Do the winter doldrums have you needing some inspiration? We get a lot of requests for all kinds of items to be fabb’d from metal. Here is a list of just a few of the things we are asked to design and/or make on a regular basis:

1. Bookshelves: sometimes metal and reclaimed barnboard combos, or simply 100% metal (we have an AMAZING reclaimed barnboard contact, by the way. Just ask!).

2. Table legs: though we are sometimes asked to make an entire table from steel (coffee, end or dining room), we more frequently get requests for custom legs from black iron, stainless or aluminum. Check out this beautiful stainless creation:


 

 

 









3. Countertops: stainless steel requests are frequent for this application, but copper and zinc countertops are big right now too. We’ve also done hemp-oiled/food-safe steel countertops for restaurants and bars.

4. Accents: in the same vein as the countertops, we are asked to do a lot of residential accents in metal. Examples include backsplashes, skylight trim, etc. The sky’s the limit!

5. Fireplace surrounds: these get a category to themselves. The fireplace surrounds, whether they be in stainless steel, Corten, or treated mild steel, are gorgeous focal points in a home or building lobby, and can suit any décor.

6. Railings: We do both exterior and interior railings out of just about any steel imaginable. Designs range from glass paneling to aircraft wire types, and enhance décor in any home or building.

RAILING | STAINLESS STEEL RAILING | RAILING

7. Staircases: we’ve also done numerous staircases from steel. Often these are in an industrial capacity, but we’ve also done absolutely stunning residential metal staircases with slate tile inlay. Again, one is only limited by one’s own imagination.

FRONT STAIRS | INDUSTRIAL STAIRCASE

8. Doors: Typically our door projects are sliding 'barn' doors made from steel. To ease up on the weight-load, we use a foam core, and create a durable steel frame, and steel veneer the structure. 

SLIDING DOOR | POWDER-COATED SLIDING DOOR

9. Finally, another of our big ticket metal ‘design’ items is custom planter boxes. We make them from plate steel, plate aluminum, stainless steel or Corten, and the design possibilities are endless. We only do custom orders right now, so they are all specifically designed to fit the space for which they’re intended. Have a gander:

STAINLESS STEEL PLANTERS | OXIDIZED CORTEN PLANTER | CORTEN PLANTERS | ALUMINUM PLANTERS & PRIVACY SCREENS

Someone's sleeping with someone who supplies timber. 

Every industry's natural state of growth is influenced, if not artificially molded, by politicking, and the steel industry is no exception. As a company that uses steel for everything, we make it our business to know what's going on in the larger steel industry, both nationally and globally. On both a provincial and federal level, we've discovered some disturbing moves that merit at least a mention:
Two proposed Ontario building code bills (and other prior bills at the federal level) Bill 61: “An Act to enact the Ontario’s Wood First Act, 2012 and to amend the Building Code Act, 1992” and Bill 13: “Ontario Forestry Industry Revitalization Act” would "legislate a preference for the use of wood in the construction of provincially-funded buildings of up to six stories, and change building codes as necessary to do so." (Please see blog entry by CSPA). Obviously steel is the sounder structural material, so for the government to legislate a preference for structural wood usage is a clear attempt at boosting the timber industry.

Booooooo, on many levels.  Not only is steel generally a far superior material for structural applications, but from a sustainability perspective it can be argued that using steel for buildings and structures is environmentally friendlier. This comment alone merits further discussion (and likely even debate!), and while we won't do that here, it is our meager, biased and skewed position at Hogtown (yes, we are steel advocates!) that the steel industry generally supports measures to ensure sustainable practices within the industry (though admittedly there is much room for improvement), and should therefore be supported by government agencies.

