Let sleeping dragons lie
The bread and butter of Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s work is centred around galvanizing steel used in transport, farming, construction and infrastructure. We do this for fabricators, fencing and agricultural manufacturers, and large structural steelwork companies. Every so often however we also receive a project from a steel sculptor. The works are unusual, intricate and detailed and we deem it an absolute pleasure to become a part of the sculptor’s artistic process.
The most recent pieces of art that came onto our yard at Joseph Ash Bridgend were two huge steel dragons, fabricated from Phoenix Forge Ltd, a bespoke metalwork and blacksmith’s business based in Carmarthen, South Wales.
Phoenix Forge generally specialises in traditional and contemporary metalwork, producing a wide range of hand forged artistic, decorative and functional ironwork including: gates, railings, balconies, public artwork, curtain poles, fireplace tools, restoration and bespoke commissions. They have also sculpted a number of dragons too!
Two such dragon installations were recently sent to Joseph Ash Bridgend: a dragon curled around a lamp post; and a sleeping dragon.
Will Holland from Phoenix Forge said:
“The dragon lamp post sculpture was vast with a wing span of approximately 6-7 feet and a nose to tail of about 9 feet, however the sleeping dragon was a lot larger, but curled up on a rock with a diameter of 6 feet.”
After spending over 300 man hours, over a period of six weeks, to make each dragon, Phoenix Forge asked Joseph Ash Bridgend to hot dip galvanize both sculptures. Galvanizing is an important finish for outside sculptures such as these as the treatment protects the steel from atmospheric conditions and rust.
It is important for blacksmiths such as Phoenix Forge to be able to trust suppliers, especially with one-off pieces of art. Holland said the following about Joseph Ash:
“We send all of our hot dip galvanizing work to Joseph Ash Galvanizing. We’ve been using them for a couple of years and they do an excellent job for us. They are incredibly helpful, reliable and take good care of our work – which is so important given the amount of man hours it takes us to fabricate a sculpture.”
The dragon climbing the lamp post sculpture was commissioned by a private collector in Shropshire who has bought several similar sculptures from Phoenix Forge over the last few years. The artwork has now been installed outside the client’s private residence.
In contrast the sleeping dragon – which is made up of over 5000 individual steel scales – was fabricated as a show piece for Phoenix Forge’s display at the 2016 Royal Welsh Show at the National Botanic Gardens in Wales. The sculpture is currently on loan at the Gardens until a permanent home is found.
To see a video which shows how Phoenix Forge make dragons, watch YouTube here.
We’re looking forward to receiving more projects from Phoenix Forge in the future!
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Steel fabricated by Caunton Engineering and hot dip galvanized by Joseph Ash Galvanizing used in new Norfolk biomass plant.
In 2017 a new energy plant will open in Norfolk, with an electrical capacity of 44.2MW and the ability to supply 82,000 homes with energy.
For environmentalists and engineers alike, it is an interesting project as the energy will be generated from burning organic matter. Local farmers are interested too as they will be supplying (and making an income from) the 250,000 tonnes of straw and woodchip that will be used to generate the energy.
The project is being funded by two Scandinavian organisations – Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC) and PensionDanmark. The architect and structural engineers are Ramboll, and the steelwork contractor is Caunton Engineering Ltd. Joseph Ash Galvanizing also has an interest in the project as we were entrusted by Caunton Engineering to hot dip galvanize the steel which they fabricated.
This steel, which was fabricated by Caunton Engineering, included:
- Stairs
- Platforms
- Two barns for straw
- The roof of the woodchip barn
- Crane beams
- Boiler house
- Turbine hall.
It has been a huge project involving about 1500 tonnes of steel. In fact, the steel beams for the turbine hall alone were 33m long and 8 tonnes in weight each.
Gary Hatton of Caunton Engineering said that they chose Joseph Ash Galvanizing because of their ability to turnaround the high tonnages of a complex galvanized frame to programme in accordance with the required Quality Assurance.
Steven Hopkins, Managing Director at Joseph Ash Galvanizing said:
“This is exactly the sort of project that we like to be involved in, offering an opportunity for careful planning well in advance to ensure that the steel components are designed and fabricated to take into account the galvanizing process. This promotes the best possible quality of finish with minimum waste and less of an environmental impact. Demanding jobs like this bring out the best in us, in order to achieve total customer and end-user satisfaction. The experience gained then benefits our entire customer base.”
Environmental concerns play a large part in our own factory processes at Joseph Ash Galvanizing so it is pleasing to have been part of a project which uses biomass as a new source of fuel. The new energy plant has also supported over 250 jobs during the construction phase, and will create 36 new positions once it is completed and operational.
For further information about the new biomass plant, visit New Steel Construction or the Eastern Daily Press.
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With Summer about to kick-in (hopefully!) children up and down the country will be making use of local playground facilities – laughing, giggling and generally having fun. Whilst ‘fun’ is definitely the main aim of children’s playgrounds, parents and playground owners also want to know that children are safe. With this in mind, Newark and Sherwood Homes Limited, recently installed a new Mono Hinge Gate at the Forge Close Play Area in Nottinghamshire.
The new gate was needed at the playground because the old timber gate began to require more and more adjustments from the play park repairs contractor, to ensure it closed correctly, and was also easy enough for people with disablities to operate.
Lee Powell, Architectural Technician, Newark and Sherwood Homes Limited, chose Joseph Ash Medway to provide a new gate after a recommendation from a tutor who provides RoSPA Play Park Inspection training. Lee said: “I also chose Joseph Ash Medway because it is important for the gate to open and close easily to allow people with disabilities to access the playground.”
