When I was a kid I loved watching cartoons. My favorites involved some kind of super hero – you know, the ones who could bend steel with their bare hands. Even as a kid I knew bending steel like the cartoon heroes took “super” strength, so I was totally awed every time I watched my hero bend a great chunk of steel and save the day.

Today I’m still awed when I see a piece of steel shaped and bent, but now I have some idea what it takes to accomplish that. That’s why our products are so amazing – they’re created from steel, and to create them takes tools a superhero never carried on the job.

So let’s talk durability – you know, what we’re all looking for in our purchases.  A friend of mine was out in their yard digging around the other day . . . that would be literally digging around, working on a big “remodel” of the yard around the garage. 

Anyway, they dug up a short steel rod, perfectly intact except for the caked dirt and a little rust on the surface. Now, their house is 125 years old, and they have no idea how long that steel rod’s been there, but even if it’s only been 25 years – we’ll take a hundred years off – I’m really impressed by the shape it’s in.

Just goes to show that steel really is one of the most durable products around!

Metal Art

Metal art: it’s been around longer than any of us . . . and that’s a lo-o-ong time from some perspectives. And that’s pretty amazing considering it’s one of the most difficult and challenging artistic media to work with.

Being an artist requires more than an artistic flair. To create an artistic work requires knowledge and skills in the medium used. For a watercolor artist, for example, that means knowing about the various papers, brushes, applications and watercolors. For a clothing designer it means knowing about the fabrics, styles, effects and trends.

For a metal artist it means understanding the properties of the metal and knowing about the various ways to form, cut, bend and join it. That could mean knowing how to use tools like a wire cutter, pliers and solder gun, or it could involve plasma cutters, CNC machines, high temp furnaces and welding. So unlike many other media, metal work makes a kind of

Steel – Where Would We Be Without It?

Steely-eyed . . . Steel Magnolias . . . strong as steel . . . steel yourself.

Wow. Steel is really rooted in our language. That’s probably because it’s such an important part of our lives. But is that a good thing? Yes!

Believe it or not, steel should be proclaimed the best green energy material today.  That’s because every single ounce of steel can be recycled.  Every single ounce! Try that with plastic . . . or wood . . . or whatever. (BTW, the steel industry’s been recycling for about 150 years already.)

We hear a lot today about steel manufacturing, or the decline of it.  But it’s not over by a long shot.  In fact, steel is one of the most common materials in the world. Every car made today has a steel frame. And think about buildings, tools, ships, machines, appliances, Steel is far from being replaced anytime