interest area where you can get love of metal. resources and share ideas. Several booksellers cater to Each of NOMMA’s chapour industry. You can find them ters, task forces, and techniby searching our online Buyer’s cal committees have their own Guide. In addition to the pubgroup. We’re adding new ones lisher I mentioned, there are Todd Daniel is executive on request. Dover Books, Blue Moon Press, director of Recently, we launched the and Artisan North America. NOMMA. Women in Business Group, If you need suggestions, go its purpose is to be a support area for to NOMMA’s Literature Guide (Memwomen in our industry. NOMMA’s bers — Member Only Resources — businesswomen had a great kickoff Literature Guide). The late Ed Mack meeting at METALfab2014 and a foland Lloyd Hughes created this guide in low-up conference call in June. With 1997, and we add to it whenever somethe online support area, they can stay one sends us a great book to review. in touch and continue their discussions. Each group area comes with a photo Thinking of Jerry Grice album, newsfeed, calendar, blog, and October 26 will be the forums. The forums are particularly 10-year remembrance of nice because you can configure them to when Jerry Grice left us. act like a ListServ. Every time someone Jerry was one of the most posts, you’ll get an instant notification passionate metalsmiths by email. You would then respond, and I’ve ever met. He left an in that way conversations take place. indelible mark on NOMIf you’d like to join the women’s MA’s culture. When I first joined group, please contact Liz Harris, mem- NOMMA, he eagerly taught me about ber care & operations manager, or the industry, and he even gave me a myself at the NOMMA office. welding lesson. I’ll always remember his love for The power of books education. He chaired the Education When I joined NOMMA in 1991, Committee for three years and led reading about the industry was most numerous presentations at METALfab. helpful. Books open doors in unexWhen he became NOMMA’s president pected ways — they give you new ideas in 1994, he wanted to be remembered that allow you to help customers betas the “education president.” ter. Best of all, books provide a deeper I particularly appreciate the tips and appreciation of our incredible and tricks that Jerry shared with O&MM time-honored industry. Fabricator magazine. Many of these secrets are compiled in a booklet called The first two books I read were “Best of Fabricator Tips & Tricks.” If Samuel Yellin, Ironworker and New you are a member you can download Edge of the Anvil, both published by the publication (Fabricator — Best of SkipJack Press. In addition to exposing Fabricator Series). me to the basics of forging and metalF I LE S, U R JO B P RO CA LL FO R YO

TI PS

Are you a NOMMA Top Job winner? Do you have how-to, step-by-step tips to share? Have you solved an interesting fabrication problem? Write for Fabricator. Contact Editor Robin Sherman at nomma.editor@att.net.

Fabricator n July / August 2014

FAX TO: 888-279-7994

Join Online: www.nomma.org • By Phone: 888-516-8585, ext. 101

NOMMA Membership Application - Join Us! Membership Category – Check One: Fabricator Member Metal fabricating shops, blacksmiths, artists or other firms and individuals in the industry whose products or services are sold directly to the consumer or the consumer’s immediate agent. q Micro Shop - $350 (annual gross revenues under $250,000) q Medium Shop - $425 (annual gross revenues $251,000–$2,499,999) q Large Shop - $500 (annual gross revenues $2.5 million and higher) Supplier Member Supplier members are those members that produce or distribute materials, machinery, and accessories for the industry or provide services that may be used by the industry. q Nationwide - $595 (operating on a nationwide or international basis) q Regional - $465 (operating within a 500-mile radius) q Local - $375 (operating within a 150-mile radius) q Affiliate - $310.00 q Teacher q School q Non-profit organization Individuals, firms, organizations and schools that do not engage in the fabrication of ornamental or miscellaneous metal products, do not provide products or services to the industry, but have a special interest in the industry. Company:____________________________________________________________________________________ Primary Contact :______________________________________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________________________________________________ City:_____________________________________________ State: ________ Zip: _________________________ Country: __________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:__________________________Fax:________________________ Toll Free:_______________________ E-mail: ____________________________________________ Web:_____________________________________ Company Description/ Specialty:____________________________________________________________________________________ Payment method: q Check

(Payable to NOMMA, in US dollars, drawn on US bank)

q AMEX q Discover q MasterCard q VISA Card # _________________________________________________ Exp.:________________ CVV: ___________ Print name on card: ___________________________________________________________________________ Signature_____________________________________________________________________________________ Return to: NOMMA, 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127 # 311, Fayetteville, GA 30214 • Ph: 888-516-8585 • Fax: 888-279-7994 • nommainfo@nomma.org • www.nomma.org

Quarterly Payment Plan q Please enroll me in the Quarterly Payment Plan.

As a member you agree to follow NOMMA’s Code of Ethics (viewable on the NOMMA website).

Payment method: q Please auto charge my credit card. q Please bill me each quarter. Questions? Contact: Liz Johnson, Member Care & Operations Manager: (888) 516-8585, ext. 101, liz@nomma.org FAB 201407

The NOMMA Network

Randy LeBlanc takes over as Gulf Coast chapter president Randy LeBlanc of Metal Head Inc. wants NOMMA’s Gulf Coast NOMMA Network (GCNN) to grow and focus on the next generation of fabricators. He believes GCNN can hold a regular schedule of meetings offering continuing education to fabricators who can pass the knowledge to those coming up in the field. As the new GCNN president, LeBlanc will have the chance to meet his goal. LeBlanc replaced outgoing the president, Charles Perez of B & O Machine and Welding, in front of 30 attendees at last June’s meeting in Gulf Breeze, FL. Perez continues as vice president. “I would like to see an increase of members within our chapter,” LeBlanc says, challenging current members, and “this includes reminding old members how NOMMA has helped their business.” LeBlanc encourages NOMMA ListServ participation and “possibly a social media page to establish a stronger line of communication within the chapter.” Both Perez and LeBlanc hosted the group for a networking dinner at Peg Leg Pete’s on June 6. The next day, attendees met at Robert Preston’s Creative Metal Works for a tour and business and educational sessions. During the business session, the chapter decided to hold its next meeting in Jackson, MS, which might include a class on curved stairs. Attendees also voiced support for a METALfab conference to be held in the Gulf Coast chapter member area. Henry Wheeler, Wheeler Ornamental Iron, mentioned that NOMMA is researching a possible certification program. Charles Perez then introduced Tom O’Hare of The Wagner Companies and Randy Boone of Eagle Bending. Both spoke about their company products, 10

availability, and capacity to provide support to fabricators. The education session was led by Clive Rhoades of Creative Metal Works who showed fabricators how to create many of the ocean-themed products on display in the shop, includ-

Charles Perez, left, B&O Machine and Welding, congratulates Randy LeBlanc, Metal Head Inc., as he assumes presidency of NOMMA’s Gulf Coast Chapter. With Randy are his wife Monique, and daughters Cadence and Josie.

finishing with chemical treatment and acid treatments. Daryl Statler and the Creative Metal Works team assisted. Shop owner Robert Preston explained how these processes tie-in to the his shop’s current work. Preston led a tour describing the shop capacities, logistics, and layout. It has ample space for materials delivery, storage, and a variety of workstations to facilitate multiple projects. His showroom has easy access for the public. A NOMMA Top Job gold award, won two From Creative Metal Works: years ago for an interior Cleveland staircase, has a position Rhoades, above of honor. left, forms After lunch, Perez fora copper rose mally passed the presiwith the help of Erik Patterson. dency to LeBlanc. Randy Robert Preston, and his wife, Monique, left, and Cleveland then led a raffle that Rhoades with included a hand-made the sea horse dragonfly done by Crebelow the basin. ative Metal Works and pieces contributed by Stacey Lawler of Lawler Foundry Inc. Thanks go to Robert Preston, Clive Rhoades, Daryl Statler and the rest of the team at Creative Metal Works for their hospitality. Thank you to The Wagner Companies and Eagle Bending coral reef scenes, sea turtles, sand ing Machines for their support of dollars, kelp, fish, and a sea horse. NOMMA and for providing a brief He also demonstrated a variety of presentation. Thanks to Stacy Lawler processes, including cold forming a sea and Lawler Foundry for their ongoing horse, repoussé, drip bronze creation of support of NOMMA and GCNN. a coral, assembly of a copper rose, and Fabricator n July / August 2014

Women in Business group now active If you are a NOMMA businesswoman we encourage you to join the new Women in Business Group, which is being facilitated by Jan Allen Smith of Allen Iron Works & Supply Inc. The group had a well-attended kickoff meeting last March during METALfab2014. In June they had their first online roundtable conference session, and plans are to hold a follow-up call in August. All topics are up for discussion, and there has been particular interest in marketing and AWS welding certification. Between meetings, women are encouraged to participate in the Women in Business Group on the NOMMA website. This private area features a forum that works like a mini-listserv. In this section, members can post questions and comments, which are immediately emailed to all participants. The support area also contains a blog, calendar, photo album, and newsfeed. To join the group, contact Liz Harris at NOMMA headquarters (liz@nomma.org, 888-516-8585, ext. 101).

Upper Midwest Chapter sees finishing demo Attendees of the Upper Midwest Chapter enjoy one of several demos that took place at The Wagner Companies plant.

Round pipe rail polishing and fabrication was the educational topic at NOMMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Upper Midwest Chapter meeting last May at The Wagner Companies in Milwaukee. The Wagner staff assembled pipe rail sections and used them to demonstrate six different types of finishes, including mirror and satin finishes. Properly preparing stainless steel pipe for finishing had a special emphasis during the demo. The group of 30-plus attendees also toured the Wagner plant, which included demonstrations of a tube laser, flat laser, and CNC bender. A pleasant surprise for the day was a visit from Martha Pennington, NEF executive director, who filmed the meeting for an education video. Other events for the day included a chapter business meeting and lunch. A special thanks goes to The Wagner Companies for serving as host for the day.

Kane Behling, above, of The Wagner Companies shows how to prepare pipe rail for finishing. Bruce Baur, left, of the Olde Iron Shoppe.

Shop tours available METALfab2015 See you next year at Valley Forge Casino Resort King of Prussia, PA March 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;14, 2015

July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Knowledge to Enlighten the Industry 11

NOMMA Education Foundation

In partnership with the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association

Thank you to donors

Ways you can support NEF and its programs

Rewards come to those who participate.

includes: class materials, supplies, and lunch. One of the most important rewards is the Register on-line at www.nomma.org or email feeling that you’ve helped a colleagues learn martha@nomma.org for a registration form. how to improve their metalcrafting or their Register early; the class is limited to 15. business. You will receive a confirmation with hotel You can help the NEF in a similar role by: information and directions to Germantown n Making a donation when you renew NEF co-chairs: Lynn Parquette, left, Iron & Steel Corp. your membership. We have recently added owner, Mueller Ornamental Iron This is a great opportunity to network Works Inc. & Elite Architectural the opportunity for members who renew with a small group of fabricators while Metal Supply LLC and Roger Carlsen, expanding your skills. online to add a donation to the memberowner, Ephraim Forge Inc. ship renewal. This has been popular, and we thank those who have donated this way. Todd Kinnikin Memorial METALfab Scholarship n Starting to plan your auction item for the NEF Auction Make an investment in yourself, your employee, and at METALfab2015 at the Valley Forge Convention Center, your company. Apply for the Todd Kinnikin Memorial March 12, 2015. METALfab2015 Scholarship. n Saving your money to bid for auction items. Do you fit into any of the categories below? If so, please n Attending a continuing education class during the year. apply. n Volunteering to present a class or webinar for NEF, to n Are you a new member who wants to attend METALhost a continuing education class, be the presenter for a NEF fab2015 but are not sure if you can afford it? Apply for the video, or help with the auctions and other projects. Kinnikin Scholarship and we’ll show you on our dime how NEF is your foundation. Please support its operation and valuable attending can be to you and your company. programs with a donation; forms are available online at www. n Are you a long-time member who has thought about nomma.org under the NEF tab. You may also send a check to attending METALfab but haven’t attended for the same reaNOMMA Education Foundation, 805 South Glynn St., Ste. son as above? Apply for the scholarship and experience the 127, #311, Fayetteville, GA 30214, or with a credit card you can networking and education available at METALfab. fax a donation form to 888-279-7994. n Maybe you are a shop owner that does attend regularly and you know the value of attending METALfab. Take this NEF continuing education class — September 27, 2014 opportunity to share the experience with one of your employDon’t miss this one-day continuing education program ees. We will provide an excellent educational and networking hosted at Germantown Iron & Steel Corp, Jackson, WI. Preexperience making your employee more valuable to you, the senters for this class are Mark Koenke, Germantown Iron & employer. What a great way to recognize an employee for a Steel Corp.; and Mark O’Malley, O’Malley Welding & Fabrijob well done. cating Inc. n If you are an employee, show your employer that you Here’s what will be covered: want to broaden your skills, making yourself more valuable n Field measuring for a curved stair and the latest measurto the company. ing technology. By attending METALfab, listening and participating while n How to take the field measurements and create a CAD there, you may learn a better way to do a particular task that shop drawing. could save you valuable time and expense. This new idea n Stair layout in the shop of flat plate stringer. could potentially be worth thousands to your company and n Process for rolling curved plate stringer and sending justify the investment of attending. proper information to the supplier. Applications for the Todd Kinnikin Memorial METALfab n Assembly of plate stringers and stair pans. Scholarship are on the NOMMA website or contact Martha Fee: $250 NOMMA Members; $350 non-members. The fee Pennington, martha@nomma.org for an application. DO N AT E!

For more information on donating to the NOMMA Education Foundation Contact NEF Executive Director Martha Pennington, 888-516-8585 x104, martha@nomma.org. 12

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Metal railing section, top, has been sand blasted to a white metal (SP-5) finish before hot phosphate dipping. After the sand blasting and chemical bath, the 6063 aluminum is powder-coated and installed, left. Photos: Compass Iron Works, www. ironworkclassics.com

Shop Talk

Sands, beads, and chemicals, oh my n

Finishing your metal is one thing; pre-finishing is quite another. The essential first step is to treat the metal so it can accept the proper finish. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an overview of the various methods.

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It ain’t finished if it ain’t pre-finished

Pre-finishing, or as it is more commonly known, pre-treating, is an indispensable first step in weather proofing metal. The same characteristics that give metal its strength and attractiveness make it inhospitable to paints and patinas. Metal is hard and smooth. Add some scale and grease, and it repels paint. And no paint is going to stick around where it’s not wanted. To make the metal more welcom ing to top coating of any type, you have to do two things:

Anvil fresh, this mild steel piece, left, still has scale and soil on it. Below left, it’s been sand blasted to a near white metal (SP-2) surface. A little touching up, bottom right, with a four-inch grinder at the welds, brightens it even more. The piece is now ready for galvanizing. Photos: Compass Iron Works, www.ironworkclassics.com

1 Clean it. 2 Rough it up.

The cleaning will rid it of mill scale, oil, grease, dirt, or anything else that gets between the top coat and the substrate. Roughing the metal, or etching, essentially alters the topography of the metal by multiplying the surface area and giving the top coat something to hang on to. Or as Dan Nauman of Bighorn Forge, Kewaskum, WI, succinctly puts it, “it gives the metal some tooth”. Four ways accomplish this, fundamentally: 1 Mechanical 2. Chemical 3 E-Coating 4 A combination method Mechanical

You can put as fine a point on it as you wish, but if you had to confine yourself to one method, nearly all fabricators we spoke with agree that metal should be attacked with a sand blaster, or at the very least, a wire brush. Sand blasting has been used for about a century. Longer, if you include the inadvertent kind that results from occasional desert storms. But for intentional commercial use, the process is more controlled and less destructive. First patented by Benjamin “Chew” Tilghman, he used sand blasting mainly to clean his tools. The method goes by many monikers — shot blasting, bead blasting, abrasive blasting, to name a few. These are just names for the abrasive media 16

used; it’s still just good ole sand blasting. For the purpose of simplicity, we’ll henceforth refer to the process in this article as simply “blasting,” prefixed by the type of media used. Essentially, blasting consists of hurling fine bits of media at a targeted surface. The media is propelled at extremely high velocity by either com pressed air or centrifugal force. The force of the propulsion is adjustable, as is the type of media, which can consist of synthetic beads, sand, or even coal slag. Or you can use a proprietary mixture such as Starblast,1 which is composed of aluminum or zirconiumoxide particles, or something (see sidebar, page 17). Walnut shells, or other agricultural products in general, are not a fabricator’s best pre-treatment media. Walnut shells are great for peeling carbon from steel surfaces, and they’ve even been used to clean jet engines in the Pacific during WWII, says Thom Bell,

vice president, Precision Finishing Inc., Sellersville, PA. But their inability to etch the metal makes them a poor choice for abrasives. “I’m not sure a fabricator would want to be using [agricultural products].” says Bell. “They don’t etch the metal, so it won’t have any tooth.” “I sand blast everything,” says Doug Bracken of Wiemann Metalcraft, “even projects that are galvanized; the galvanization works better when the metal is sand blasted. It’s something we’ve learned over the years.” In fact, Bracken uses blasting as part of a two-stage galvanization. First the metal is blasted. Then it is galvanized, after which it is subjected to a light blasting before the primer and top coat is applied. The same grit is used, but the pressure is backed off for the second blasting. As for abrasive media, Bracken follows a broad rule of thumb. Non-ferrous metals are blasted with glass bead media to avoid impregnating the surFabricator n July / August 2014

No date set for final ruling on new OSHA silica standard Sand blasting silica is a risk, and The Occupational Safety

& Health Administration (OSHA} last September proposed a new standard to protect workers. No date had been set for issuing a final rule at press time. Published September 12, 2013 in the Federal Register, the proposal calls for a new permissible exposure limit to respirable crystalline silica “calculated as an 8-hour, timeweighted average, of 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air (50 μg/m3).” OSHA also proposes new provisions for controlling exposure, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping. The proposal is tailored for two separate markets — one for general industry and maritime, and the other for construction. “Public hearings were held from March 18 through April 4, 2014, in Washington D.C.,” says an OSHA spokesperson. “Members of the public who submitted a timely notice of intent to appear at the hearings will be able to submit post-hearing comments until June 3, 2014, and post-hearing briefs until July 18, 2014. “OSHA will then review all materials in the rulemaking record and will prepare a final rule based on the evidence in the record.

