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Tinkerer, welder, teacher, artist
As the welding instructor at Albion Correctional Facility in Albion, N.Y., Jeffrey Benfer is constantly dealing with teaching new batches of inmate workers the ins and outs of production gas metal arc welding, keeping up with their mandatory...
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Bottle tree boom
Mississippi metal artist Stephanie Dwyer never knew she was an artist until she relocated from Washington and began building bottle trees. Today her bottle trees can be found all over the U.S., which has led to opportunities in custom metal art...
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Bolt people: There’s an Appel for that
Steve Appel of Prescott, Ariz., has been making his bolt people full time for the last 23 years. The variety of requests and the kick he gets out of people’s reactions have turned this one-time hobby into an enjoyable career.
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The real deal in stainless steel
A careful examination of metal artist Dave Regier’s work reveals a seamless melding of abstract and realism.
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One man’s artisTIG endeavors
When he’s not TIG welding at his “normal” job, career welder and metal artist Roger King uses his skills with a TIG torch to create metal sculptures.
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The Lombardi Trophy, with a “Girly” touch
Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis earlier this year featured athletic prowess and classic gridiron toughness with a little speed and finesse. But also on display outside the stadium throughout the heart of downtown was a combination of strength and...
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Candy-apple red isn’t just for hot rods anymore
After working for a few years making leather belts and belt buckles, Anthony “AJ” Patti moved on to designing and manufacturing leather goods for Harley-Davidson, then went on to pewter casting to make jewelry for the venerable motorcycle...
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Sawing potential
Saw operator discovers artistic talent in the discarded metal pieces from his saw and around his job shop.
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Adventures in metal sculpture
Ray Carrington will tell you that he is not an artist. However, the 81-year-old retired math teacher has metal sculputres on display throughout the nation, and continues to work on pieces to give away.
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Life in abstract
Artist mi Chelle Vara is one of the lucky ones. She has found a way to combine her two passions—art and welding—into a career and a business that she loves.
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Building a stronger welding program
Bellingham Technical College launched its Welding Rodeo in 2002 to spur enrollment and raise its public profile. Now one of the premier welding competitions in the Pacific Northwest, the event has helped the school triple its enrollment in welding...
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Welding her way outside the box
Suburban Chicago artist Pamela Olin first picked up a welding torch five months after giving birth to her second child. Sixteen years later Olin still has a welding gun in hand, but now she wants to educate other women on thinking outside the box...
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Eagles, dragons: Stainless steel takes on many forms
Metal fabricator Kevin Stone uses gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) to sculpt massive pieces of art from stainless steel. Read about Stone's creative and technical processes and discover important tips that can improve your stainless steel welding.
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Mining her talent
Imagine growing up thinking you really have no artistic ability and then taking a class that rekindles childhood interests and blows that belief sky high. Such was the case for jewelry-maker Sherry Moser, whose unique and beautiful creations pay...
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The road to Jamestown: A white-collar dropout fabricates his legacy project
Few people are lucky enough to turn their hobbies and passions into a satisfying and lucrative career. Even fewer have the opportunity to create a lasting legacy of historical proportions. One individual working under a canopy at historic...
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Lost and found
A welder from Bost makes realistic scupltures depicting boats, motorcycles, cars, and planes using discarded junk found in garbage piles, yard sales, flea markets, and dumps.
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Turning passion into profit
Recent SCAD graduate David Creamer creates beautiful, unique jewelry, including pieces inspired by objects many might find anything but inspirational. This article discusses Creamer's views on materials and describes the process he used to...
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A recycled dream
A Tennessee artist and welder uses scrap metal parts to create one-of-a-kind metal sculptures.
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Theme railings can equal higher earnings
With careful planning and proper estimating, fabricating commissioned metal gates and railings can be a lucrative endeavor. This article describes the process for designing, pricing, and creating these unique and often intricate structures based...
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Poor Boy Blacksmith
Generations ago blacksmiths served long apprenticeships and acquired the knowledge to make their own tools. Today blacksmithing often is pursued by untrained hobbyists who need economical tools. This article is about a seasoned blacksmith who uses...
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Metal fabricating in a new millennium
The forming and fabricating of the 925-foot BP Pedestrian Bridge located at the east section of Chicago's Millennium Park, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is explored.
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Magical, mystical metal
Richard Wilson's metal art reflects his appreciation for metal's lesser-known intrinsic qualities. This article explains how Wilson became a welder and metal artist and describes the materials and processes he uses. It details one project from...
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No good deed goes unnoticed
Being a good welder often means more than on-the-job performance. Whether it's volunteering to help others or otherwise giving back to one's community, these welders are examples of so many who take their time to give of themselves on the job...
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The blades of Don Fogg—a cut above
This 11.375-in. blade was forged from 1095 steel; the habaki* is made from 40 percent shibuichi, gold-plated nickel silver seppa, and Damascus tsuba. *See glossary at the end of the article for swordsmithing terms. Photo courtesy of Don...
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Metal on his mind
Most people are happy just to get their thoughts down on paper. Mike Ingram takes it a step farther, capturing what he sees in his mind in the metal he shapes and welds.