As far as these proposed building code changes are concerned, we are against them. The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) sums up the position we support beautifully:

• Building codes must set standards through a science-based, objective and transparent process, with rigorous evaluation of acceptable materials for any particular use
  
• Building professionals, including fire safety experts, should determine which materials are safe and appropriate for any given type of structure
• Providing an artificial benefit to any one material can only reduce value for money in construction projects, a cost that Ontario’s legislature should not impose
• Artificial preferences to protect jobs in one industry should not be at the expense of jobs in other sectors
  

Keep in mind, we at Hogtown are primarily fabricators and not builders, but we are still appalled at the artificial promotion of specific materials to the detriment of other industries. While it seems these bills may never pass - thankfully there is significant opposition - the fact that there are movers and shakers within the government who attempt to dictate such matters is just gross. It smells like 'who you know' and 'I'll rub your back' kind of  maneuvers. Just our humble opinion...

Copper kitchens are back in vogue.  We just completed a giant, L-shaped copper counter top, truly the perfect material for a kitchen or any other space with bacterial growth potential.  Copper has more antibacterial/antimicrobial properties than even stainless steel.  And while our personal taste lends itself to the more modern, clean and sleek feel and lines of stainless steel, the truth is that the copper looked amazing.  It also prompted a quick look around Pintrest (honestly a great resource for design inspiration and ideas) to check out some other copper kitchen looks.  There's some cool shit out there.  Reminiscent of the old-fashioned copper pots (the best pots for the kitchen, by they way - copper is an excellent conductor of heat, so the copper pots ensure even cooking), everything from copper sinks, range hoods, counter-tops and cabinet accents bring a beautiful warmth to the heart of the home.  It was surprising as well, how good things like a copper counter top with a chrome tap-set can look.  Who knew?

Here are 8 things you also may not know about this beautiful metal (source LiveScience):

1. Copper has been mined and used for over 5,000 years.
2. The word copper and chemical symbol for the element, Cu, come from the Latin word cuprum after the Greek word for the island of Cyprus.
3. Copper is second only to silver in electrical conductivity abilities.
4. Copper is typically used in electrical wiring and residential plumbing.
5. Copper is also mixed into the paint used on the underside of ships to prevent seaweed, algae and barnacles from sticking to the vessel.
6. Copper is also used to create brass or bronze alloys. Brass, a mixture of copper and zinc, bronze is copper and tin.
7. Copper is commercially available at a purity of 99.999+ percent.
8. Copper ore deposits are found in the United States, Chile, Zambia, Zaire, Peru and Canada.

Next time you're thinking of a kitchen reno, or even a partial update, consider copper.  Check Pintrest, magazines, look around.  The possibilities are plentiful.  This is a metal that can add a timeless flare to your space.  It can be electroplated to give you a more modern vibe, or patina'd for a warm, traditional look.

If you didn't get a chance to see the Ai Wei Wei exhibit, According to What?, at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto, there's still time!  We saw it, but only after a ram-packed 2 hours at the David Bowie Is exhibit, so we were a bit brain dead.  That was a shame, but we did at least get to appreciate some of the Ai Wei Wei exhibit.  He's a remarkable man, with remarkable talents: some of the pieces were made using traditional Chinese joinery.  This technique of marrying pieces together without the use of glue allows for disassembly, the original purpose of which was meant for ease in relocation - most transport when Chinese joinery originated was by animal.  While simple in appearance, the innards of these joints are incredibly complex.  That Ai Wei Wei uses these traditional techniques for his contemporary pieces is something to behold.  Not only is his skill level that of a master, but his applications are nothing short of genius.
    The installation that was the most moving was Ai's Straight.  Using rebar recovered from the sites of schoolhouses that were decimated in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, he painstakingly straightened each and every piece once collected - 38 tons of it.  He did this in response to the Government's refusal to acknowledge these young victims (over 5,000).  One can imagine the monumental task in both salvaging and then straightening this amount of rebar.  The photo above does not do this piece justice.  It's definitely one to see in person.
    There were many other fascinating installations too: the Han Dynasty urns, the Snake out of children's backpacks, the River Crabs, and the Moon Chests (another favourite of ours), to name but a few.  The exhibit as a whole is extremely interesting, with many beautiful and moving things to see.  Certainly for us the rebar stood out though.  The impact that this average, every day building material has in this context is indescribable.  Go see for yourselves.