A note about staurelite

DuPont’s Starblast (staurelite) product, while arguably safer than pure silica sand, contains 3% silica. Starblast “does not pose any inhalation health hazard because [it] contains essentially no particles in the respirable size range,” DuPont says. That is, the bits are too big to breathe in. DuPont does warn, however, that “if during handling or use, the Starblast particles are broken down to a size that can be inhaled, the dust may be harmful to the respiratory system.” So, fair warning. And make sure when you are blasting with any media, a proper, high quality respirator is mandatory. Not to wheeze on with dire warning, but the fact is, the risk of silicosis has been proven to be sufficiently high to prompt specific recommendations from NIOSH since face particles that are electro-galvanically different. In turn, this prevents galvanic corrosion caused by dissimilar metals. Bracken previously used coal slag for non-ferrous media, but the daunting clean up prompted him to switch to the glass beads. Black iron, a ferrous metal, gets treated to a steel shot blast. “For steel rail, we sand blast everything,” says Bracken, “we blast the surJuly / August 2014 n Fabricator

1974 about substances containing more than 1% crystalline silica. Here’s what NIOSH has to say on the matter: www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/92-102): The risk of silicosis is high in workers exposed to abrasive blasting with silica, and the hazard is difficult to control. NIOSH has therefore recommended since 1974 that silica sand (or other substances containing more than 1% crystalline silica) be prohibited as abrasive blasting material (NIOSH 1974b, NIOSH 1990a). A variety of materials (corundum, glass beads, pumice, sawdust, slags, steel grit and shot, and walnut shells) are available as alternative blasting media (NIOSH 1974c; Mackay et al. 1980; Stettler et al. 1988). However, no comprehensive studies have been conducted to evaluate the health effects of these substitute materials. Until comprehensive data are available, engineering controls and personal protective equipment should be used with any of the alternative abrasives. In addition to the health hazards of abrasive blasting materials, the finely fractured particles of material being removed (lead paint, for example) may also create health risks for workers (NIOSH 1991a).

Coal slag, which is often sold under the name, Black Beauty, also comes with some respiratory concerns because it’s well, coal slag. An alternative to coal slag or staurelite, is garnet, although it’s a little more expensive. For more information

The Federal Register information can be found at

http://1.usa.gov/1oP19pL.

Current OSHA rules and recomendations can be found at https://www.osha.gov/silica/index.html The general rulemaking process OSHA follows can be found at: https://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html. DuPont’s recommendations for handling abrasives can be found here: http://bit.ly/1kMrQWY. Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here: www.cdc. gov/niosh/docs/92-102.

face to SSP-2, close to white metal.” 2 One caveat when blasting, notes Bracken, is that oil or moisture from the compressor and hose must be either filtered or cleaned, or it will lead to problems down the line. If you don’t want to commit time and money to a blasting set-up, perhaps you can farm it out to a local shop. But if you’d like to take your blasting in house, you should school

yourself in a few things. At its most elemental, you need two things. Grit, and a way to throw the grit at high velocity. We’ve established that various media can serve as grit, depending on the type of job. You can use tiny bits of metal, coal slag, glass beads, and even plastic beads. The one thing you might want to avoid is silica sand. It will not only abrade the metal substrate; it will do 17

the same to your lungs. Really bad things can result (see sidebar, page 17). For this reason, it’s been banned throughout Europe.

An alternative to blasting: Pouring metal bits and pieces into a cement mixer, and then adding the newly fabricated piece, and let it roll. After a while, it’s ready for galvanizing. “Nothing new about using a cement mixer to tumble small pieces to get forge scale off,” says Doug Merkel, Bear Mountain Forge, Vilas, NC. “But it is the only tumbler that I have seen made from non-metal.” Merkel says he’s seen smiths line the inside of their tumblers with sheet rubber to cut down the noise. “I can run this inside the shop and still work at the same time. I did remove the original inside mixing blades as the forged pieces would get tied in knots by the time they came out.”

Blasters

Blasters can be categorized by the method of propelling the media: A siphon type blaster uses a Venturi tube to suck the media into a high-velocity stream. These machines are less expensive and are a good way to get into blasting. You can own one for less than a grand. A pressuresystem type blaster is more efficient. It’s also a lot more expensive. It’s the type probably used when you send the job out. The siphon blasters are widely available as “cabinets.” While these may work for fabricators of small hardware or art, anything bigger needs a booth and a pressure system blaster. That’s when you have to consider the economic cost-benefits of going in-house. Mike Stylski, president, Accent Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating Co., Cambridge, MN, tried the in-house route. He set up a 9 x 20-foot booth that could handle railing and stair components. He reckons a similar booth would run about $30,000 today. But it was less the equipment outlay than the time it took for an employee to run the blaster. “It didn’t make sense,” explains Stylski. “[An employee’s] time was better spent fabricating than sand blasting.” Doug Merkel, Bear Mountain Forge, Vilas, NC, has an innovative and economical pretreatment that employs steel shot without the use of a compressor. He uses a cement mixer full of old rivets, drops, and cut-offs (see top photo, this page). About an hour after tumbling with the makeshift steel shot media, the project emerges sans grease, oil, and mill scale, ready for priming and top coating. “I take it from the forge right to mixer,” says Merkel, “it gets the scale off. Then I zinc coat, paint, or if the customer wants, wax.” Chemical

Once you’ve blasted the metal — and you should always blast the metal — it can’t hurt to add a chemical pre18

Chad Fey, a painter for Accent Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating Co., Cambridge, MN, preps a custom iron railing that has been welded and ground off to specifications. The company uses a Hotsy steam cleaner to apply phosphate and degreaser (to properly do aluminum a degreaser and fluoride is necessary). Then the substrate gets a complete clean rinse. The product has no environmental concerns because it’s designed to be spray-to-drain. After the wash, a zinc-rich primer is applied, and afterward it gets a half-bake in the oven. Finally, the finish color is applied and then a final bake. Chad wears a simple rag on his head so the powder won’t melt in his hair when he enters the oven at 450°. He also wears a Tyvek suit for personal cleanliness.

treatment. This does two things: 1 It gets whatever the blasting misses. 2 Further etches the surface. Alkaline and acidic are the two types of chemicals for pretreatment. Alkalines

These include caustics and phosphates. Both work by a combination of solvent action, detergent action, and saponification. The latter causes oils and fats to self-destruct. Caustics, which include sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and potassium hydroxide (caustic potash), are good at removing oils, grease, or

acidic gunk. But they’re not particularly compatible with metals such as aluminum. On the other hand, they’ll work just dandy with iron, steel, bronze, or brass. Phosphates, such as ortho-phosphates or various sodium phosphates, are good at parting acidic dirt from metal surfaces. They’re safe to use on soft metals. Sodium carbonate, although technically not a phosphate-based alkaline, is good on acidic contaminants, and is safe for soft metals. Aqueous rinsing, which is a fancy way of saying rinsing with water, should always follow alkaline cleansing. Fabricator n July / August 2014

It’s Top Job Time Attention Fabricators:* Enter your outstanding work in NOMMA’s annual awards contest! * Must be a NOMMA member in good standing to enter.

Contest Information Deadline: December 31, 2014 Late Deadline: January 16, 2015* Entry details: Entrants enter by submitting 1-3 photos of their work plus a 160-word description. During the annual METALfab event, all images are displayed in a gallery and each NOMMA member firm is allowed one vote. Results are announced during the METALfab banquet. * Late fee required.

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Prepare Now! Complete rules are available on the NOMMA home page — click on “Top Job Awards.” Benefits: Winners receive a beautiful plaque, plus recognition during METALfab, on the NOMMA website, and in Fabricator magazine. In addition, we also send press releases to newspapers in your area. Note: You must be a NOMMA member at the time of entry. Top Job Chair: Justin L. Pigott, Emerald Ironworks

Jobs are voted on in the Top Job Gallery during METALfab. Each member firm receives one vote, so you are truly winning the approval of your peers.

National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association 805 South Glynn St., Ste. 127-311 Fayetteville, GA 30214 (888) 516-8585, ext. 101 | Fax: (888) 279-7994 nommainfo@nomma.org | www.nomma.org 1

It gets rid of any detrius that’s been loosened from the metal. “After the hot phosphate wash, we put it through two clean water rinses,” says Amos Glick, president, Compass Ironworks, Gap, PA. Acids

These work well on mild steel. Typically, they involve either phosphoric acid or a cocktail of phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acid. While alkalines need to be catalyzed by heat to work, acids can work at room temperature, but the energy savings is offset to some degree because acids are generally more expensive. Application of the chemical

How you apply the chemicals depends on the size and shape of the metal. The standard application methods are wiping, dipping, or spraying. Wiping tends to be slow and laborious and most prone to missing spots. A chemical bath gives complete coverage but is limited by tank or vat size. For larger pieces, spraying is most practical. E-coating

Technically, a method of painting metal, e-coating is frequently used as a pre-treatment. Like chemical pre-treatments, the metal is immersed in a vat of liquid medium. With a twist. Both the metal and the medium are electrified.

Here’s how it works. 1 First, paint is ionized, that is, the paint molecules are

split up so the fragments, or ions, have an electrical charge. 2 Then the charged paint particles are poured into a vat. 3 The piece of metal to be pre-treated is sunk into the charged paint, and an electrode is attached to the metal to give it its own charge, which will be electrically opposite the paint ions. 4 Turn on the juice, and the paint particles begin to be drawn to the opposite-charged metal. Soon, the paint particles will form a smooth and uniform coating on the metal. Once the coating reaches a certain thickness, the reaction is played out, and the process is finished. Depending on the polarity of the metal piece’s charge, the process is described as either anodic or cathodic. In other words, if the metal part is given a positive charge, it is the anode in the reaction. Thus, it is an anodic e-coating process. If the metal is negatively charged, it is a cathodic process. What’s the difference? Anodic e-coating is somewhat less effective for rust protection, but it imparts the piece with great color and gloss. It’s also cheaper. Cathodic e-coating offers great corrosion protection, but costs a little more. There is one downside to e-coating, though. Shops that e-coat are fussy about one-off or custom jobs, Nauman of Bighorn Forge says. It’s also hard to find someone to e-coat a larger job. Combinations

While blasting is the most common pre-finishing method, some fabricators prefer to play it safe by combining it with a chemical method. Amos Glick uses a one-two punch of blasting followed by a hot phosphate wash. When the project is fabricated from aluminum, a simple clean-water rinse is all that’s necessary. But if steel is used, Glick will add hot-dip galvanization. If the project is one of the many seaside jobs Glick does, he will take add a “salt-spray” chemical, a treatment often used on aluminum hulls of boats. All these pre-finishing methods are the result of experience and constant testing. If rust never sleeps, neither does Glick. “We’ve put together a salt-spray chamber, and we run it twenty-four-seven,” says Glick. “We’re always testing different processes. We have around 1,000 hours so far.” One thing Glick’s research has proven is that of all the steps they use in pre-finishing, sand blasting is the last one they’d ever omit. “Pieces that weren’t sand blasted (before the other steps), failed,” says Glick. Dan Nauman of Bighorn Forge, also uses a combination of blasting and a chemical step. Well, electro-chemical, technically. “It’s very thin, very durable,” says Nauman. “The liquid actually adheres chemically to the metal. It’s the best (pre-finish) for outdoor work.” When Nauman paints the metal, he’ll skip the e-coat, but if powder coat is used as a finish, he’ll e-coat. When does he powder coat? Anytime it’s an exterior project. 20

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is a safer and more effective alternative. But no matter which mechanical pretreatment you use, the cleaner you get the metal the better the final coating is going to stick, and the longer it’s going to stay stuck. For marine or northern climates, it’s advisable to combine mechanical pretreatment with chemicals. Doug Bracken puts it quite nicely. “You can use a $200 per gallon paint. But if you don’t pre-treat the metal, you’re still destined for failure.”

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References

1 Starblaﬆ is a DuPont product. It is an amalgam of various grit, primarily ﬆaurolite, which derives its name from the cross-shaped ﬆructure of its cryﬆals. Datasheet (PDF): http:// bit.ly/1oVgQLo

2 For an in-depth explanation of sand blaﬆed finishes, refer to Sandblaﬆ. net’s color chart at www.sandblaﬆ. net/?page_id=144 3 Saponification is the chemical process that results from adding a ﬆrong base (alkali) to a fatty oil. It is how soap is made. Bases are considered more dangerous to human tissue than acids.

For your information

While most medium-to-large fabrication shops use a combination of mechanical and chemical pre-treatments, and virtually all use a mechanical method (primarily blasting), many small shops still wire brush freshly forged work. That’s reality. And that’s fine, provided there’s a reasonable attention to detail. But it’s slow, laborious, and dangerously unforgiving of lapses in proper technique. Hair-raising anecdotes abound of metal quite literally gone ballistic. For most, however, sand blasting

Resources Compass Iron Works www.ironworkclassics.com 717-442-4500 Bighorn Forge Inc. www.bighornforge.com 262-626-2208 Accent Ornamental Iron & Powder Coating Co. www.accentornamentaliron.com 763-691-8500

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Wiemann Metalcraft www.wmcraft.com 918-592-1700 Bear Mountain Forge 828-297-2055 Precision Finishing Inc. www.precisionﬁnishinginc.com 800-523-6232 About the author Jeff Fogel began writing as a journalist with the New York Daily News. He has been a copywriter and associate creative director for advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Jeff now lives in New Hampshire where the weather’s bad, the skiing’s better, and blacksmithing’s a respectable way to keep warm.

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Shop Talk

Taming the lıttle giant beast

Bungee cords

Custom dies

“A” arm

In this article, you’ll learn how to modify a mechanical power hammer so it will make light, delicate blows when operating at very slow speeds. This modification gives the operator extreme control when working on small and detailed work. By Robert “Uncle Bob” Walsh A friend of mine who went to a large blacksmith’s conference told me he saw six demonstrators all doing essentially the same thing, but differently. Each demonstrator told their individual audience “this is the right way to do this,” my friend said. “And they all did a great job.” With the above in mind, I would like to join the bandwagon. This article will explain how to modify a vertical, mechanically driven power hammer with a brake using a method that should be applicable to most, if not all, vertical mechanical hammers. My hammer happens to be a 1945 Little Giant.

Wood “heel” block The 1945 Little Giant hammer in the shop. Four bungee cords are attached to the ceiling and the ram as part of experiment 2. On the upper right in the photo (top arrow) are 17 custom dies that attach to the bottom die in the power hammer with a wrap-around clamp and tightening bolt. On the floor, to the right of the squirrel cage blower, are hand-held power hammer “set” tools (bottom arrow). Notice the wood “heel” block on the floor for foot control. Most of the work with this hammer is done while sitting on a stool for stability and control.

Editor’s note: Uncle Bob has prepared a one-hour video about how to extend the working range of a mechanical power hammer. Check it out on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/1segs01 OR at YouTube, search for “power hammer Uncle Bob.”

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In experiment 1, this counterweight was clamped to the drive shaft between the babbitt bearings. The counterweight is 36 pounds and balanced the reciprocating weight of the power hammer with the rotary weight. This counterweight was a failure when spinning at moderate to high speeds.