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Larger-than-life objects equal memorable sculptures
Almost every artist blacksmith learns to make small animal heads from rods and often hammers petal-like shapes into flowers. But some 'smiths go far beyond these exercises and make items that are so much larger than life that they fall into the...
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A tribute to veterans
Editor's Note: The U.S. remembers its armed forces' veterans twice each year— Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November. In this article, Marty Rice, a reader-favorite author on thefabricator.com, pays tribute to veterans and...
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Not your average museum—a metal art mecca
Editors Note: Bob Nichols, author of The Fire of Creation , a reader favorite on thefabricator.com, recently toured the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tenn. The following account of that tour display only a few of the many...
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A Great Combination
Dwarfed by his largest sculpture to date, artist Gary Beals collaborated with K-zell Metals to create this piece for the University of New Mexico. The stainless steel centerpiece for a grouping of sculptures at the University of New...
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Entry arch and gates based on history use modern technologies
The Santa Ysabel Ranch entry arch and gates, Paso Robles, Calif. Creating an entry gate for a new housing development doesn't sound like such a tough assignment until you toss in historical references as design constraints. Using the...
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Metal Art Takes on the Fireplace
Metal art takes on many forms, from wall hangings to picture frames to fireplace screens. Just ask Jim Truett, a district sales manager for Miller Electric Mfg. Co. by day and artist in his spare time from his Huntsville, Utah, home.
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The Gates: remembering 9-11
Two years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, most people's lives have returned to some degree of normalcy, but what happened on that day will never be forgotten. For one metal sculptor, remembering has become a crusade to create from...
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Unique fireplace items can fire up your income
Fireplace screens don't have to be boring. Fireplace tools don't have to be ordinary. Re-thinking the function of fireplace screens and tools can add a new dimension to these items and attract customers like moths to a flame.
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Washington women weld at the 'Y'
It's a drizzly, blustery Pacific Northwest morning in November with the gray light of dawn coming up behind the Cascade Mountain Range. Crew Leader Cheryl Boxx, clad in Carhartts®, squares her hard hat in place and begins checking...
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Found art
Watching the sparks fly as his dad welded a temperamental posthole digger mesmerized Derek Arnold. "I found the immediacy of something so permanent absolutely fascinating," he said. "I knew I wanted to weld."A hands-on welding education on the...
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Art From the Forge
Those of you who are busy fulfilling commissions for gates, fences, staircases, and the myriad items that keep food on the table might want to look at artwork created by people whose backgrounds are based in the arts. Metalworkers often are so...
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Reviving the past
When he looked at the outside of his building, Bellingham, Wash., YMCA Director Dave Harding realized he faced a challenge. The original Bellingham, Wash., YMCA building. The YMCA's main downtown facility was located in an early-1900s,...
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Riding on the cusp of something great
Kevin Robb's sculptures seem to defy gravity, arrest time, encroach space. Each sculpture is a moment freeze-framed; each element seems to be impossibly suspended.
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Christmas All Year
Near Conway, Mo., alongside Interstate 44, lighted reminders of Christmas greet travelers year-round. Conway is home to the Den of Metal Arts, where owner Richard Kerb; his wife, Judy; their son, Ron; and three employees hand-fabricate and sell...
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The fire of creation
Quaint hobby or growing craft? Read on and decide.
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A monument(al) rememberance
Welder Bill Capozzoli owns and operates a small specialty fabrication company. He works with architect Phillip Conte to fabricate a memorial made of stainless steel to honor fallen Delaware County, Pa. law enforcement officers.
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Steel Fiction
Metal sculptor Robert Toll's transition from economist to recognized artist has been as startling and fiction-like as is his featured sculpture in the film, "Pulp Fiction." He is most noted for his sinewy, life-size figurative pieces. He uses...
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Peace Plaza's unique art symbolizes universal hope
If a mark of a great work of art is the degree to which it mirrors the artist's personality, then Lee Sido's latest public sculpture might be a masterpiece.
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Building a business: Minnesota couple learns how to market residential, custom iron art
Del and Sally Halling started a business together, selling the custom residential iron art they create. Through their process, they found that much marketing and research was needed before they could be successful.
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It happens 'under the hood'
Rick Walsh isn't your typical artisan, nor are his works typical welding pieces. But his personal evolution as both an artist and a welder illustrate the innovation and persistence of any successful welding operation.
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Terrorist attacks inspire Washington welder
John Jackson is a welder in Lacey, Wash. who has started The Spirit of America Foundation with a group of people. He established the foundation so that memorials to honor those who were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
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One man's junkyard is another man's challenge
'Junkyard Wars' promotes a positive image for the fabrication and manufacturing environments and has become one of the more popular programs on The Learning Channel. Here's why.
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A dream come true
By the time he was 12, John Rubino was on a quest: He wanted to weld sculptures.
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One person's trash is another person's ... seahorse?
Washington artist Dan Klennert and his quest to renew the spirit of old scrap metal in new sculptures is distinctive, to say the least. He welds uses the shielded metal arc welding process and creates dinosaurs, horses, fish, giraffes, and almost...
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Whale watching: A doctor's love of whales leads to a complex welding project
Metal artist James Berry constructed a large whale display by making healthy use of Gas Metal Arc Welding. Here's how he did it, and why.
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