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Custom Metal Art at DraftResource.com

Ask about custom Metal Art.

We recently completed an order for award prizes, for the Kay-9 Dog Agility Trials here in Ponca City, OK. The Kay-9 Club came to us with a request for 50 to 100 pieces:

  • 25 Leash Racks (key racks with one of 5 selected dog sillouettes)
  • 15 switch plates (stainless steel switch plates, with one of the 5 dog breed sillouettes welded to the top)
  • 10 Business card holders (16 ga. steel, including one of the 5 selected dog breeds)
  • If possible in time -- 50 additional leash racks one of 5 Agility obstacles: (We got all of them done on time, including preparing all 20 graphics, cutting, assembling, painting, and wrapping for pickup.)
    • Dog walk
    • A-Frame
    • Tire jump
    • Jump standards
    • Tunnel

Our yard ornaments include

  • several chickens
  • a cat
  • a couple of bunnies
  • a couple of angels and crosses
  • draft horses
  • light horses
  • mules, in western and english events and standing or running

All items are offered in various sizes from 2-3 inch, in some cases, to 48 inches. Sheet steel weight from 20 ga. to 10 ga. Some items can be cut up to 3/16" thick.

Some items we are selling now

  • metal art sillouettes -- horse, mule, chicken
  • yard art ornaments
  • weather vane or wind vane, 5' plus high, ½' steel rod upright
  • switch plate cover with selected items welded to the top, including dogs, horses, mules
  • key and leash rack
  • business card holder, single and double

We can evaluate your graphic, or suggest one, for your sheet steel ornament needs. We use the PlasmaCAM computer-driven cutting table with a HyperTherm 350 plasma cutter for repeatable cuts and close tolerance. We can start your item toward a rustic rusted finish, ship the items as bare metal, or use a good rust-controlling black paint. Ask about other paints -- we are not powder coating.

One limitation of the plamsa torch is that features less than 1/8" wide tend to burn through, such as reins on a small horse scene or beads on the Indian Chief piece. When cutting flowing manes and fringe the variations in heat properties of the steel, local temperature and humidity, and impurities and imperfection in the metal will slightly affect the resulting cut -- giving such pieces a unique detail that varies slightly from piece to piece. In larger features, straight lines to gentle curves this will generally not be noticed. We leave the slag (on the underside of the cut) on the piece for many items. The slag tends to be a personal preference, and often enhances the item. In some cases the slag-side becomes the front of the item, as in our rustic crosses. The amount and appearance of the slag varies with expected factors (weight of the metal being cut, wear on the torch parts) and with random factors, and adds a uniquenes to each item. When we do remove the slag we use a pliers or half-inch cold chisel and hammer, then dress the edge with a 150-grit grinding disk or sandpaper disk.



Comments: MetalSmithMeister
Updated: 2002-04-28 - bk