The hammer

A mechanical hammer has three dynamic areas: 1 The rotary weight 2 The reciprocating weight 3 The spring

The rotary weight consists of the flywheel with the crank pin, the main drive shaft, and the drum the clutch drives. The upper halves of the “A” arms (see photo, page 24) and the yoke are considered rotary weight, while the lower halves of the “A” arms and the toggle arms fall into the reciprocating weight category. The reciprocating weight is all the stuff that goes up and down: the ram, toggle arms, and the lower halves of the “A” arms. The spring allows the hammer to self-adjust as the metal being struck changes in size. With the rotary and reciprocating weights in mind, things get interesting. On the backside of the flywheel is a counterweight that weighs less than the reciprocating weight, which is why the power hammer always comes to rest with the ram sitting in the closed position. This weight imbalance makes it tricky to start the first blow with a mechanical hammer. Tricky, because as you engage the clutch, the flywheel fights gravity while it lifts the ram. Then after the crank pin crosses over top-dead-center, gravity works in favor of the ram, which then comes down, often too hard on your metal. Put another way, the power hammer struggles to lift the ram, and then it drops (too hard) on your metal in the down-stroke. After the first blow, the inertia of the rotating mass smooths out the operation of the hammer. The engineering of mechanical hammers is perfect for plowshares and general forging, but often too rough for delicate work at slow speeds. Why was an unbalanced hammer engineered this way? I do not know, but I can explain the results of some experiments I made.

Experiment 1

The first experiment was fabricating a counterweight that clamped onto the drive shaft (see photo, this page). With this 36-pound attachment installed, the reciprocating weight and rotary weight were in perfect balance. When I slightly touched the treadle (clutch/throttle) to engage the clutch, between 1 stroke per minute up to maybe 60 strokes per minute, the hammer was a dream come true in both the up-stroke and down-stroke. No struggling to lift. No dropping of the ram onto the metal and mashing it. The ram crept up and down slowly, perfectly, with just a touch of throttle. With the counterweight matched to the reciprocating weight, gravity was no longer part of the equation. Elated with the perfection of the low-end performance, I then pushed the treadle down to see how the hammer would perform at high speed. At high speed, the hammer rocked so violently when swinging the 36 pounds that I thought the hammer was going to tip over. I don’t often get scared in my shop, but that experience got my attention in a hurry! My conclusion: With the original flywheel out of balance, the hammer has a built-in brake. The disproportionate reciprocating weight does not want to be lifted by the lesser counterweight, so the dies come to rest in the closed position. If the power hammer were perfectly balanced (and could

swing the extra weight), it would require a brake as standard equipment. With a perfectly balanced power hammer, run-on would be an issue needing control. Experiment 2

How can the hammer be balanced without adding to the rotating weight? For this experiment, I drilled a hole in the top of the shaft surrounded by the yoke that connects the two “A” arms to the crank pin. This hole was then tapped and an eye bolt installed. From this eye bolt, bungee cords were stretched to the ceiling until the power hammer was balanced. The ram would now come to rest in any position without applying the brake. Walla! Walla? Wrong! When the bungee cords were attached to the yoke/shaft, the ham mer was controllable at low speed. However, as the speed of the hammer increased and the side-to-side move ment of the eye bolt increased, the bungee cords whipped from side to side. I carefully used the bungee cord/ yoke system for years. By simply pulling down (stretching) the cords and hooking them to the eye bolt when needed, the hammer became controllable at slow speeds. Then when more speed was required, the bungee cords were disconnected to avoid whipping. Fabricator n July / August 2014

This photo shows the horizontal bar on the back side of the safety shroud. With this horizontal bar, the vertical bungee cord hook is sandwiched and kept away from the “A” arms and yoke. Also notice the adjustment increments stamped on the vertical shaft connecting the yoke to the crankpin (see arrow).

Adjustment increments

Not a perfect solution but workable with care. During the eye bolt and yoke era, I tried some things to keep the whipping action from happening. These efforts were: n Putting a length of PVC pipe around the bungee cords. n Attaching another bungee cord to the center of the vertical cords. This additional bungee cord ran horizontally to the wall in efforts of putting enough side pull on the vertical cords to eliminate or reduce the whipping action. Neither approach provided sufficient results. Experiment 3

A 1-inch riser shoe, attached with short bungee cords, This is it! (see not the bolts that the cords are looped over. On top of the photo, page 24) I caved shoe is a cassette case, which the 50-pound Little Giant can and drilled/tapped now (with the upper bungee cords attached) gently close. a ½-inch hole in the center of the ram. I Reducing the hammer’s resale could have done this in the beginning, value by drilling the ram was my conand did think about it. But I have a cern. After considerable thought, I hard time customizing antique tools, decided that since I have owned the especially in such a visual location as hammer for 30 years and do not plan the ram. on selling it, I caved and drilled the 28

hole. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” An alternative to drilling the hole, would be installing longer toggle pins, bridging the pins, and then connecting the cord/hook to the bridge. This would protect your hammer’s resale value. Now, with the bungee cords attached to the ram, the cords simply stretch up and down without whipping. The cords are still removed when not needed, but without any RPM restrictions, they come off when it is convenient. Does this system work perfectly to provide a slow controllable first stroke? Yes and no. It does, but you may need to develop a new habit of starting your delicate blow with the crank pin at top-dead-center. Why? Because on the initial up-stroke of the ram, you give the power hammer just enough horsepower by riding the clutch to start everything slowly in motion. This initial movement generally starts with the crank pin at around six o’clock. When the crank pin gets up around 10:30 or so, the excess power now goes into speeding up the revolutions per minute because moving the reciprocating weight is now diminished as the crank-pin approaches top dead center and the power you are supplying is consistent. This means, no matter how slow your crank pin rises from 6:00 to 10:30 or so, from 10:30 or so to 2:00 or so, the rotating mass is going to speed up. With this speeding up in mind, by starting your first-strike with the crank pin at top-dead-center, you can start the down-stroke slowly and maintain the slow speed all the way down to your set tool or metal. This works extremely well. Adjusting the yoke. What has worked well for me is punch-marking increments on the adjustment shaft the yoke clamps to (see arrow, top photo). In a minute or two, the ram on this shaft is adjusted so the closed die opening is equal to the center of the strike zone. Thus, if you are going to draw a 1-inch bar down to ½-inch, then the closed die opening will be set at ¾ inch. I often adjust the ram height many times during the course of a day as different work dimensions dictate. Fabricator n July / August 2014

“For light work, I balance my hammer with four cords. If more strike power (25%) is needed,

I remove one cord. Heavier work? Remove two cords to retrieve 50% of your strike force.” Uncle Bob

The reason for the punch mark calibrations is so you can record where the yoke is set for different operations to speed up your readjustment times. If you do not adjust the height of the ram to be centered in the strike zone, then you may have to spin the hammer faster than necessary to compensate for the spring’s compression and ability to sling the ram down to the work you want struck. The larger the opening between the top die and the work, the more counterproductive the spring becomes. The bungee cords are only used for first strike and light delicate work. With the addition of the cords, your 50-pound hammer, for example, is no longer a 50-pound hammer. The cords lighten the ram weight to zero pounds. The power hammer now operates like a horizontal “slide hammer,” only vertically. For light work, I balance my hammer with four cords. If more strike power (25%) is needed, I remove one cord. Heavier work? Remove two cords to retrieve 50% of your strike force. For conventional forging, remove all the bungee cords, because the lighter ram-weight is counter-productive at normal forging speeds. The cords create a trade-off between a heavy first-strike blow with no control and fine control on your first strike with no strike force. Dial-in the amount of cords (add or subtract) to adjust the trade-off to suit your needs.

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With bungee cords added when you need delicate, slow speed control, your first strike starting at 12 o’clock, and your closed die opening adjusted to fine-tune your ram position, the opportunities this tool offers become greatly expanded.

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About the author Robert “Uncle Bob” Walsh has been a fabricator/artist/blacksmith for 30 years. For 10 years, his shop was in downtown Minneapolis. After the invention of the fax machine (allowing an easy interchange of sketches), he moved to semi-rural Wisconsin where he set up a cottage industry with fellow shop owners that has been chugging along for 20 years. Their ironwork can be found throughout the upper Midwest. R. Walsh Gate & Railing 306 Lake St., Pepin, WI 54759 715-442-3102 robertwalsh@robertwalsh.com www.robertwalsh.com July / August 2014 n Fabricator

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Fabricated ball stakes and band saw n

If the nature of your work warrants their use, these tools will save you money and help minimize frustration in your shop.

By Robert “Uncle Bob” Walsh Fabricated ball stakes will save you

money when compared with purchasing a commercially available set (cast steel). Moreover, because these stakes become anchored to an anvil, they are extremely solid when in use. When making a sphere, dome, or many other convex shapes with metal in sheet form, after sinking the metal into a cavity, the ball stakes can be used under the metal while the lumps from the initial sinking are planished out of the face side. The band saw attachment will make cutting many shapes with irregular bottoms easy. The band saw attachment works well when trimming many things. Among these items are the tails on acanthus leaves. I like to err on the large side when making an acanthus leaf pattern. The final leaf then requires trimming. A set of home-made ball stakes, top right. The solid balls were purchased from King Architectural Metals. The balls were then welded to 1-inch bars because 1-inch is the size of the hardy hole in my anvil. The 1-inch-square bars were drilled and then cut with a band saw to create 3/8-inch-wide slots, right. The second set of holes (the lower set) were then filled with half inch round pins. The tapered ¼-inch-wide wedge key is beveled on the top side (showing) with a bevel to match the bevel under the heel of the anvil. The assemblies were then positioned in the hardy hole, marked, and then the upper stops (¼ x 2 inches) were added. 30

Fabricator n July / August 2014

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A ball-stake attached to an anvil in the horizontal position. Positioning horizontally works well when the stem under the ball gets in your way.

Fabricator n July / August 2014

July / August 2014 n Fabricator

When you need to cut something with an irregular bottom shape in the saw, left, the pipe can be clamped in place in less than a minute, and the irregular shape of the piece is no longer a problem.

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Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence

Forging flowers from alumınum ■

Close collaboration with client on a design of two identical forged gates called for 1,000 hand-hammered pollen stems. Then Klahm and Sons win industry’s highest honor.

By Linda M. Erbele A client of Jack Klahm approached him with a problem. She had bought

a home with a generous outdoor living area, but it’s entrance was too close to the sidewalk for her liking. She wanted to see who might be approaching, but wasn’t happy about every passerby watching her family relaxing in the sun. The entry that needed screening consisted of two arched openings, each 10 x 8 feet. Jack knew he needed to blend positive and negative space and that designs from the natural world should be a part of it. The inside of each of the doors is a mirror image of the outside. The project included matching side panels to fill up the entrance.

Each of the two doorways contains 192 gladiola blossoms on 12 stems, 36 lilies, and some 70 rosebuds. About 1,000 handhammered pollen stems are on each of the two entrances. The project is made entirely of aluminum. Left, Close up of the small roses and buds. After the latex faux finish was applied the roses were dry brushed with the color. Fabricator n July / August 2014

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Each of the two doorways contains 192 gladiola blossoms on 12 stems, 36 lilies, and some 70 rosebuds. About 1,000 hand-hammered pollen stems are on each of the two entrances. The project is made entirely of aluminum. The resulting doorways fabricated by Jack’s company, Klahm and Sons, Ocala, FL, won the 2014 Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence as the best of all the gold honors awarded by NOMMA in its annual Top Job competition. Klahm won gold for the job in the Gates/Doors — Forged category.

The final gate design hand-drawn by Jack Klahm and approved by the client. “I know I’m behind the times, but there’s something about a hand-drawn drawing that means that what you are doing is artistic work,” Klahm says.

Keeping a client gets the job

A fabricator for 41 years, Jack Klahm has worked with this particular client for more than eight years creating chandeliers, gates, and railings for various houses she has lived in. The client is an interior designer in the Melbourne, FL, area, and her husband is a professional in manufacturing. “The more I kept doing [for] this client, the more she pushed the envelope,” Klahm says. “She saw I could do things I might not have known I could do.” Design is self-discovery

That kind of self-discovery was a part of this project. The client told him that her favorite among the flowers in her wedding were lilies. And she had taken a photo of a gate in Palm Beach that she liked. “I knew I wanted to create a blind,” Klahm says. “I knew density was an issue, and lilies were a factor in the design. I knew that with what we have done for her in the past, it needed to be organic.” The challenge, he says, is in listening to the client to determine what they would like. Klahm calls it “perceptionism,” that is, understanding enough about what the client likes and wants to create that ideal design of it. 38

“A lot of times, it’s a passionate thing, wanting to do the best you can for the person you are representing,” he says. But he believes that clients want to invest themselves in a project. “It’s nice for clients to feel a part of what you do,” Klahm says. “They may say, ‘a little more here’ or ‘a little more there’.” He looked at a number of books for ideas and found inspiration in the swirls and the nature of art nouveau. It was a collaborative process, but the third design he showed her was exactly what she wanted. Klahm draws by hand. He compares the fluidity of lines he achieves with a hand drawing to the movement of a conductor’s hands when conducting an orchestra. He generally doesn’t use computer-assisted-drawing. “When I do a hand drawing, a client says ‘Did you draw that?’ They say ‘I didn’t know anybody did that anymore’,” Klahm says. “I know I’m behind the times, but there’s something about a hand-drawn drawing that means that what you are doing is artistic work.” Klahm believes his clients identify with him more as a “normal person,” rather than as a computer geek, when they see his drawings.

Field measurements that don’t lie

Klahm uses a Smart Tool digital laser level and plumbs, and a Leica Disto A5 Laser measuring tool. “Lasers do not lie to you. Bubbles in a level are not as exact as a laser measurement, which gets you to 0.64 of an inch,” he says. He has learned over the years to be cautious about the existing framework into which his designs must fit. When the space he is anchoring to isn’t square, it can cause major re-working of a project. “A lot of times, framers, contractors, and subcontractors aren’t so exact,” he says. But in this case, the builder had been precise with the measurements for the two openings. Nevertheless, Klahm designed the outer frames of the double doors to be set into the floor and the ceiling of the doorway only. These outer frames are made of aluminum rods and serve as the hinge-posts of the doors. The side panels, which extend from the outer edge of the doors to the edge of the opening, are attached to those same vertical hinge posts. They gently kiss the masonry sides of the entrance in three places, but they are not attached.

Fabricator n July / August 2014

July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Craftsman Andy Harding, far left, hammers the flowers into a jig that Klahm and Sons made. Jack Klahm, left, hammers the edges of a flower after it was dished in the jig.

The top of the gladiolus with all of the hand hammer dents, below left. The hole in the middle is where the pollen stems were inserted. The underside was then TIG welded to attach the stems to the gladiola. How the gladiolus were made with the custom pipe dies that Klahm and Sons made, below. Various sizes of pipe dies created different gladiolus sizes.

Side view of the gladiola flower with the stem and the hammer that Jack Klahm used, above. How the pipe dies were used to create the shape for the gladiola, right.

Fabricator n July / August 2014

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Gates are lying on the floor, left, to confirm continuity and measurements to ensure no mistakes have been made before sand blasting and finishing. Tom Hadzima, right, primes the raw aluminum after sand blasting.

Forging with familiar aluminum

Klahm routinely copies his drawings onto acetate, then projects the design on the wall in his workshop. He adjusts the projector until he has the picture on the wall at the size it needs to be. Then he puts butcher paper up against the wall and traces the design onto it. From that, he can create patterns to cut with. He ordered 3003 aluminum alloy sheets and rectangular aluminum rods from Eastern Metal Supply, Lake Worth, FL. Having worked with it over the years, he is familiar with the characteristics of the 3003. This particular alloy, he says, has silica, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc added to the aluminum to give it a different composition. It has a tensile strength of between 4 and 6, he says. “A lot of times, people are surprised by what you can do with aluminum,” Klahm says. Forging with aluminum is different from other metals. After heating (annealing) it, the piece must be put in water (quenched) to make it soft and eliminate the tensile. “It only goes back to its original tensile after it ages, sometimes two to three months,” Klahm says. “Doing things with aluminum gave me the chance to do this kind of work.” The 5 x 10-foot sheets of aluminum 42

were first cut to a more manageable size with a Jet band saw, then Klahm’s team placed the butcher paper patterns on those pieces and used a Miller plasma cutter to get them even closer to the patterns. Making the banana leaves, veins, and stems

The banana leaves and the pieces of aluminum that create the swirls on the door bottoms and side panels needed veins (indented lines) and dishing to create a smooth convex mound. They used a Pullmax [now Pull-X Machines] reciprocating hammer to dish and vein the majority of those and the inside pieces. They used a 75-pound Ritter power hammer to put veining in the stems and a 110-pound Sahinler power hammer to taper the vines. Klahm says he places the aluminum between the power hammer and steel dies to create the desired texture. Knowing exactly what size the aluminum would become after it was hammered and rounded proved to be a learning experience. Klahm says it seemed that putting the indentions of the veins and the curvature of the dishing would make the piece of aluminum shrink. “But in hitting it, you’re actually stretching it, so it brought it back to the same size as the flat pattern,” he says.