DISCLAIMER: This is gross.  Lots of us like to dick about with tools, we all know that.  And sometimes one can uncover amazing hidden talents this way - this guy has uncovered quite the skill.  Who's up for challenging this record-breaker?  Have a look:

What do a hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs have in common?  These are the go-to tools for our very own Haphaestus, god of metal workers everywhere.  While described as physically ugly and deformed, Haphaestus is widely revered as the most unfaltering of Gods.  His character is equated to that of  hardened steel – unbendable., sturdy, durable and resilient – resilient in that he was the only God to ever have returned to Olympus after having been exiled. 
What is interesting about Haphaestus in particular, are his multi-talents as designer, innovator and metal fabricator.  Since Haphaestus's time, those who create items from materials beyond your average every day sheet metal, often need to wear many hats.  We find this at Hogtown too - we're asked to do so many interesting things, least of which (lately) is roofing sheet metal.  Now, this is not to say that we're forging magical swords for the gods or anything, but we are designing and prototyping many different products, completing various landscaping projects, stair cases with both aesthetical value and industrial practicality, providing weights for children's sensory vests, weighting kettlebells for GS competitions, making tables and chairs and many, many other pieces of furniture.  And of course, we're still fabricating the roofing metal too (that's a very different hat altogether).  Using hammers and anvils to do it all.
    Metal work, fabricating in particular, necessitates polymath.  The problem-solving, mathematics and understanding of design far surpasses the lay perception of what epitomises a metal worker.  Haphaestus, the ugliest of deities, made jewellery and other things of utmost beauty.  He also made weaponry for the gods, and all things practical.  And was worshiped by blacksmiths and artisans alike.  We are fortunate to be passionate about a skilled trade that enables us to embrace so many applications, brush with so many different industries, and meet and impact so many people.  The ability to adapt and expand is the exemplification of metal working.  Those who are non-pliant cannot offer the same skill, experience and services of those who can.  Keep that in mind when hiring a metal worker for your next project.  We established ourselves as a sheet metal company with a focus on our ancillary fabrication business to ensure we can keep up with the fascinating, challenging, and ever-changing needs of our varied client-base.  Anyone worth their Haphaestus-ish thick neck and hairy chest will do the same.

It’s funny how when we start out, in life, in career, etc., we take many things for granted.  This is the blessing/naivety of being young I suppose.  But then something happens, and it creeps into your consciousness riiiiight about mid-to-late thirties, maybe even a bit before if we happen to be predisposed to anxiety of a sort.  Mortality.  And it’s also around then that we start to recognise how daily we’re breathing in sal ammoniac, welding fumes, and that we work with insanely loud tools, and maybe we have to start saying “pardon?” a few more times than before.  And now it’s not  because the other person is mumbling.  And now, too, another crazy thing happens: we start to care.

The reality is that many skilled tradespeople develop Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) among numerous other ailments.  Exposure to excessive noise levels can cause irreparable damage, and oftentimes it’s very difficult to avoid.  In all industry, hearing loss is by far the occupational disease with the highest number of insurance claims.  The WSIB stats show that in Ontario alone, approximately 5,000 claims relating to NIHL are filed each year.  In the UK they account for 75% of all occupational disease claims.  The difficulty with hearing loss and deafness is that is takes a long time to develop, and is typically only noticed as one ages.  Some degree of it can occur naturally, but it can become apparent later in life that much of it will have been noise-induced.

WSIB and other like-minded organisations claim that occupational NIHL is entirely preventable, and they then provide us with this noise chart along with some recommendations and tips.   By reducing the source of noise, WSIB says, NIHL will probably not be a problem for you.  Gee, thanks WSIB.  The only problem is that some of us need to actually make some money, and the way we do that is by working.  With loud tools.  And sure, I’ll get right on hiring a “Noise Consultant” as you recommend…NOT!  While I’d love to, presumably this is only a real and true option for some employees, not the multitudes of us who are self-employed.  And I’d really question how many employees actually get to use such a resource.

