Designed right, built well...    
Approach: At Iron Craft, design and manufacturing processes are determined by the project.  
     
Design: Product design follows a thorough consultation with the customer and a jobsite inspection. Careful attention is given to harmonizing with nearby architectural and other environmental elements at the jobsite. For premium projects, computer-aided drafting design software is used to produce graphic models for customer review prior to manufacture.  
     

Manufacture: Iron Craft metal smiths manipulate an array of machinery and techniques to produce high quality, creative products. An electric-eye plasma cutter uses computer-generated patterns to slice metal up to 1-inch thick into silhouettes and other shapes. Hundreds of stock patterns are available. Propane, natural gas and coal-fired forges heat metal to desired temperatures for shaping. Metal pieces are joined together with several metal inert gas - MIG - welding units.

  
 

Master blacksmiths have often made their own tools. Once blacksmiths, Thomas Edison and John Deere are evidence of the craft's creative impulses. Owner Chuck Simonian has created or modified equipment at Iron Craft for peak performance or to supply needed capability.An example of his tool-making skill is a heavy-duty machine that twists metal up to an impressive 1.5 inches in thickness into fence elements, railings and other pieces.

 

Simonian chose shop equipment for capability, not age. A modern angle roller smoothly makes large rings from a variety of metal rods: tubes, squares, rounds, flat-bar and T-bar. A century-old forging hammer flattens metal sections with the force of a 100-pound sledgehammer, delivering up to 230 blows per minute.

Other equipment: Metal lathe, vertical milling machine, 25-lb. forge hammer, treadle hammer, band saw and clamping machine, among other devices.