Once the size was achieved, then the identical pieces for the opposite side of the door and the other doors were created. The embellishments were TIG welded with a Miller welder to the aluminum rectangular tubing that made up the frame for the doors. They used a Miller MIG welder to spot tack the pieces before finally TIG welding them. All of the flowers on top were TIG welded. Making the roses

The roses were hand-hammered on an anvil that has been textured to give the aluminum the appearance of a rose petal. The center of the bud is formed around a screw. Then petals are added one at a time until the blossom is filled out. Making the lilies

“There were about three different operations to create the lilies,” Klahm says. 1 After annealing and quenching a flat piece of aluminum, he used a V-block (a piece of square bar split down the middle to create a V-form) to create the curvature of the flower. 2 Then he used the edge of the anvil to begin the reverse curve of the edges. 3 Next, a smaller V-block was used to get an even tighter curl on that edge. Stems of the lilies were forged Fabricator n July / August 2014

from ½-inch round bar, which was tapered. The lily was closed around it and welded, creating a center to which the smaller pollen stems could be TIG welded.

Standing the gates in their installed position, left, so the latex wash will run down naturally.

Finishing with

Making the gladiolas

a sand blaster He has forged lilies and roses for other projects, so he was familiar with Once completed, the how to do it. But he had to learn how piece was sand blasted with to make the gladiolas and develop tool30-65 glass sand, and then ing for them. Those blooms were crea chocolate brown polyureated from aluminum pipe tooling and thane primer was applied. TIG welded to the stems. Klahm used a pull-behind :tri-state-quarter page.qxd 12/19/07 9:44 AM Page 1 “If you look at each gladiola, there Sullivan 185 CFM air comare hundreds of hammer dents to crepressor, which he has used ate the texture on the outside,” he says. for so many years that Klahm was adamant about giving he no longer knows who credit to the other members of the made it. team. He has three master craftsmen Klahm says he doesn’t who work with him: Tom Hadzima, like powder coating. He Andy Harding, and Jesse Allen. believes it is too rigid and “These people have been working will fail and start to crack off with Klahm and Sons for eight years. with me for years and years,” Klahm after seven or eight years. Harding came to the business from says. “I trust them.” “I use polyurethane paints. They are community college. He was a concert Hadzima had been in the print much more flexible,” he adds. “They are pianist and has been with the company business for 20 years when he chose a chemically reactive. They will breathe PROOF 2007.- 45-3454-ACF-121807-V2with the substrata of the aluminum different trade. He has been working AD since

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Side panels — the hinging post on either side of the gates — sit side by side, left, before installation to ensure they are similiar.

The gecko, near left, thought the gladiolus were real. Gladiolus, roses, banana leaves, far left, after the dry brushing, air brushing, and latex washing, The attachment to the ceiling for the hinging post, below, with a close-up of the gladiolas flowers and framework of the top of the gate after the installation.

(expand and contract) so they won’t crack off. It bends the way the material you are painting will bend also.” The next coat is the base color. It must be applied on top of the primer within 24-hours, or else the poly primer will become too hard and won’t bond with the next coat. “You mix part 1 (the primer) to part 2 (the base coat) and the piece hardens up. You do the process of painting within the time period before it gets so hard that it won’t bring the other color 44

into it,” Klahm says. Next, he added a latex wash, and on top of that, a satin clear latex to preserve the finish. The flowers required airbrushing to blend the colors gradually, eliminating a hard line. Accents along the stems, leaves, and frame were created with a dry brush technique. Loading just a little paint on the brush allows a piece to be gently and strategically painted in the desired places. The project took four months.

Installation

Klahm does installations himself, from beginning to end. “That way, I know there isn’t any lack of interpretation,” he says. “The buck stops with me. I like to be sure the project is true to the interpretation that I gave the client.” Each door weighs about 100 pounds. “That’s one of the reasons I like aluminum,” Klahm says with a smile. “It’s an old man’s metal.” Fabricator n July / August 2014

Lessons learned

Klahm says that often being creative means reinventing the wheel. Learning how to make gladiola blooms and exactly how big a piece of aluminum was needed for a swirl by the time it was dished and veined, thus expanded and then reduced, all had to be included in time for the project, and thus, the price. “Time and time again, I’ve heard ‘we didn’t make any money on this’,” he says. “You never really get your money out of (these showcase-type jobs). It

never is when you put that kind of love into it. Drawing it is one thing, make it is another.” But it’s important to translate the work required into the pricing. “You are doing something different all the time. There’s not an equation or something to refer back to tell you how long it will take, or how much to charge. That’s part of this profession,” Klahm adds. “If you charge for all of that, you won’t get that job, because people don’t understand how long it takes. Seeing a drawing does not merit

how much it’s going to cost to do this.” While you may not make money on these kinds of projects, he says, the biggest factor is knowing enough to make sure it’s not “going to break you.” The passion you have and the work you do reflect what you present, Klahm says. “It’s not just a matter of what the almighty dollar is. When I hear, ‘I didn’t make any money on that one,’ that’s what the Mitch Heitler [Award] means; exactly what it says. It’s an award for craftsmanship, an award for the passion that people have for this business.”

For your information

Resources Klahm and Sons Inc. Jack Klahm, President 352-622-6565 www.klahmandsons.com Eastern Metal Supply www.easternmetal.com JET Tools North America www.jettools.com

Sullivan-Palatek Inc. www.palatek.com

Leica Geosystems http://ptd.leica-geosystems.com

Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. www.millerwelds.com

Pull-X Machines (Pullmax) http://pull-xmachines.com

M-D Building Products SmartTool http://smarttoollevels.com

Power Hammers LLC (Sahinler) www.powerhammers.com

About the author Linda Erbele, an Atlanta-based writer with 15 years of journalism experience, specializes in business and travel writing.

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July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Member Talk

Doing business by the good book n

A business seminar based on the integrity of religious values and the vision to be the best during the recession turned David Evans and Evans Metal Products around.

Editor’s note: Founded in Elkhart, IN, in 14 by Clifford Evans, Sr., Evans Metals Products (www. evansmetal.com) made ornamental iron and ﬆairs for residential and commercial markets. When the 2 recession hit, Clifford’s son David took the company through a major modernization. The company now is fully engaged in four product groups: n CSI Division 1, 2 and  Metals — structural steel. n CSI Division  Metals — stairs, stair towers, railings, and ladders. n Finishing, weldments and fabrications. n Ornamental metals.

Weekly meeting at Evans Metal Products when all jobs are reviewed. The company carries as many as 50 projects at one time. Clockwise, from top left, David Evans, owner (the fella with the ear bud and the white mustache), Bruce Rienks (estimator), Roy Zimmerman (estimator), Cheryl Enfield (controller), Shelly Grahovac (metrics), Josh Mathews (shop foreman), Chris Wyman (purchasing), Chris Wolferman (estimating), Matt Soultz (engineering), and Neil McCaskill (shipping and scheduling). Dan Zarco (Chicago sales) is on the table’s speaker phone.

O&MM Fabricator: What toll

did the 200 recession have on your company? David Evans: Such storms are so infrequent that many of us don’t keep in mind the devastation in 1929, World War II, Korea, or the gas shortages of the 1970s. We are not prepared with the necessary steps to weather such storms with austerity or to reinvent ourselves as people or companies. Re-mortgaging houses, depleting personal savings, and investing more heavily in business, these are the experiences of many people. These measures are not a guarantee for success, but are necessary for the opportunity of success. For example, I am ordained priest and for the last 20 years had served the church and in 2003 became the fulltime assistant to my bishop in northwestern Pennsylvania. Yet the day after a new bishop was elected (2007), the standing committee released all the staff, which initiated my travels to Indiana and my re-entry into business. We then had just drawn up plans for

July / August 2014 n Fabricator

a major building expansion, and then the bottom dropped out. So after six years of such travel, the cost continues to be paid in terms of absence from family and friends during the week. Many companies did not make it. Not because they did not try, but sometimes things don’t work out. We were one of the fortunate ones, or should I say blessed? The Declaration of Independence promises us the freedom to pursue happiness, but it does not guarantee success. O&MM Fabricator: How did you manage to come back? Evans: Jim Collins’ Good to Great, (HarperCollins Publishers, NY, 2001) asserts that good is the enemy of great. He also asks, “In what area can you be the best in the world?” I thought, maybe not in the whole world, but we could become the absolute best fabricator in Northern Indiana. The question of how we made it, therefore, was more of how could we become the best rather than how did we cut costs. And, yes, we did cut costs.

We did increase sales staff. We did invest significantly in technology. We continued with important organizations such as NOMMA, and we believe that this year our AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) certification will be finalized. We are relentless in our efforts to become the best. Evans Metal employs people who love to create and build beautiful and ornamental fabrications and structures. Our strength is in our highly qualified staff. We also enjoy the more difficult projects that seem too complicated or difficult for other fabricators. You might say that our niche is the more difficult work. Of course, we also fabricate many simpler projects. O&MM Fabricator: Since 200, you changed the way you engineer your products, according to your website. What did you do, how did you do it, and why? What has been the return on this investment? Evans: Fabricators are dependent upon good detailers, but there is a

limit to the work one detailer can provide. In fact, detailing is one “choke point” and limits any fabricator. I thought, “There has to be a way that a detailer could both increase productivity and accuracy.” I found several good CAD programs, as well as a couple of programs I would not recommend and felt were a waste. By 2008, we had invested in several seats of FabCAD, which uses AutoCAD source code, to make railing and gate detailing a snap. If you know AutoCAD, and you are fabricating rails or gates, you really need a copy (www.fabcad.com). About that time, we also invested in one seat of Tekla (www.tekla.com). Now we have five seats. The learning curve is steep, but it’s very accurate. Modifying the drawings after they are returned from an architect or client is a breeze, and that is the real time saver. When done right, even if stairs change in height a couple of inches, making these corrections is a couple of clicks away. That’s true also for other kinds of structures as well using Tekla. One Tekla detailer can generate over $3 million in sold value every year! Because we’ve increased our sales, we also needed to process a huge number of drawings, to say nothing about the difficulty of inventory, requests for information, and other correspondence. Many fabricators are good at fabricating and weaker on the business side. That’s why we invested in five seats of FabSuite (www.fabsuite.com). This program also has an estimating and purchasing module and the ability for fabricators on the floor to show the progress of their work. O&MM Fabricator: All this points to the growth of your leadership abilities. Evans: To grow, you need to grow in leadership, too. If you want to grow your fabrication business, you already have transitioned from working by the hour to work and receiving a paycheck to working regardless how long in order to create value that a customer will buy. Now you will need to increase your measure of fairness and justice, and learn all over again to do business. I had to learn that 48

Bell tower of St. Jude’s Roman Catholic church, South Bend, IN, of structural steel and rails. The cross is erected upon a 42-foot tubular structure set on a massive footing. Hidden from view are several cutouts for electrical connections. Electricians had access during fabrication so they could wire the tower before erection. This structure also had epoxy paint, which made handling especially difficult.

there is the business of business (how to fabricate), and then there is the “business” of business (the running of a company). For instance, consider size thresholds. When you go from two or three employees to five, things can become a bit bumpy. But when you can get to seven, the experience of business

begins to again smooth out. Another size threshold occurs around 12. There are new challenges in managing the business and leading a business into a future, which may be different than just operating a business. As you grow, your focus may change. When small, you can focus on the customer and profits. With growth, human resources take on a greater value. For example, people like to work where they can contribute and are valued. They also like to be where they are challenged. They also need to save so they might fulfill their dreams. For us, as we grew we needed to pay a wage that allowed people to save. That’s different from looking at the competition and finding out what they pay their employees and do the same. We also have focused on providing a health safety net with insurance. This has nothing to do with the current push toward health care reform. When we were smaller, cost-effective insurance was harder to find, but it became easier as the business grew. Regardless, our business model means caring for our employees because it is right. Business is a balance between what you charge for your work and the costs of overhead, labor, and materials. And don’t forget profit or the need to invest in equipment that will help on the next job. Now suppose a customer either defaults on paying or is late in paying. What should you do? Who get’s paid first? Who get’s paid last? Is there anyone who doesn’t get paid at all. I’m guessing that most of us have experienced this dilemma. If the problem is big enough, do you file for bankruptcy? What we do in these tight spots tells a lot about who we are. I’ve had three opportunities to go bankrupt. I’ve always thought that what may be legal may not always be the “right” thing to do. Now, how does one determine what is “right?” Do profits alone decide this question? For me, this is where business crossed the line into how “rightness” and “fairness” as well as “justice” has become more important. All this is part of leadership, too. I also had the good fortune to go to a seminar called “Business by the Fabricator n July / August 2014

Book,” taught by Larry Burkett. He later published a book by the same name (Business by the Book: The Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1998). The “book” referred to is the Bible. I had never thought there was any practical assistance to be found in the Bible. But what I’ve found is that there is a lot of practical advice found there. In other words, the Bible has a lot to say about business and how to run a business (this link offers you a preview: http://bit.ly/1mN1bQe). Additionally, we’ve spent more than $80,000 in the last several years on coaches to help us in areas where we are weak or lack the expertise. I’m not too proud to learn from others. And I’d be happy to share and even coach anyone who really wants to grow. O&MM Fabricator: You’re also an Episcopal priest. Beyond what you used from the “Business by the Book,” seminar, how has being a priest affected how you do business? Evans: I’ve spent many years wondering about faith. At nine, when I was baptized, God was more of a remote concept, just a name. And then, Jesus. That all changed at a Ramada Inn in 1979. By that time, I had bought the business from my dad, Clifford Evans, and had been married for 13 years, had three kids, lived through a family tragedy, and had a focus of becoming a millionaire before 40. In 1979, we had just won an AISC Award for Architectural Excellence. I was reaching for what I thought was the gold ring of fulfillment. And then, Jesus. As I look at it now, and after Jesus, I clearly recognized my values in many areas of my life were out of balance and distorted. Attending the “Business by the Book,” seminar helped me clarify my values when it came to business, and I’ve been working ever since in not having business serve my greed and ambition. In 1986, I went to seminary full time and promoted Bruce Rienks to plant manager. Bruce faithfully ran the business for the next 20 years. My involvement was dependent upon need during those years. In 2007, I retired as staff assistant to my bishop, returned to business, and at that same time, started pastoring a church in Ohio parttime. I even led a mission trip to Central America. You’ve asked, “How does my being a priest influence how I do business?” Who we are always influences how we do business. If a person struggles with finances, their business will struggle with finances. If a person struggles with fidelity, that will also transfer to the business. I am persuaded that who you are influences what and how you do what you do. My dad operated the business on the Christian principle of integrity. As a Christfollower, I strive to do the same. I retired due to circumstances, not capacity. I really wanted to remain in full-time ministry. Therefore, I am serving a smaller group of people. We are making the transition from an older church to a church with young families (http://stpetersashtabula.org). However, service is not something exclusive to church settings. Evans Metal Products is a for-profit corporation. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

We produce an excellent product, but simultaneously we are paying a saving wage and treating our employees more than fairly. When employees have a crisis, we treat them as family. If a person leaves our employment, we are in a better position to help them help find another job and do so. In treating our vendors fairly, we strive to pay them within their terms. I’ve recently been working on increasing our line of credit, which will allow us to achieve this goal. I hope beyond being a great fabricator, people will also perceive a company with integrity, and who practices justice and mercy, seasoned with humility.