While I find the chart interesting, particularly the noise rankings of various tools and equipment, I don’t find it especially helpful.  I suppose there’s nothing any organisation can really do for this issue – it is too gradual, difficult to identify specific causes, and challenging to control, to say the least.  To each their own on this one.  It’s likely most of us will not be hiring a “Noise Consultant” any time soon, one who will probably tell us to put the CNC press brake in another room, or not to bang metal to metal (seriously, WHAT could they possibly recommend?  We’re Tin Bashers for Christ’s sake!).  But I’d hazard a guess that the next best thing is to make sure you buy, use, and wear your earplugs!  There.  I just saved you 500 bucks for a visit from the Noise Consultant.

In all honesty, there’s some good information out there, but like most things, it’s not especially practical.  Most of us need to organise our priorities for the day, bang out the jobs as efficiently as possible, and make a living.  I do think about aging, chemical inhalations, and hearing loss from time-to-time, but it isn’t upfront and centre in my mind all the time.  Maybe I’m still just too young.

P.S. Kinda sorry for the “What What” sound byte from Archer – that’s gonna be in your head forever now.

P.P.S. We love Archer!

Stainless Steel:  yet another metal we love to work with.  Some of the sleekest, coolest and most stylish creations to come out of HOGTOWN have been cut, broken, welded, and formed from stainless steel.  While the ‘rust’ look can be pretty great at times (Core Ten), stainless is heralded and widely used specifically because it does not rust.  The composite of alloys gives it these sought corrosion-resistant properties.  Metal workers need to be familiar with and appreciate the metallurgy – different metals necessitate different processes, have different reactions, and create very different outcomes in their applications.

The discovery of this metal is typically attributed to Sheffield’s Harry Brearly in 1912, though it’s clear there were previous breakthroughs that led to its development.  Brearly’s discovery of a martensitic (low carbon) stainless steel alloy that he industrialised precipitated this new metal being used for the infamous Savoy Hotel entrance canopy in 1929, among other iconic structures.  Art deco: the era of stainless steel.

Some other notable landmarks that integrated stainless steel:

Chrysler Building, 1929

Empire State Building, 1931

St. Louis Arch Monument, 1965

La Pyramide de Louvre, 1989

Cloud Gate Sculpture, 2004

Check out the lovely graphic at the end of the post that depicts these monuments of metal wonder, courtesy of Castle Metals UK (thanks guys).

As a custom fab shop, we get asked to do all kinds of things, and have had the pleasure lately to work on a number of stainless steel items, ranging from large-scale bespoke planter boxes, to industrial salad spinners (yep!), various restaurant finishes, boat anchors, and lots and lots of stainless steel tables.  It’s a material with so many applications: industrial uses to residential decor.  Stainless steel is so diverse in its utilisation that everyone has a use for stainless steel.

One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years. -Tom Wolfe

Ain’t it the truth.  There’s a buzz, an energy to this city like nowhere else on earth.  Ours was a pleasure trip to NYC, but we went with a different perspective, one of a small business owner in a big city.  While we’ve always enjoyed the design, architecture, food, drink, etc. that New York has to offer, this time we noticed things we hadn’t fully appreciated before.  Namely, we noticed the constant construction work going on everywhere, the workers, and notably the poor sods trying to find a spot for their work trucks (often ending up in the middle of the road).  We noticed the sad state of the previously gorgeous, old-fashioned cornice work on the buildings, and how some sheet metal hack has done a cheap-o botch job to “repair” it (for sure it’s due to cost restraints, but this is saaaaad!):

We noticed the multitude of stainless steel buildings that dot the relatively new High Line.  They’re really neat – you don’t see much of this sort of thing in Toronto, so it’s novel:

We also saw the biggest rat ever seen by humankind, crossing right in front of our path while walking through Tompkins Square Park.  We didn’t get a picture of the rat – he fearlessly posed for us (yes, we know it was a “he”), but we wanted to fully experience this New York moment, so couldn’t wreck it fidgeting with a camera.  Instead, we present to you this picture of a NYC rat of a similar size to ours (thank you Banksy):

The food and drink, as always, were mind-blowing.  You can have either the best or the worst meal of your life in New York.  Thankfully, this time ours were all good.  Apotheke, hidden away in Chinatown, is a little gem of a speakeasy.  The ‘mixologists’, reminiscent of old time apothocarists, painstakingly poured, mixed, flambeed and spiced some of the most fantastic drinks we’ve ever had (we tried many on the menu).  In the background a terrific 2 piece band-plus-singer played while we drank our concoctions off the lit up alabaster bar.  This was a highlight.  GO.  Just make sure if you go on a certain Wednesday you know the password!