My dad was one of my heroes growing up. What he did, I did. I remember riding a crane in his shop up and down in an old tire when I was five. His dad, Harry, was a supervisor in the Gary steel mills and did most of the furnace piping. My dad, a Purdue grad, had always worked with metals, although after the Korean conflict, he built houses for several years. He started with metals in 1955 when I was 10. About that time, my mom went to college and earned a bachelor’s and then a Structural steel stairs and rails under construction at Hillsdalle College, Hillsdale, MI. Below, the finished master’s degree going to summer job. Upon the initial measurements, the mezzanine steel school. In the summers, I worked (provided by others) was found to need correction. with my dad. Revisions were made and then the stairs were fabricated By the age of 16, I was layand rails mounted. O&MM Fabricator: How and ing out stairs and railings, and I Before the stairs were designed, the company had to redesign the cable rail system mounted on them. The when did you start your work worked with my dad on a variety biggest challenge was to coordinate the rail and the stair of projects. I continued working life as a businessperson? work. At the upper right, you can see the area where Evans: When I was about seven for him until I graduated from curved cable rail was installed. years old, I went door to door with Purdue in 1968. I taught in the my Red Rider wagon collecting public schools for five years workThe finished stair, below, incorporates SS assist paper to be sold for 2¢/100 pounds guard rails and cable rail infill behind the assist rail. ing in photography during the The cable rail was designed to blend with the outside to the local trash company. Later, summers. free-standing bridge, which was all cable rail with HSS I took the scrap from my dad’s I left teaching in 1973 to con6 x 6 x ¼ posts. business to the same dealer for Evans Metal was delighted with the finish on the assist tinue my photographic work. But 1¢/pound. When I was a teen, I had rails and that all the transitions were followed. This made my dad asked me to work one day for a safe and aesthetically pleasing rail and prevented a a week, which turned into fulla paper route with Sunday deliveries. In junior high, I was always ladder effect in the rails, while providing visibility when time. As we increased the busiseated in chairs above. making something and selling it. ness, I stopped operating a phoI was even expelled once for doing tographic studio and worked with so — no, it wasn’t for drugs or him full-time. something like that. In high school, In 1976, I bought the business I joined Junior Achievement, a from my dad after he fell off a group that teaches kids how to be balcony while field measuring in in business. Hattiesburg, MS. At that time, we After college, I taught school for were making miles of rails for the a while and started a photographic hotel and motel business, and all studio, leaving that to work with drawings were paper based. That’s my dad in the early 1970s. In semhow I learned. inary, I started a painting business If you want to know if I person to help other seminarians earn a ally can fabricate, the answer is yes. bit of extra money. I have built items in glass, brass, You could say I have always bronze, stainless, and steel. I’ve been in business in one sense or built a house and have restored another. I’ve always been able to disHow did you get your initial metal more than one kitchen and bathroom. I cover value and pass it on to others. I fabrication education? have a cabinet shop at home. guess that helps explain the excitement Evans: I started fabricating with In seminary, lacking carpentry and I feel when I can introduce others to my dad when I was 13 and learned metal-working tools, I sewed dresses our Lord Jesus Christ. from him. Everything we built then for my children, started a painting was from conceptual drawings, somebusiness so other seminarians could O&MM Fabricator: Tell me about times on the back of a client’s envelope have some extra spending money, and your early days in fabrication. Why or from ammonia-based blueprints. helped the church rebuild their nardid you decide to work with metals? That was in the late 1950s. thex (front entrance). 50

Fabricator n July / August 2014

O&MM Fabricator: Do you have

specific thoughts about training and learning? Evans: I’ve been fortunate to have parents, especially my dad, who let me build. I remember building a clubhouse at age five, and operating my dad’s 10-inch table saw and 19-inch band saw at 13. I remember the heat, hammer, and anvil in forging at 15 and the hot splatter in my ears while welding. Most of this took place before I was 16. So much for child labor laws. I had the opportunity to build with my dad who had an ornamental iron shop. I learned from early 20th century efficiency experts, Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth. I remember reading a lot about how to use this and that tool, and that hasn’t stopped. Purdue (class of 1968) also gave me training. I use the AISC book and other design books regularly to design our products. I learned from my dad that if you are going to ask someone to do something, you need to know how to do it yourself first. I started working in the shop and haven’t lost the skills. Most of our office staff has come up through the ranks the same way. The last area of learning comes from mistakes, and I have made several. Mistakes are a forerunner of experience. My temperament is that of a visionary, so I have gravitated toward the thinking and long-range planning end of business.

If people don’t adopt a life-long habit of learning, they will self-limit themselves. We promote and seek such people in our business. There’s an African phrase: “If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, go together.” Together means I must connect with others, learning from them. Being too narrow and only learning from the metal trades will exclude a lot of solutions fabricators need. Don’t forget cross-trade training. I’ve read a lot of leadership and coaching books, allowed others to coach me, and helped coach other individuals and churches. If you are a business owner or hope to become one, you must know more than just fabrication techniques and tricks. I wouldn’t want you to not think that the book of Proverbs might be a hidden resource to a business owner. God has a lot to say to any business owner. O&MM Fabricator: Who were or are your business and fabrication men tors? What did they teach you? Of course, your dad was a mentor. Evans: When you are almost as old as dirt, you find that many, if not all, of these mentors have passed away. That’s true for me. How can I say enough about my dad who helped me? I can’t. Even today, as I write this, I wish I could have asked him for some advice.

Let me start with a good banker, Don Hobeck who was patient and helped with developing business plans. Don Anderson coached me in estimation. John Miller, a job-site supervisor, helped me understand the erection of materials. Dan Wierzbicki helped me learn how to engineer our work. Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, who wrote the book Cheaper by the Dozen — see the book, not the movie, to get the humor — helped me learn time-motion basics. O&MM Fabricator: In the early days, you were shipping fabricated prod ucts to China, Belgium, and Saudi Arabia. How did it come about that you had customers in those coun tries? What were you shipping there? Evans: In Elkhart, we are fortunate to have other entrepreneurs who exported materials to other areas of the world. I simply partnered with those who were doing more exporting. That resulted in our materials being sent worldwide. This was just before seminary in 1986. I was, at that time, quoting international work directly as well. One of the last jobs I was pricing was an ornamental rail going to a mansion in Saudi Arabia. As I remember, the gold plating alone for the rail exceeded $500,000. O&MM Fabricator: What did you learn from the exporting experience?

O&MM Fabricator: Now how do you further your metal fabrication educa tion and training? Evans: Learning is more complex now. Software programs and CNC equipment demand learning new languages. It simply never ends. No one in business can be closed to learning something new every day. Much of what I’ve learned comes from various suppliers: software suppliers such as TurboCAD, AutoCAD, Tekla, FabSuite, and RISA; welding suppliers; other fabricators; our employees; craftsmen on job sites; job site foremen; our clients; trade shows; AISC books and trainings; and how could I miss naming NOMMA events. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Evans: After figuring out how to bid and ship material worldwide, I found that business is really based upon trust and competence. Freight forwarders can help with the shipping, and the government has ways of helping you find business leads in other parts of the world. Contact your congressperson and look at the resources they offer.

about shipping overseas today? Evans: The markets have changed since the 1980s. The rate of exchange has made that very difficult unless you have high tech items to sell. So no, we are not currently exporting. This may change as we branch out into other markets, solar, for example.

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Evans: I sign my correspondence as either President or Principal. We are a Sub Chapter S Corporation. I downgraded from a full corporation several years ago. I believe now I should have stayed a full corporation because a tax break was available for us. But I was too naïve at that time. Like Truman said, “The buck stops at my desk.” If you are a business owner, you only have to work half a day. That means any 12 hours you want to work. Generally, I am at the shop by 8:30 a.m., and yet the shop opens at 6 or 7 a.m. depending on the season. Throughout the day, I am working on the engineering of projects, signing off on estimates, and running the business. When everyone leaves after 5 p.m., I stay until 8:30 or 9 p.m. to finish a project I might have been working on. When younger, I was generally home by 8 p.m. but often in the shop at 6:30 a.m. setting out work for the shop. O&MM Fabricator: What are your company’s core strengths and weaknesses. Evans: “Building Beyond Tomorrow” is a motto I coined several years ago. On one level, it means our work has a lasting quality and will be here after we are gone. It also carries an opportunity to talk about what is timeless and offers an opportunity to talk about faith and eternal values. I know that the word Christian makes many cringe because it has become a term for people who are wild-eyed and unthinking fanatics. This opens a door for us. One core strength is our experience and expertise. We often recognize structurally unsound or weak connections and can help our clients make better choices. We have the best interests of our clients in all our dealings with them, and many are long-term customers because of that. Our weakness is that we are in great demand, and thus we need to work to a tight schedule to meet the demands of our clients. O&MM Fabricator: What markets is your company in? Why these? Evans: Our reputation used to be in the residential and commercial markets. Over the years as our shop Fabricator n July / August 2014

rate has risen, we have not been as economical for the residential market. We still build a wonderful product, but small rails are not our forte. We have grown the commercial and industrial markets. We compete very favorably when the project is complicated and requires out-of-the-box thinking. When larger projects — like an ornamental project — are difficult and complicated, few companies can produce a high quality project. That is our real strength. O&MM Fabricator: What market trends do you see? Any new markets out there for a fabricator? Are you planning to broaden your market? Evans: We will be broadening our markets in 2014 and are now looking for another sales person to join our staff. But the word “broadening” is a two-part word. First, we will broaden our markets by continuing to fabricate products at which we excel. Second, “broaden” also directs us to step outside the markets we have served before. That’s why we are looking for a new sales person — in one of three areas: north and east of Kalamazoo, MI; south of Toledo, OH, to just north of Columbus, OH; and between Cleveland, OH, and Toledo along Interstates 80 and 90 — who also enjoys what we enjoy. Did you know that in 10 years, China will need to build a new infrastructure for an additional 350 million people? That is the size of the U.S. In fact, in the next 10 years or so, the U.S. will need to develop new sources of energy and then create the grid to deliver this energy. For example, a local company is meeting solar needs. They have shown remarkable growth. Within the year, I hope to discover international solar vendors and create designs to hold these solar products. I hope to sell the supports for these panels as well as solar panels and electrical controls. Within the year, I hope to break more fully into this industrial market. With our expertise, we should be able July / August 2014 n Fabricator

to serve this market. We have already designed our own aluminum railing system, competing well with established companies in this niche. We are developing an adhesive rail system as well. We think that this system will become the least expensive aluminum railing system on the market.

This stair work was part of the Northwestern Grayslake medical center expansion, Grayslake, IL. Materials included a 1-inch solid square bar rolled into the shape of the existing rail. The challenge was following a radius for a structure that existed for many years. A dye was custom-made in the Evans Metal shop to roll and press brake each piece.

Stairwell at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL. It has a 2½ x 2½-inch tubular frame with a wire mesh infill for suicide prevention or accidental death. Evans Metal had to follow the curvatures, radiuses, and rakes of an existing stair. Though difficult, the company had “zero” defects through design, fabrication, and erection process.

O&MM Fabricator: Evans Metal fabricates structural steel, stairs, railings, fences, gates, decorative items, and even ladders. Why do you have ladders and structural steel in this mix? Evans: “We Build” is a catchy phrase of one of our better clients. Think about it. We build. We build all of [Construction Specifications Institute] Division 5 — Metals. Some people are not well versed in all of Division 5. We are good at and tough competitors in all of Division 5. That means we provide structural steel, decking, joists, grating, as well as railings and stairs. We also offer installation for our products. What that means for our clients is that they can have a one-stop shopping experience. Not only do we supply the materials, but we also install our materials. That also means that we may need to include engineering or even wood railings on our supporting rails. We are glad to provide our customers with the assurance that their needs will be accommodated. We provide such diversity in railings, fencing, and gates that it would be difficult to list all of them. O&MM Fabricator: What type of metals do you like to work with? What metals do you refrain from using. Evans: For years, we dreaded stainless steel because of the difficulty in finishing the rail. Last year, we invested in a polishing machine for our stainless steel products. We now can polish all our rails up to a #4 circumferential or longitudinal finish or even finer. Our growing edge now is reducing our aluminum rail price. We will 53

achieve this this year with our new design. We have competence working with bronze, brass, stainless, aluminum, and steel, including Corten. We also can prepare our products for galvanizing. That includes venting procedures for larger or hollow fabrications. We also have done some unusual items over the years. For instance, we have supplied leaded glass railing infill and wood cap rails and wall rails. On one project for the Indiana Dunes State Park, we supplied about 1,000 feet of cable rail complete with wood posts and top rails.

has not happened in our 68 years of business. O&MM Fabricator: Do you do everything in house or do you outsource anything? Evans: We often subcontract our installation, but not always. We work with topnotch installers in our area of sales. We also do not have a powder-coating line, nor do we galvanize, anodize, or sand blast. The rest we do in-house. We even do engineering (drawings) for other fabricators and can take field dimensions also.

O&MM Fabricator: Regard ing equipment and technol turn down certain jobs? What ogies do you see yourself as kinds and why? mostly old school or do you Evans: We occasionuse new techniques? ally refuse to bid a project. Evans: We bump our heads These projects are generally on the ceiling of technology. larger projects of 1,000 tons In the past four years, we and lasting several years. We have invested in engineering shine with smaller jobs, up to and CNC software. Our shop 150 tons a month and lastis 18,000 square feet and a ing about a year or so. A real 1,500-square-foot paint room. limiting factor is payment and We have three acres of space. payment for stored materials. We are also crowded now Payment for work has that our sales are up to $4 become a huge issue for us. million a year. We may need Often we discover companies another building for our rails that pay for work over 90 days Structural steel renovation of stairs and rails at the Whirlpool this year, which would sepaadministration building, Benton Harbor, MI. Part of the complete from invoice. These customers renovation of the building, these stairs had several structural rate our steel products from are poor payers, and we often members placed to support them and other rooftop units. our non-ferrous as well as our A challenge was the trapezoidal openings in the 12-inch floor refuse to do work for such stainless steel products from and the difficult accessibility (one floor at a time could be field undercapitalized clients. We our ferrous fabrications. measured). are not in the banking busiI would describe our comAnother challenge was the architect’s desire to have all SS trim ness. We file “Notices to Own- dimensionally similar on each floor. Laser tools were essential for pany as prepared to enter the ers” for all work so we will not measurements for this three-story project. next wave of fabrications for lose our lien rights. the next 25 years. We are most As an aside, suppose you definitely not old school when by $40,000 of additional work. That’s don’t get paid for a job — let’s say it’s it comes to fabrication. why we send out “Notices to Owners” $2,000. And now suppose that you But we are old school when it so we do not lose our lien rights. make 10% profit on all jobs for a cercomes to ethics and fairness. We still We also may not choose to do work tain year. Here is the math to show can do work on a handshake, although when the basic engineering is poor, the impact: 1/10% of $2,000 = the not with every client. But we can work when drawings don’t convey what is this way with our vendors. amount of sales you need to make to needed. Unless we have established an offset the loss. excellent dialogue with a client and we But it doesn’t stop here. You need to O&MM Fabricator: As a fabricator understand what is expected, we also do double the amount to make up for and businessperson, what new tech may not bid a job. the lost time. For a $2,000 loss due to nologies (manual or automated) are But after giving our word in an estiyou looking at using soon? Why? non-payment, you need to offset that mate, we never fail to perform. That O&MM Fabricator: Do you

Fabricator n July / August 2014

Evans: I’ve already purchased a

beam line, an hydraulic punch system that makes short work of placing holes in beams, channels and plates, and am waiting on the building in which to place it. We will expand our stainless steel polishing equipment because we hope to polish material for others. Depending on the economy this year, we will add to the physical plant plus another 10-foot shear and another 10-foot break to our tool inventory. We currently have a job that will demand a 3D printer. It is an old rail ing with obsolete castings. We will detail the casting and print to a 3D printer in sections. Then, we will either cast it in-house or send the panels to a foundry for casting. I see this is as a new and easily added market: the accurate duplication of antique railings parts and components. Presently our level 3, plasmacutting machine provides all of our cut parts. When we have the need for higher quality cut parts, we generally job these out. O&MM Fabricator: Do you use out side detailers for your shop draw ings or do you have in-house staff for that? What are your thoughts about detailers and architects relative to shop drawings? Evans: Years ago we did use outside detailers as a solution to engineering. But two things have happened. First, the availability of great detailers is small, and second, the cost of detailing some projects adds so much cost that either the profits are significantly reduced or the price becomes higher and the project is lost. My solution was to detail everything in-house. That being said, when we experience a spasm of too much work, we have used outside detailers. For us, however, it’s not just the drawings that matter. When using Tekla, you generate the delivery tickets and bill of materials from the drawing file called a “model.” Embedded in that model is all sorts of information. It is far more important to have a Tekla detailer. However, they command a higher price. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

You can find folks outside the U.S., but the last three jobs we jobbed out cost us dearly in accuracy. I would rather do everything in our shop.

show a flow chart of how business is done, with the job descriptions of each person in that flow chart, including an accountability matrix. In really spending time and improv O&MM Fabricator: How many peo ing that chart, we found several grey ple work in your shop? areas. And guess what? These are also Evans: Our payroll is about 20 peothe very areas our shop was finding ple. We do carry a few office and shop difficult. I’m saying this because hiring part-time folks. has to do with making sure the right person has all the skills and potential O&MM Fabricator: What issues that the position requires. do you face when hiring new employ So about new hires: We are really ees? What minimum requirements looking for a person with the “it do you have for hiring an entry-level factor,” rather than their experience. person? We can train any person who is will Evans: We do a lot of training ing to learn, but if we find people for our shop: safety training, fabricawith no twinkle in their eyes, we don’t tion training, and process training. hire them. That goes for both office and shop Then we train people with that personnel. “it factor” and allow them to grow One of our consultants mentioned beyond their training. Twice a year we that we needed a flow chart of how we give all our employees a full day to disdid business. That was generated, but cover a project that will help our comit wasn’t until this year that we began pany grow. Our staff then evaluates the to see the necessity. ideas and an additional bonus is given We are becoming an AISC shop. for the best three ideas from the office One of theAd first requirements is to Member and- the shop. Proof - NOMMA 4675493-45-3367-A

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I have a set of drawings made up as well to help those doing the training. This way we have common questions answered before they are asked and a staff of better-prepared people. I haven’t published this yet, but I think that many shops might profit from our “standards,” which Matt Soultz (engineering and project management assistant) and I have created

Build a $30,000 gate with actuators? It is outside their ability. So again, if a person has a twinkle in their eye, or what I call the “it factor,” grab them and train them. Even take them to NOMMA trade shows. You can’t guarantee a person will stay with you after you give them all the training, but I can guarantee that if you don’t provide an atmosphere of learning and shared accomplishment, you will lose many employees over time.

O&MM Fabricator:

Do you find employ ees from trade schools? In your experience, are trade O&MM Fabricator: school graduates Does the fabrica The surface mounted rail at the University of Notre Dame softball stadium, Notre good employees and Dame, IN, increased the visibility for fans. A common difficulty for exterior cable tor industry need to rail is the drainage of the condensation build-up within the posts. Small vent holes well trained? do anything to help help to drain the water. Evans: I am sure ensure good employ Also, special dies provided a small vent hole while work on the assist rail posts many trade schools ees are available? proceeded. Sometimes steel rails do not galvanize smoothly, thus low sulfur steel provide excellent What do individual minimized surface defects. skills in basic weldfabricator compa ing and some basic math. Some may provide the experience to assemble nies need to do? What do the schools talk about metallurgy or weld symcomplicated rails or even complicated need to do? bols, but unless you are in an actual fabrications? What vocational school Evans: I enjoy movies. “If You apprentice program, how can a school shows you how to build a building? Build It,” a recent documentary (www. ifyoubuilditmovie.com), talks about a shop class transformed.* Helping schools partner with businesses and allowing students to participate *Synopsis from website (http://www. ifyoubuilditmovie.com/about/synopsis. html):

The documentary “follows designer-activists Emily Pilloton and Matthew Miller to rural Bertie County, the poorest in North Carolina, where they work with local high school students to help transform both their community and their lives. Living on credit and grant money and fighting a change-resistant school board, Pilloton and Miller lead their students through a year-long, full-scale design-and-build project that does much more than just teach basic construction skills: it shows 10 teenagers the power of design-thinking to re-invent not just their town but their own sense of what’s possible.”

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in worthwhile projects is essential to building esteem and competence. Those factors develop the “it factor” in a person’s character. When a student has confidence and hope for a future, then schools will have done a great deal. When asking our vocational schools if they have students who would like to try our sort of work, we have not had much success. Here is something that may give us all concern. America has a huge population ready to retire, at least 70 million. Many fewer young people are entering the work place. Therefore, I believe that those who are sharp may already have found a job. We will then need to be shrewder in finding employees. We will need to keep our eyes open everywhere for that special person who we think would fit in our organization. When we find them, we need to give them our business card and let them know that when they are looking for a job next time, they should contact us.

Several good companies supply this information, for example, Reed Construction, McGraw Hill Dodge, and Construction News Corporation. We have also used Builder’s Exchange. We also use the Internet to generate leads through our website. We use our website as a way of drawing customers. If you are website savvy, then you want to make sure to add the keywords to the page that is generally called “index.html.” That way all the search engines will find these words and may place you at the top, depending on how well you optimize the rest of your website. A website also shows others what you have done and your capacities. We sold a job in Chicago and the client said, that from our website he could see that we could do the work. We also are working on additional

publications that can be seen on the website. When we’re in a business office, we can use our [Apple] iPad to show our work. We are just now beginning to post a store on the site. We also use a service that places all our files in the “cloud.” Several services can do this, such as Dropbox, Box, Skydrive. With all our drawings and photos on the cloud, we can access them from our phones and iPads. When a customer wants to see their work, we can show them drawings and photos, plus access all our contract drawings. O&MM Fabricator: You mentioned Builder’s Exchange. What do you think about online plan rooms? Evans: We do use online plan rooms. It is another way of discover-

O&MM Fabricator: Are you into sus tainability, using “green” ecological principles in your business? Evans: Yes, we are greener than we used to be. I think being more conservation minded started for me in New York State as a pastor. Now we have gone paperless. Nearly everything except the bidding documents and the shop documents are paperless. We have scanned all our old projects as far back as the 1980s, filing them on our computer server. We also work with LEED projects, which for us mean buying materials from vendors closer than 500 miles and using ecologically safe materials. Our paperless office also helps us follow this initiative. O&MM Fabricator: Who is your typical client and how do you find them? Evans: We have specialized in supplying the building trades with our products. We have worked with architects and are specified as approved vendors. We use leads developed by other companies that specialize in following new construction. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

ing projects and the names of contractors bidding the work. These plan rooms allow us to download drawings to our server. From there, we can print out any drawings needed for estimating or fabricating needs. We used such items back in the 1980s, when FW Dodge was creating files on microfilm. The computer is certainly easier to use. One other item, online fax services for about $10/month allow you to take fax numbers and broadcast your estimates out. Most of the drawings services will give you a Microsoft Excel file that lists contractors. You can cut and paste the list and bypass your fax machine. If you are smart, you can also keep these in a large list. Then, because emails are also included, you can make regular email letters to potential customers. O&MM Fabricator: Have you devel oped any useful content as a market ing tool to help inform or get clients, e.g. how-to articles, project photo gallery, video of your shop, testimo nials, white papers, problem-solution case studies, a blog?

Evans: We haven’t used a blog, but we have started to advertise through mailings and brochures. We also have made some simple give-away flowers that we can give a potential client. We are also thanking new clients with small gifts, not over $10, so they do not feel influenced. We have used videos of our plant and working machines to demonstrate our capacity. Now we are listing our past work on our website so potential clients can get a feel of the kind of work we have done. O&MM Fabricator: Do you use social media marketing? Some of your potential clients — architects, land scape architects, general contractors — participate in group discussions on LinkedIn, for example. And other social media sites have large numbers of homeowners looking at photo gal leries for design ideas. What are your thoughts about social media? Evans: We do have a Facebook page. One of our part-time people is updating that page. This person came with an idea during one of our “Wildly Important Goals” meetings and volunteered to make this improvement.

O&MM Fabricator: Do you use email marketing? Newsletters (print or email)? If so, what kind of content do you have in it? How well have they worked for you? Evans: We have a database of past customers and have mailed out literature to them. This is our first year of doing such advertising. In the past, all our work has come to us through companies or owners requesting a quotation from us or from our discovery of projects through our lead-generating sources mentioned earlier. About 40% of our work comes from our satisfied return customers. So it’s important to keep our customers well serviced. Now we are adding to our database the people we are quoting with whom we have not been successful. We have postcards for our next mailing and a brochure for our summer edition. I will evaluate our advertising next year. But I do know this. From our last mailing, we have received calls from long-standing customers who did not know we did a particular kind of work that we mentioned in our advertising. That tells me that we have under-communicated our abilities at least 100-fold. O&MM Fabricator: Do you work outside your local geographic mar ket? Have you partnered with other NOMMA fabricators to help you on a job outside your locale or to do a portion of a job you could not do? Evans: We have asked for advice from other members but only rarely have we partnered with other NOMMA fabricators. I think that is because our trading area is rather large. We currently serve clients from Cleveland to Chicago and are in these areas regularly. O&MM Fabricator: Advice for other fabricators trying to find clients? What must fabricators do? Evans: Client discovery and retention are important issues. If I were to give one piece of advice, it would stop being a sales person and start being a helpful consultant. If you have ever said or heard someone say grace

Fabricator n July / August 2014

before a meal, you might have heard, “. . . and make us mindful for the needs of others.” Take this to heart. A lot of clients and potential clients will appreciate a vendor that places their interests above that of the vendor. I hope that is how people think of us. O&MM Fabricator: How do you

define “customer service”? Evans: At the end of the job, we are beginning to send out a letter that asks for customer feedback. It includes engineering, project management, as well as timely and accurate delivery and fit-up. I am sure others are doing this as well, but this is the first year we are doing this. Our client’s comments are helpful and we are taking them to heart. So for us, customer service is composed of multiple client touch points starting with pricing so we can work within a customer’s financial means, effective communication between our shop and the client for general arrangement and scope, communication about timely deliveries, working with our shop to assure parts are accurately fabricated, coordination with our erectors for easy field assembly, and looking at our cost accounting to assure us that a profit is made.

Couple that with more and more customers having difficulty paying us within our terms of 30 days. We just finished a project where the client demanded a very tight turnaround and material was both sand blasted and epoxy painted, yet we weren’t paid for 90 days. The gap between buying at the lowest price and being delayed in payment is what I call the cash crunch. We have been undercapitalized. But I am happy to say that pinch is changing with our creditor. O&MM Fabricator: What fabrication job challenges have you faced? How have you resolved them? Evans: I think our greatest challenge is hitting a moving target. Our projects will often change; we might have more than 30 revisions on a job, and we have 30 to 50 jobs in progress simultaneously. Keeping track of these revisions and their potential cost changes have been a significant challenge.

The programs we are using — Tekla for drawings and FabSuite for project management and production control — allow us to keep on top of these changes. The struggle is keeping our whole office in the loop with changes as they occur. O&MM Fabricator: Have you ever had an “a-ha” (a compelling discov ery) business or fabrication moment? Evans: My greatest challenge and “a-ha” has been the willingness to trust people to do the best for the company. I’ve occasionally looked at the scrap bin and seen mistakes that cause me to wonder how far ahead people are thinking. But when we conducted our second WIG day and have seen the new ideas, new tools built, storage changes, and plant improvements, I realize that we don’t have just a good group of men and women, but we have the capacity to be the best fabricator in the area.

O&MM Fabricator: Beyond the econ omy, what business challenges have you’ve faced? Evans: Our first and chronic challenge was accurate and timely drawings. That, I think, has been mastered. Now we are facing a cash crunch. Years ago, I used to buy from the steel or aluminum mills directly. That practice faded away after I went to seminary and entered the ministry. But if our math is correct, when better capitalized, a business will increase its profits by a substantial amount. Our greatest challenge this year is the credit and payment challenge. While every business rises or falls due to sales, new sales are directly related to the cost of our raw materials. If we cannot buy materials at the lowest rates, then we lose potential projects. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Biz Side

Working on the business, not in the business ■

Bill Bendinelli, owner and lead designer of BenFab Architectural Metalwork, has an epiphany while attending a Goldman-Sachs small business program learning more about operations, marketing, human resources, and sales.

By Linda Erbele

“It’s for businesses that are poised for growth,” she says. “It’s not for lifeBill Bendinelli was stuck. style businesses that are what they are, His business, BenFab Architectural but for businesses that have an appetite Metalwork, Lansdowne, PA, was making for growth.” money, but he couldn’t grow it. She said the businesses in general “I worked for 13 years in my own have been in operation two or more business and for 10 years before for my years, have annual revenue of $150,000 father,” he says. “I had honed my skills as to $4 million, and four or more a craftsman, but I didn’t have the necesemployees. sary skills to grow my business and take “There are a lot of resources out it to the next level.” there for starting up a business,” BradHe heard a radio ad for the Goldman ley says, “but far less for those that are Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. ready to move on to the next stage.” The initiative was looking for small She said that the program has business owners, with four or more sometimes been referred to as a mini employees and annual earnings of at MBA. She called it “entrepreneurial least $150,000, who wanted to grow boot camp.” their business. The ad said the program “It provides a taste of each of the was free. elements required to consider growth Bendinelli went to the Community opportunities: money and metrics, College of Philadelphia’s website and leadership and human resources, filled out the application. operations, marketing and sales, being “To me, it was difficult,” he said. “It bankable, and putting it all together,” was a big application with lots of quesBradley says. “There’s a real focus on tions. You had to include three years of efficient, effective, and compelling personal tax returns and three years of communications.” business tax returns.” Bendinelli calls it life changing. The application was reviewed, and he Bill Bendinelli “They saw me as The course involves 100 hours of was invited for an interview with a com- a business owner who was hungry to class, divided among 11 full-day sessions mittee of Goldman Sachs people and the grow and willing to change, to take on Fridays and Saturdays and several in everything 10KSB would teach me faculty of the program, called 10KSB. evenings over three to four months. “2012 was a difficult year and I had to and apply it to my business.” Another roughly 100 hours of indiexplain why that was,” Bendinelli said. vidual and small group work is also “I was really concerned that the interview committee would part of the program, with students divided into small groups take it as a negative, but instead they saw me as a business and learning from their peers as well as from their assigned owner who was hungry to grow and willing to change, to business advisor and expert faculty. take in everything 10KSB would teach me and apply it to Human resources a major theme my business.” “We had to list all the obstacles and challenges that In fact, that hunger is an attribute that the program is we face. We had 23 different businesses there,” Bendinelli designed for, says Margaret Berger Bradley, executive direcsays. “Everyone had the same issues. Most were employee tor, 10,000 Small Businesses–Greater Philadelphia at the related.” Community College of Philadelphia. 60

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About the Goldman Sachs small businesses program Program purpose

To help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to education, financial capital, and business support services. The program is funded by Goldman Sachs and The Goldman Sachs Foundation.

Program locations

Colleges in 11 cities around the country offer the program. It is available in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and Salt Lake City. Requirements

2 years in business. 4 or more employees. n $150,000 to $4 million annual revenue. n

Practical business and management education

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is contri buting $200 million nationally to program partners, including local community colleges and business schools. Funds go toward scholarships, faculty training, and technical assistance to help build the organizations’ capacity. Students receive a practical education that focuses on skills they can apply immediately, including accounting, marketing, and human resources management. Access to capital

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses has allocated $300 million nationally for a combination of lending and philanthropic support to non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Loan Funds as well as other local community-based lenders. The investment increases the growth capital available to small businesses in underserved communities and expands the capacity of lenders to deliver financing and technical assistance to small businesses. The access to capital component of the program is managed by the Urban Investment Group (UIG) in GS Bank USA. Business support services

Small business owners often face challenges finding networking opportunities and expert advice. The initia tive provides these services through partnerships with national and local business organizations, professional services firms, and the people of Goldman Sachs. The students learned not only how to delegate but that they must delegate. They gained competencies in hiring and firing. “They told us the first day of class that we would probably remove or replace some employees before the course was over,” Bendinelli says. Indeed, he returned to work and fired someone whose work he had been unhappy with, but he had procrastinated doing anything about it. The first two people he hired to replace that employee had to be let go as well within a month. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

What’s included

n How to create and act on a growth plan. n Identifying and evaluating business opportunities. n How your company’s financial statements help you set goals. n Benchmark your progress and grow your revenue. n Leadership; human resources. n Organizing operations to facilitate growth. n Fundamental business valuation techniques. n External business advisors. n Implementation of strategies.

Return on investment

Measuring impact is a fundamental component of 10,000 Small Businesses, a Goldman-Sachs Fact Sheet reports. The program tracks two metrics of graduate performance: n Business revenue growth. n Job creation. The program has a 99% overall graduation rate, and about 63% of participants have reported increasing their revenues and 47% have reported creating net new jobs just six months after graduating. To apply or for more information www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/ 10000-small-businesses/US/

“Firing is difficult, but it’s necessary,” Bendinelli says. “A bad employee affects the whole organization. It brings down company morale.” He found that he expects more of people now. “I really look for people with a strong work ethic and good character,” Bendinelli says. “I think that’s more important than a highly skilled employee.” Courses based on the practical, not theoretical

“There were things you could apply right away,” he says. “Every time we had a session, I’d go back to work and make 61

6 takeaways from the Goldman Sachs program 1 Employees job descriptions are documented. “I have seen people’s attitudes change because they now know exactly what is expected of them and they have more pride in it,” Bendinelli says. 2 Processes are in place to set goals and measure progress. The monthly schedule and financial goals are now shared with employees. 3 Planning an incentive pro gram to give employees a sense of ownership. 4 Accounting changes from cash basis to accrual. “Cash basis only

five changes. I would leave there on fire, completely motivated. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep I was so on fire, but it was stuff I could use.” Homework was all about the student’s individual business.

tells you how much money came in. Accrual tells you how much work was completed and gives you an idea what to expect next month,” Bendinelli says. 5 Schedule is set around reve nue. He used to schedule based on customer’s needs. Now it’s on the needs of the business. 6 Use Google calendar and email, company-wide. “My salesmen put all their sales appointments on the calendar. We put all the jobs to be completed on it, and I put my schedule on it,” Bendinelli says. “So everyone knows where everyone is and what needs to be completed.” “It was looking at all those things you should look at but never do because we’re too busy working,” Bendinelli says. Bradley said that among the participants in the program was someone

with a high school diploma, a Ph.D., M.B.A, and even an M.D., but what was common among them was that while they know how to do their job, most are never trained on how to run their own businesses. Bendinelli said his class was asked to develop ideas to grow their businesses. Then they did a feasibility study to see if the idea was really an opportunity, if there was a market for it. “That’s where everything came into play, the marketing, the human resources,” he said. The students gain as much from their interaction with other students as they do from the speakers and homework. “What is special about this program is that people are working with other people out of their own fields, who are still dealing with all the same kinds of issues. It becomes a very special learning network,” Bradley says. “One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur,” he says, “is being in your own lonely space. Here’s a chance to learn from the very best, [people who are] experienced in financials or marketing.” Learning from businesses not in your market

Among the other business owners in his small group was a man with a countertop business, whose model for growth sparked an idea for Bendinelli — turning one of his custom products into a product line. “I saw that his model was perfect for what I wanted to do. He helped me develop my whole business model,” Bendinelli says. “I realized that none of my competition had this particular product. The whole idea was to sell through a distribution network and not just sell from myself.” He organized a selection of designs of the particular product for customers to choose from, and then met with a few retail businesses to set up distribution channels. The beauty of the idea, he adds, is that his employees can work on it without his involvement, because he has documented the procedures, from drawings to installation. 62

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is being in your own lonely space. Here’s a chance to learn from the very best, [people who are] experienced in financials or marketing.” Bill Bendinelli

Owner, lead designer BenFab Inc.