Okay, okay, digression!  Rats, Food, and Cocktails have no place on a sheet metal company blog.  But what about this awesome and perfectly round rainbow that hovered over the city for literally hours on the Tuesday?  C’mon, surely this is noteworthy on ANY blog?  It’s actually a scientific phenomenon called “Halo”, but the details of that are making my eyes glaze over so won’t be paraphrased here.  In person, it’s really very, very cool.  The photo just can’t do it justice.

We return from this place with a renewed energy, newly inspired, with fresh ideas.  It’s hard not to be affected by all this city has to offer, and hard not to be influenced by that New York ass-kicking attitude.  Don’t worry, it wears off.

A while back, before we were quite so “tech savvy” (haha – NOT), we posted a little quip about the “deteriorating Gardiner Expressway” on our facebook page.  Way back, a long, long time ago, during the dreaded schooling portion of my apprenticeship (dreaded because it’s like trying to subsist on welfare: damn near impossible) my old college prof told us of his involvement in the initial Gardiner Expressway build.  At the time, he had recommended to the ‘powers that once were’ that only galvanized rebar be used in the construction of the roadway.  Not only was this idea dismissed, but somehow his vehemency also got him fired from the project.  Now I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of that transaction and what lead up to it, but what I do know (fact) is that galvanized rebar was NOT used in the Gardiner’s construction.  Why, you ask?  Simple.  It’s expensive.  Galvanized structural steel is of course important because it doesn’t rust easily.  Extremely important in Canada, where we get loads of snow, and specifically in Ontario, where we tend to fight back against snow and ice with salt.  Salt corrodes metal, especially if there isn’t a galvanized coating.  Now experts are swearing up and down that the structural integrity of the Gardiner is perfectly safe, except for the giant falling chunks of concrete.  I find myself driving under that thing regularly, and I do it with caution – you can literally see the massive cracks that are forming there.  It’s so funny to me that we still choose to believe these experts when we can see with our own eyes there’s a problem brewing.  I’m not casting stones at the drones – like I said, I drive under it all the time.  But I do it with a bit of apprehension.

The reason I’m rehashing all this stuff about the Gardiner, the reason I raise it for a second time, is because of what’s going on with the Elliot Lake inquiry.  The structural steel findings, I believe, are certainly worse, but potentially not entirely dissimilar to what will be found after someone is badly hurt by falling debris from the Expressway (best case scenario).  The Elliot Lake mall collapse was horrifying.  It put into question all structures, how we blindly trust they are well designed, engineered, built, and with the appropriate materials.  After all, this isn’t something that most of us have a say in – we have to trust our experts, that they know what they’re doing, that they won’t cheap out to save a few bucks.  In the case of the Elliot Lake mall, the reason the steel rusted to the point of ‘steel corrosion found in marine environments’ was due to a failed slab roof and waterproofing system.  The inquiry has since exposed the designer, supplier and installer of the hollow core slabs (HCS roofing system) for intentionally not advising the owner of potential pre-known inadequacies with the build.  Apparently the deficiencies with the roofing system rendered the waterproofing useless.  The Forensic Engineering report (now published here) further states that “the fact the roof was allowed to leak for thirty two years is perplexing”.  Yup.  Seems every safety measure we have come to rely so heavily on in the construction industry failed in this case.

Thankfully, it’s likely that what happened at this mall is an anomaly.  There is also far too much scrutiny on the Gardiner for something this drastic to occur, right?  But it should at the very least be annoying to us Torontonians that extra maintenance and closures are necessary to ensure the whole thing doesn’t come crashing down.  The fact is, we didn’t use the right material.  The City cheaped out.  Hey, we endure Canadian winters every year, and so does our steel.

Happy Spring everyone.