He “launched” the product by exhibiting at the Philadelphia Home Show in January and with a marketing campaign that includes magazine ads and television commercials. “I’m lucky, because my wife has a marketing company, so she’s helped,” he says. “I couldn’t have done it alone.” He now recommends getting into a group with other business owners. “People are always willing to help you,” Bendinelli says. “Most people want to see other people do well.” The power of delegation

Delegation, of course, is one of the things everyone had to improve on. Students had to get up in front of the class and name one thing they were going to delegate. “I came back and told my foreman that he was going to manage the schedule,” Bendinelli says. It took a few adjustments, but it ended up working well. “Eight months ago, I was working 70 hours a week. A lot of the people in my group were thinking ‘how the hell is my business going to thrive if we’re stuck in class and doing homework?’” he adds. “We all think our business can’t function without us, but when you call your people to step up, they will. If they don’t, then you need to get rid of them.” BenFab plan a work in progress

Last year BenFab had its best August ever, and that was with him taking the class and a two-week vacation. He attributes much of that to things he learned in the Goldman Sachs program. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

At the end of the class, he had a 56-page growth plan. “I could take it to a bank if I wanted to and show them what I wanted to do,” he says. “It’s all so thoroughly researched, we could have a real discussion about it.” But what he learned went much deeper than the plan. Bendinelli says he’s far from where he needs to be, but his goal is to work on the business 75% of the time, and in the business only 25% of the time. “I used to hide in the shop because that’s where I’m the most comfortable, setting up the fabricators,” Bendinelli says. “I was uncomfortable with the financials and HR. Before, I felt uncomfortable as the owner. Now I feel more comfortable as owner, not an employee. It’s made me become a better leader.”

For your information

“One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur,

About the company BenFab Inc. Bill Bendinelli Owner, lead designer 13 S. Highland Ave Lansdowne, PA 19050 610-626-9100 610-626-9200 fax bill@benfabrailings.com www. benfabrailings.com About the author Linda Erbele, an Atlanta-based writer with 15 years of journalism experience, specializes in business and travel writing.

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NOMMA Nationwide Supplier Members Albina Pipe Bending Co. Inc. dba Albina Co. Inc. 503 692-6010

Allen Architectural Metals Inc. 800 204-3858

Alloy Casting Co. Inc. 972 286-2368

American Punch Co. 216 731-4501

Ameristar Fence Products 918 835-0898

Architectural Iron Designs Inc. 908 757-2323

Atlas Metal Sales 800 662-0143

AZZ Galvanizing 815 618-8440

Banker Wire

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Big Blu Hammer Mfg. 828 437-5348

Julius Blum & Co. Inc. 800 526-6293

Bridgeton Drafting Co. LLC 856 205-1279

D.J.A. Imports Ltd. 718 324-6871

DAC Industries Inc. 616 235-0140

DKS, DoorKing Systems 800 826-7493

Eagle Bending Machines Inc.

251 937-0947

Eastern Metal Supply 800 343-8154

Elite Architectural Metal Supply LLC EPi

ETemplate Systems 919 676-2244

FabCAD Inc.

800 255-9032

The Fabrication Store 866 79-FAB-4-U

Farris Fab & Machine Co. 704 629-6879

Feeney Inc. (Feeney Architectural Products) 800 888-2418

Geo. Bezdan Sales Ltd.

Carl Stahl DecorCable Innovations 800 444-6271

Century Group Inc. 337 527-5266

Chicago Metal Rolled Products Co. 800 798-4504

Q-Railing USA Co.

King Architectural Metals

Ransburg

King Architectural Metals – CA

Regency Railings Inc.

718 722-7400 800 542-2379

714 670-8980

410 644-5932

The Cable Connection

251 937-0948

Kammetal Inc.

Krando Metal Products

Gates That Open LLC (GTO)

Carell Corp.

ProCounsel

800 523-7427

262 786-9330

Cable Art Inc.

800 851-2961

The Iron Shop

800 667-9101

King Architectural Metals – MD

The G-S Co.

661 257-7522

Precision Glass Bending Corp.

847 636-1233

C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. 800 421-6144

Interstate Mfg. Associates Inc.

410 284-9549 850 575-0176

604 299-5264

Hartford Standard Co. Inc. 270 298-3227

Hayn Enterprises LLC 860 257-0680

Hebo/Stratford Gate Systems Inc. 503 722-7700

Heritage Cast Iron USA 918 592-1700

610 543-4311

L.E. Sauer Machine Co. 636 225-5358

Lavi Industries

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Lawler Foundry Corp. 800 624-9512

Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc. 718 894-1442

Lift Master

630 279-3600

Locinox USA

708 579-0286

McNichols Co.

847 635-5100

Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool 800 467-2464

Multi Sales Inc.

800 421-3575

Colorado Waterjet Co.

Industrial Coverage Corp.

Ohio Gratings Inc.

Custom Orn. Iron Works Ltd.

Industrial Metal Center Co. WLL

Pacific Stair Corp.

866 464-4766

D & D Technologies (USA) Inc.

011 9-652-474-8903

216 291-2303

Rogers Mfg. Inc.

940 325-7806

Sculpt Nouveau

760 432-8242

SECO South

888 535-SECO

Sharpe Products 800 879-4418

South Camden Iron Works Inc. 856 423-1107

Stairways Inc.

713 680-3110

Transpacific Industrial Supply Inc.

262 786-2700

O.K. Foundry Co. Inc.

631 736-7500

800 824-2157

Rockite, Div. of Hartline Products Co. Inc.

McKey Perforating

Indiana Gratings Inc.

866 532-5404

214 742-9408

Robinson Iron Corp.

Sumter Coatings Inc.

631 225-5400

CML USA Inc. Ercolina

800 634-1988

419 470-2000

Marks U.S.A.

800 631-9510

NC Tool Co.

563 391-7700

714 259-1372

Mac Metals Inc.

Illinois Engineered Products Inc. 312 850-3710

214 741-3014

Suhner Industrial Products Inc.

CM Iron Supply LLC 480 968-5121

800 543-8796

706 235-8046 888 471-3400

909 581-3058

Tri-State Shearing & Bending 718 485-2200

TS Distributors Inc. 832 467-5400

The Wagner Companies 888 243-6914

336 674-5654 804 592-2240 330 477-6707

503 390-8305

Powder-X Coating Systems 888 326-4840

714 677-1300

July / August 2014 n Fabricator

NOMMA 2014 Gold Members

New NOMMA Members Meet our members

NOMMA is proud of its 530+ members. As members, fabricators and suppliers show support for both the association and entire industry. To get contact information on a member, please see our Member Locator at www.nomma.org. New members as of June 20, 2014. *Asterisk denotes returning member Advanced Welding Inc. Danny Matthews Daytona Beach, FL Fabricator Alegre Equine Airtransport* Gregory Jackson Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Fabricator Appalachian Ironworks John Robinson Kingsport, TN Fabricator Appleby’s Ornamental Iron Randy Hauschild Tucson, AZ Fabricator Breeden Fine Ironwork Robert Breeden Amherst, ME Fabricator Builders Stair Supply* Chas Wiebe St. Louis, MO Fabricator C & F Steel Company Inc. Warner Fox Hamilton, TX Fabricator Cass Metal Craft Inc. Robert Baird Cass Lake, MN Fabricator DeLand Metal Craft Co.* Edward Ray DeLand, FL Fabricator Distinctive Metal Leonard Dutkiewicz Dunnellon, FL Fabricator East Coast Ornamental Welding Inc. Melissa Adjemian Holly Hill, FL Fabricator

Equine Creations* Jeffrey M. Edelson Manheim, PA Fabricator FabCorp LLC Allan Hohman Houston, TX Fabricator Farris Fab & Machine Co. Shannon Saine Cherryville, NC Nationwide Supplier Gallery Steel Tom Myers Waterford, MI Fabricator Gerow Properties Rick Gerow Lafayette, CA Fabricator Hamilton MetalCraft Inc. Chris Tuzinowski Westbury, NY Fabricator Impact Kenny Waugh Washington, DC Affiliate J & R Industrial Sales Inc. Chris Spinelli Glendale, WI Local Supplier Magnum Companies Inc.* Greg Brockman Phoenix, AZ Fabricator McNichols Co. Wade Repavich Des Plaines, IL Nationwide Supplier Metalcrafts Inc. Richard Evans Youngstown, OH Fabricator Palmer Marble & Tile Inc.* David L. Palmer West Palm Beach, FL Fabricator

NOMMA is pleased to welcome our newest Gold Members — companies who have been a member for 20 years or more. These companies show a strong loyalty to both their industry and trade association. We thank them for their support. Architectural Iron Designs Inc. Berger Iron Works Inc. n Creative Forge - Reichert Corp. n D’Agostino Iron Works Inc. n DAC Industries Inc. n Emerald Ironworks Inc. n Historical Arts & Casting Inc. n Jesco Industries Inc. — Wire & Iron Products Div. n Keystone Metals Inc. n Liberty Home Products n Louis Emmel Ornamental Iron Inc. n Mac Metals Inc. n New Hampshire Steel Fabricators Inc. n Outland Steel Inc. n Pinpoint Solutions n Van Dam Iron Works n Van Linda Iron Works Inc. n n

Pearly Gates Inc. Leonard Flick Aurora, CO Fabricator Perpetua Iron Janet Sanders St. Louis, MO Fabricator Savannah River Forge* Mike Ivey Augusta, GA Fabricator Southern Staircase Michael Hanagriff Alpharetta, GA Fabricator St. Louis Ironworks Tony Hargiss St. Peters, MO Fabricator Stainless Fabrications Jim Madden Brockton, MA Fabricator Steel & Pipes Inc.* Alberto Vidal Caguas, Puerto Rico Local Supplier The Design-Build Group Inc. Rob Greenglass Toronto, ON, Canada Fabricator Tri Tech Inc. Michael Bivins Austell, GA Fabricator Viva Railings LLC* Huzefa Tinwala Carrollton, TX Fabricator

Litchfield, MI Pittsburgh, PA Denver, CO Coraopolis, PA Kearny, NJ Goffstown, NH Caldwell, ID Jupiter, FL Grand Rapids, MI Lake Worth, FL

We greatly thank these companies for their two decades of loyalty and support.

Join the Iron Club 2014–2015 Get your Chapter Involved! Chapters can award a free METALfab registration for every 4 members they recruit! We will have a NOMMA Chapter competition this year and the winning chapter will be awarded a Special Reception at METALfab2015. The competition began July 1. Individuals and chapters may sponsor a member for a $75 discount off METALfab 2015 registration. Sponsor 4 members and 1 registration is free! To sponsor a member, encourage your suppliers, partners, contractors, and nearby fabricators to join. If inviting them by email, send them this link: http://tinyurl.com/ q6a62r5 Contact Brian Maddox at brian@nomma.org and he will follow up with you and your new member prospects. The Iron Club begins a new recruiting year in July 2014. The Iron Club membership is made up of those who have sponsored (recruited) new members to join NOMMA. You can sponsor a new member by inviting them to join NOMMA and having them send in their membership application. To ensure credit for this member, have them list your company as a sponsor on their application. Iron Club Members show special dedication and leadership through their member recruitment efforts. We honor them for their outstanding efforts. NOMMA Salutes it’s first sponsor for the 2014–15 membership year: n

Plainfield, NJ Houston, TX Telford, PA Rochester, NY Grand Rapids, MI Woodbridge, VA West Jordan, UT

Mark O’Malley, O’Malley Welding & Fabricating Inc. Yorkville, IL. Fabricator n July / August 2014

What’s Hot? n People Frank Duff joins IGD as national sales manager Frank Duff has joined International Gate Devices, Folsom, PA, as national sales manager. Duff brings 10-plus years of experience in sales and installation to the job. “We are extremely happy to have Frank join our team. With experience in the industry, and his superb communication and computer skills, he will be a valuable asset to our organization,” says IGD co-owner Kathleen Sellitto. Contact 800-557-4283 www.intlgate.com The Wagner Companies hires accounting manager David Chermake has been appointed accounting manager for The Wagner Companies, Milwaukee. Chermake comes to Wagner with more than 11 years of accounting experience. He will be responsible for financial reporting and will directly supervise accounts receivable, billing, accounts payable, and account assistant associates. Chermake comes to Wagner after stints at Robert Halt International, U.S. Bancorp, Penzeys LTD. Contact 888-243-6914 www.wagnercompanies.com

Industry News

TS Distributors expanding warehouse and manufacturing facilities TS Distributors Inc., a national supplier to the metal fabricator and access control professional, is expanding its Houston facilities. It will include additional warehouse space and an extension of the company’s manufacturing facilities. TS Distributors President Brad Stein stated, “This expansion emphasizes our focus and commitment to the ornamental metal and access control industries.

It is a necessary investment to support our customers and their product needs. We are excited about this growth and expanding our product lines and manufacturing capabilities.” The project is expected to be completed this summer. You can view up-to-date photos of the project’s progress on the company’s homepage www. tsdistributors.com.

Media Building Technology Heritage Library The Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL), a project of the Association for Preservation Technology Int. (APT), is a free, online library of historic architectural trade catalogs and related technical literature. The BTHL has thousands of items, with more than 50 catalogs of ornamental metals and sheet metal. APT is a not-for-profit organization locates old trade catalogs and raises funds to digitize them. The designs in the catalogs may be useful for historic and contemporary purposes. Currently, only pre-1964 catalogs that are not copyrighted and in the public domain are used. You can find metal-related catalogs by searching at the website with these keywords, for example: ornamental metals, sheet metal, decorative metals, railings, cast iron. Contact https://archive.org/details/ buildingtechnologyheritagelibrary

TS Distributors catalog available

The 361-page 2014 TS Distributors Product Catalog is now available. This catalog, which contains 4,800 items, caters to every aspect of metal fabrication and access control needs with a spectrum of products — from the latest in wireless technology to hard-to-find castings and panels. Included is a quick reference guide for easily locating items by name, category, or item number. All catalog products are backed with TS Distributors’ free technical support. Each member of the company’s sales team undergoes new product training to ensure they can answer your technical questions. For a free copy of the print catalog fill out a form at the company’s website. Contact 800-392-3655 www.tsdistributors.com

TE LL US

Do you have company news? Personnel changes? New products on the market? New product literature? Upcoming events? Send it all to Todd Daniel at editor@nomma.org. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

What’s Hot? n Mechanical code lock Locinox The Free Vinci mechanical code lock with secured entrance and free exit features an aluminum housing and stainless steel mechanism. It offers the ability to secure one side with a code for entrance while leaving the other side free for exit. No batteries or electricity are required, which makes it possible to equip any gate with access control, according to the company. The Free Vinci has an integrated security pressure plate designed to avoid code detection (the code

Products

cannot be detected by pressing buttons and can be changed easily if necessary). The lock is delivered with a stainless steel rollerbolt instead of the standard beveled self-latching bolt, to ensure a smooth closing of the lock into the keep. The lock is also reversible, eliminating the need to keep a separate stock of left- and right-turning gates and profiles. Contact 877-562-4669 www.locinox.com Brush-on solutions for installed components Birchwood Technologies Birchwood Technolo-

gies Brush-On Solutions are designed to create rich tones for copper, brass, bronze, steel and aluminum. The coatings provide decorative finishes for installed components in already-finished areas. Several of the products have a gel consistency that gives the user ultimate control over the coloring reaction while helping to eliminate undesirable staining due to runs, drips and splashing. Antique Brown M38 Brush-On and Antique

Brown Gel are designed for producing an oil-rubbed bronze or leather brown finish on already-installed components. Handrails, wall panels, sculpture, frames, display racks, and similar components finish up with a warm coating that complements adjacent surfaces such as wood, stone, tile and glass, says

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the company. Applied after cleaning new or reconditioned surfaces, the reaction speed and finish color are controlled by diluting the liquid with water or adjusting the contact time with the metal. Presto Black BST4 Brush-On and Presto Black Gel are designed for application on any size part in limited quantities. They solve the application challenges of immersing large surfaces while producing a quality, durable black finish, says the company. The solutions are designed for all types of decorative architectural components and can be sealed with a rust-preventive for extra finish protection. Antique Black M24 Brush-On and Antique Black Gel are for copper, brass, and bronze parts, and produce an antique black finish in 2 to 10 minutes after part cleaning. Color tone and depth are controlled by visual inspection and stopping the process by rinsing the surface with a wet sponge and allowing it to dry. Aluma Black A14 Brush-On is designed for aluminum alloys, to provide a durable, smooth black finish. It is applied undiluted to blacken entire parts or used as a touch-up for black anodized parts that have been damaged or re-machined. Contact 952-937-7931 www.birchwoodtechnologies.com Large-capacity abrasive saw Kalamazoo Industries The Kalamazoo Industries Model K26E large-capacity abrasive saw is designed for foundries and other metal-working operations handling large workpieces. The machine offers a range of options for virtually any type of cut in workpieces up to 7-inch pipe, 5-inch solids, and 8-inch shapes. The saw is totally enclosed with a 6-inch outlet and is available for either wet or dry cutting. It accepts 26-inch diameter abrasive wheels, and can be ordered with motors from 20 HP through 50 HP. July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Available options on the Model K26E saw include oscillation for “mirror-surface” cutting, wheel-wear compensation, cam vise clamping, a vacuum dust collector, door interlocks, bed filter/pump system, T slot tables, and a moveable X axis table. The Model K26E saw features semi-automatic 0–12 FPM power down feed, air chain vise, V belt drive and spindle speeds of 1,200 RPM for wet cutting, or 1,800 RPM for dry cutting. Contact 269-382-2050 www.kalamazooindustries.com Wireless foot pedal Lincoln Electric Ad Proof Lincoln Electric has introduced a Wireless Pedal that is designed

to deliver an enhanced level of freedom and mobility for TIG welding applications. The K3127-1 Wireless Pedal reduces clutter and improves workplace safety by eliminating cords that can lead to tripping hazards in the shop environment, according to the company. The system includes the foot pedal (K3350-1) and receiver (K3351-1), which operate on any of the following Lincoln Electric power sources: n Aspect 375 n Square Wave TIG 175 n Precision TIG 225, 275, 375 n Invertec V205-T, V350 PRO

n Power Wave C300, S350, S500 (all require a K2909-1 adapter) n Power MIG 350MP 77035-CB-4829-08 n Flextec 450, 650 The Wireless Pedal makes it easier

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for maximum precision from the first cut, multiple lengths from the same stock, and a loop function for repeat sequences to yield maximum economy from stock lengths. The machine’s bar feed accuracy of +/- 0.005 inches contributes to repeatable precision sawing. Up to 100 jobs can be stored for reuse, eliminating the need to set and reset various parameters. Contact 269-321-8860 www.kmtsaw.com

to access hard-to-reach areas, says Lincoln Electric. The receiver features an LED display that indicates the status of foot pedal battery life, welding output and signal integrity. It also includes a power cable adapter requiring 115V service. Extension legs adapt the pedal for use at an angle or on irregular surfaces. Contact 888-935-3876 www.lincolnelectric.com Automatic high-speed circular saw Kalamazoo Machine Tool The Kalamazoo Machine Tool Model CT 350 A-NC saw is a fully automatic high-speed circular saw designed for high production rates with aluminum extrusions, small aluminum solids, and other non-ferrous materials. The saw has a swiveling capability for mitering to 45° left and

right, and a swiveling/tilting capability for compound mitering. The Model CT 350 A-NC saw features twin pneumatic vises with infinitely variable clamping pressure for safety and quality, and quick cycle times. The company says the programmable control is easy to learn and provides digital entry of lengths

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Solar-powered LED accent lights AGS Stainless AGS Stainless has introduced its Starlight solar-powered LED accent lights, designed to be an easily mountable and energy-saving lighting option for any deck or outdoor living space. The company says that Starlight is the first solar-powered light designed

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specifically for cable railing systems. Housed in a stylish yet sturdy marinegrade stainless steel shell, this new exterior lighting accessory is designed to complement the full-line of AGS’ stainless steel decking/stairway cable rail systems. Created as a lighting accessory for a wide array of exterior settings and both residential and commercial applications, the display possibilities for Starlight include: being mounted upon stainless steel decking posts within outdoor living spaces; illuminating second-story railings to create depth; use in front walkway pillars to create a welcoming visual affect; and being attached to any building’s exterior to accentuate focal points while customizing a Clearview Railing System. Starlight is the first lighting accessory to the Clearview line of stainless steel railing systems.

Starlight is made up of pre-drilled, 316-grade brushed stainless steel for durability and ease in installation. It also features three light channels and an open bottom for a down-lighting effect. Starlight can provide up to 12 hours of lighting without electrical wiring. One rechargeable AAA NiCAD battery is included, which gets recharged during daylight hours via the 1.5 x 3-inch slim solar panel. Contact 888-842-9492 www.AGSStainless.com Extrusion coating system Valspar The Valspar Corporation has July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Acropon 2605 Extrusion Coating System is also designed to withstand abrasions and chemicals, reducing the potential for scratches, mars or damage during shipments and installation. It also meets the demands of hightraffic interior applications. With an H-2H pencil hardness, fabricators and installers can be confident that Acropon is unlikely to require touch-up in the field, says the company. The smooth surface is easy to clean, contributing to lower maintenance costs for facility managers and greater building values for property owners. Contact 612-851-7000 www.valsparglobal.com introduced Acropon 2605 Extrusion Coating System for extruded aluminum products, such as storefronts, entrances, windows, handrails, column covers and panel systems. The new coating system’s high gloss, color palette and performance qualities are formulated for both exterior and interior applications on luxury condominiums and other highend, high-rise residences, as well as low- to mid-rise commercial buildings, including airports, schools, hospitals, retail centers, offices and other facilities with high-traffic areas. Valspar says the company developed this proprietary, composite system of organic and inorganic polymers with the latest advances in resin technology. The resulting finish meets or exceeds AAMA 2605-13 specifications for 10-year south Florida exposure weathering conditions and resistance to salt spray, chalking and fading. The two-coat system consists of a color coat and a clear coat, and is spray-applied to extruded aluminum. The innovative composition allows for precise color control, consistency and retention, according to Valspar. A wide palette is available, including color-intense hues, mica and metallic. Gloss levels range from 30 to 70 and higher.

Cart for welders Uniweld The new Uniweld 511 cart was designed to allow easy access for regulator pressure adjustment and is equipped with a center-balanced handle for convenient and comfortable carrying. The cart includes a dedi-

cated hose winder and large storage compartment for accessories on the front. There are storage slots for holding equipment securely and a storage space for brazing alloys. In addition, each cart includes a cylinder wrench with chain to securely attach to the cart or cylinders. Contact 800-323-2111 www.uniweld.com 71

What’s Hot? n

Products

Self-dumping hoppers Iron Bull Self-dumping material handling hoppers fabricated by Iron Bull Manufacturing, a new company headquartered in Marshall, IN, are equipped with a proprietary Positive Alignment System featuring a Tapered Slide Box with expanded clearance angles for fast, accurate entry of forktruck forks into hopper base channels. They come with full refund guarantees. “Tapered angles make the operator’s job easier, allowing insertion of forks into enlarged base channel entry spaces on the first try, eliminating time-consuming forktruck maneuvering and manual corrections of fork heights,” says Emanuel King, Iron Bull CEO. “They also help prevent dings and dents to hoppers caused by up or down fork misalignment.” Iron Bull produces three series of hoppers — Economy Bull, Baby Bull and Big Bull — with weight capacities

ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 pounds and ⅓ to 2½ cubic-yard capacities for manufacturing, machining, construction, agriculture, storage and waste collection and recycling markets. Hoppers made to customer specifications also are available. Engineered with structural integrity for rugged, long-term service, these hoppers are strengthened by wrap-around welded lips on back corners, sides extended below hopper

bottoms, full-length channel bases, and gussets welded into front corners. Iron Bull’s dual safety lock package includes manual flip lock and retaining chain that hooks onto hoppers, keeping contents intact when stationary and fastening onto forktruck lift masts during transit and dumping, stabilizing loads to prevent accidental sliding or spillage, says the company. An optional Dump From Seat latch rope provides added safety, allowing operators to remain seated while releasing loads rather than leaving forktrucks to manually discharge them. Optional casters enable hoppers to move quickly around factory floors without the need for forktrucks and accompanying fuel expenses. Contact 765-597-2480 www.ibullmarketing.com

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Association of North America, Inc. Fabricator n July / August 2014

72 1-4_tradbuilding.indd 1

2/14/14 3:56 PM

Advertiser’s Index A thanks to the following advertisers for their support of O&MM Fabricator magazine. Pg Company

Website

29 Albina Pipe Bending Co, Inc. (DBA Albina Co. Inc.).........................................www.albinaco.com 72 Artist-Blacksmith’s Assoc. of North America Inc.................................................www.abana.org 68 Atlas Metal Sales............................................. www.atlasmetal.com 45 Big Blu Hammer Mfg. Co. / Oak Hill Iron Works................................www.bigbluhammer.com 69 Blacksmiths Depot / Kayne & Son Custom Hardware Inc...................... www.blacksmithsdepot.com 4 Julius Blum & Co. Inc.....................................www.juliusblum.com 23 The Cable Connection................. www.thecableconnection.com 70 John C. Campbell Folk School.......................www.folkschool.org 32 Carell Corporation........................................... www.carellcorp.com 41 Chicago Metal Rolled Products Co...................... www.cmrp.com 34 COLE-TUVE/CT Machinery................................ www.coletuve.com 63 Colorado Waterjet Co........................www.coloradowaterjet.com 21 D & D Technologies (USA) Inc............... www.ddtechglobal.com 15 DKS, DoorKing Systems................................... www.doorking.com 32 Eagle Bending Machines Inc........................... www.eaglebendingmachines.com 59 Eberl Iron Works Inc..........................................www.eberliron.com 20 Electron Beam Technologies Inc......... www.electronbeam.com 25 FabCad Inc............................................................... www.fabcad.com 55 Farris Fab & Machine Company.......................www.farrisfab.com 37 Feeney Inc...........................................................www.feeneyinc.com 63 Goddard Manufacturing Co...............www.spiral-staircases.com

Your advertising contact for O&MM Fabricator NOMMA Buyer’s Guide NOMMA website CO NTAC T

Sherry Theien Advertising Director 8392 Leesburg Ct. Rockford, IL 61114 815-282-6000 815-282-8002 fax stheien@att.net July / August 2014 n Fabricator

Pg Company

Website

39 Hebo - Stratford Gate Systems Inc.....www.drivewaygates.com 56 Hougen Mfg. Inc................................................... www.hougen.com 51 International Gate Devices.................................www.intlgate.com 76 The Iron Shop...............................................www.theironshop.com 75 King Architectural Metals............................. www.kingmetals.com 6 Krando Metal Products Inc................................ www.Krando.com 22 Lapeyre Stair................................................... www.lapeyrestair.com 27 Lawler Foundry Corp................................www.lawlerfoundry.com 2 Lewis Brass & Copper Co. Inc..................... www.lewisbrass.com 47 Marks U.S.A.........................................................www.marksusa.com 62 Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool...................... www.mittlerbros.com 58 Pat Mooney Inc.....................................www.patmooneysaws.com 68 NC Tool Company Inc........................................www.nctoolco.com 57 Regency Railings.....................................www.regencyrailings.com 49 Sharpe Products.................................... www.sharpeproducts.com 13 Shop Outfitters/ Lockdown Securities............................... www.shopoutfitters.com 64 Society of Manufacturing Engineers....................... www.sme.org 35 Stairways Inc..................................................www.stairwaysinc.com 52 Sumter Coatings Inc..............................www.sumtercoatings.com 72 Traditional Building....................... www.traditional-building.com 43 Tri-State Shearing & Bending.................................... 718-485-2200 33 TS Distributors Inc...................................... www.tsdistributors.com 70 Vogel Tool & Die LLC........................................ www.vogeltool.com 31 The Wagner Companies.................www.wagnercompanies.com

Advertise in the 2015 NOMMA Buyer’s Guide Your one-stop resource for shop and office personnel The Buyer’s Guide is available in 3 versions: 1) print, 2) online, and 3) database. Closing date November 30, 2014 Contact Sherry Theien, 815-282-6000; 815-282-8002 fax; stheien@att.net 73

Metal Moment

Metalwork collection getting showcase museum Four years in the making, a complete catalogue of the 300-piece metalwork collection of Rudy Ciccarello is now available. This follows an announcement of a new Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement that Ciccarello is spearheading with the Two Red Roses Foundation he established. of sculptor Auguste Rodin by The museum, to be located Edward Steichen. at 333 Third Ave. North in St. Petersburg, FL, should be open Metalwork catalogue in 2017. The complete catalogue of The Arts & Crafts Movement the metalwork collection is is noted for handmade objects written by Jonathan Clancy, from 1900–1930 that were of high director of the American Fine quality artisanship, beautiful and Decorative Arts Program at design, and practical. Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Additional essays are While several museums hold extensive colwritten by Stickley scholar David Cathers. lections of the work of such luminaries of the “I felt it was very important to produce a movement as Greene & Greene and the Stickmanuscript that would provide a comprehenley brothers, no museum is dedicated solely to sive history of metalwork from the period,” American Arts & Crafts. Ciccarello says. The catalogue is “far-reachNot far from the historic Kenwood neighing and beautifully photographed.” Buy it at Rendering of the new borhood of Craftsman-style bungalows, the tworedroses.com. Museum of the American 110,000-square-foot museum has been The Foundation owns more than 300 metalArts & Crafts Movement, top. designed by Alfonso Architects. work objects made in America from 1900–1920. From the collection (clockwise from above left): The four-story structure will include exhi“We have not yet defined all the interior bition galleries displaying hundreds of objects n Rectangular hinged box, exhibition space, but metalwork will have more Elizabeth Ethel Copeland, from Rudy Ciccarello’s fine- and decorative-arts Silver with enamel, than sufficient room and will be enhanced with collections, as well as additional space for spespecialized lighting designed to display the c. 1903–07 objects in ways that showcase their beauty and cial exhibitions and events. Also planned are a n Fern dish, Karl Kipp, Copper, c. 1914 craftsmanship,” Ciccarello says. small auditorium, library, restaurant and cafe, n Hammered copper jewel Chiefly constructed in hammered copper, gift shop, and bookstore.   box with silver lock, The Endowed to the Two Red Roses Foundation, Roycroft Shops, Copper, the collection includes vases, bowls, candlethe Ciccarello collection contains more than sticks, candelabra, chandeliers, and sconces, as German silver, brass, and 1,600 items, including metalwork, furniture, well as other household items such as fireplace suede, c. 1911–12 and irons, coal buckets and tools, bookends and pottery, tile, lighting, textiles, stained glass, and desk accessories, stationary desk sets, trays, smoking accesfine art. sories, and jewelry boxes. Highights include seldom-seen works by Gustav Stickley Many of the most collectible craftsmen and designers are and Stickley Brothers, Charles Rohlfs, the artists of Byrdrepresented: Gustav Stickley, the Stickley Brothers, the Roycliffe, Dirk van Erp, Roycroft, William Grueby, the Saturday croft Shops, Robert Jarvie, Dirk van Erp, Harry Dixon, Marie Evening Girls, Newcomb College, and Arthur Wesley Dow. Zimmerman, Ethel Copeland, Karl Kipp, and Jessie Preston. In late 2013, the Foundation acquired a collection of Contact Two Red Roses Foundation photogravures and prints, including many period-related 727-943-9900, tworedroses.com Pictorialist and Photo-Secessionist works and a portrait TA LK TO US

Something on your mind? Got something to say? Got an idea? Got a tip? Got a gripe? Do you have a story to tell? Contact nomma.editor@att.net. 74

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