Mono Hinge Gates (by Joseph Ash Medway) are one of the safest gates available for the enclosure of children’s playgrounds:
- With a hydraulic mechanism tested to 100,000 cycles, the gate is fully compliant with the European Standards for Playground Equipment BS EN-1176.
- The gate opens to 110 degrees, which means that recoil is prevented and finger traps and crush points become a thing of the past.
- The gate incorporates varying closing speeds, making it virtually impossible to beat when it comes to safety.
- The gate is also wheelchair accessible and complies with DDA regulations, making it the ideal choice for long-term refurbishment and renovation schemes.
- The gates are vandal resistant.
Mono Hinge Gates are easy to install, and are designed to open to the left or right. They can be single or double, to match the needs of any environment, and they are assembled and supplied as complete units, enabling fast and easy installation to the correct specifications without costly site works.
The gates are also fully hot dip galvanized by Joseph Ash Medway to protect from corrosion for up to 60 years, and can also be powder coated with a choice of colours to meet any specification.
Newark and Sherwood Homes Limited chose a single gate in a deep green colour.
For more information about the Mono Hinge Gates please contact Mandy Filkins at Joseph Ash Medway on 01795 419816 or visit the website.
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Kew Gardens in South West London has an international reputation as the centre for botanical research, as well as having an unequalled reference collection about all types of flora and fauna. With over 300 acres of land, beauty is as far as the eye can see, and none more so than from the Treetop Walkway, hot dip galvanized by Joseph Ash Galvanizing in 2008.
The Treetop Walkway at Kew Gardens was a new attraction which opened on International Biodiversity Day in 2008. At 18 metres high and over 200 meters long, visitors to the park can walk amongst the treetops of sweet chesnut, lime and oak trees. The Walkway is accessible via a lift or 118 steps and not only provides great vistas across the park and through the trees, but allows people to experience nature amongst the tree tops.
As Joseph Ash Galvanizing was given the responsibility in 2008 for protecting the walkways on the steel structure with a galvanized finish, we decided to take advantage of the Summer weather a few weeks ago in order to revisit the structure.
Take a look!
The Treetop Walkway was designed by Marks Barfield Architects, who contracted Britland (based in Dover) to manufacture and install the metalwork for the structure. Britland then engaged Joseph Ash Galvanizing as a specialist sub-contractor to treat the steel with a hot dip galvanized finish that blends well with the environment and will be maintenance-free for 60 years.
In 2008, Bob Ockendon from Britland commented: “The structure itself is unusual in the fact it is formed from ‘weathering steel’ which is only available in sheet form which then had to be fabricated to make the various members. It is intended to weather to blend in with the environment, but Joseph Ash Galvanizing treated and coated all the grilles and side panels to protect them while matching the surroundings. We decided to go to Joseph Ash Galvanizing because of the service the company offers and the standard of work they have done for us in the past.”
Eight years later, we are happy to report that the Treetop Walkway is proving a popular attraction with many people enjoying the views and traversing the platforms amongst the trees. The structure looks just as amazing today as it did in 2008, and the steel has weathered well and looks stunning set into the nature of the Gardens.
No doubt we’ll head back for another visit to Kew Gardens and the Treetop Walkway at some point in the future. If you’re looking for a great out out this Summer, we recommend you visit the attraction too.
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On 10 November 2017 France will host a service of remembrance to commemorate the centenary of the end of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War One. The event has been named The Passchendaele Salute 2017.
During the service the guns will fire 100 rounds to recognise 100 years since the battle ended. At least 10 Great War guns will be used, which will be manned by teams from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Belgium and France.
The Battle of Passchendaele was fought by the Allies against the Germans, on the Western Front from July until November 1917. Field Marshal Haig’s main aim for the battle was to destroy German submarine pens by breaking through to the coast of Belgium. Often referred to as the ‘Battle of Mud’ because the dreadful weather hampered progress, it was a costly campaign as Haig only managed to gain a few miles, and yet 325,000 Allied troops died, as well as 260,000 Germans.
As hundreds of thousands of lives were lost during the Battle, it’s important to remember the men who served. With this in mind Joseph Ash Galvanizing is happy to support the event by donating 3-4 Joseph Ash Galvanizing lorries, for a period of 2-3 days, to help John Slough of London (a client of Joseph Ash Galvanizing who refurbishes antique guns) carry some of the guns from the UK to Lille in France, where the Salute will take place.
The Passchendaele Salute 2017 will not only commemorate the men who died during the Battle, but it will also raise money for a good cause, as Combat Stress is the beneficiary charity.
You can follow news about The Passchendaele Salute 2017 here. Keep an eye on the Joseph Ash Galvanizing website too as we’ll be charting the journey of our lorries, as well as the event in our news stories nearer the time.
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As part of the first phase in a £1 billion regeneration scheme of the Medway Towns in Kent, more than 300 metres of bespoke railings were installed along Strood Waterfront. Galvanized and powder coated by steel finishing specialist Joseph Ash Medway, the metal railings are still looking and performing as good as new some 15 years after the installation.
Appointed by main contractor W.S. Atkins on behalf of Medway Council, bespoke architectural metalwork specialists Claydon Architectural Metalwork (CAM) designed and installed a new railing system that would run alongside the redeveloped riverfront and around a play area in Watermill Gardens. Using the company’s patented tube crushing techniques, CAM produced attractive and secure decorative railings that would provide excellent edge protection.
”We designed and installed over 300 metres of railings on Strood Waterfront, all of which needed to be galvanized and powder coated. For this, we turned to the unrivalled quality and service of Joseph Ash Medway,” said Phil Pizey, Owner of Claydon Architectural Metalwork. ”Fifteen years later and the railings continue to look as good as new which shows why we use Joseph Ash Medway every time.”
Joseph Ash Medway applied its hot dip galvanizing techniques, followed by a matt blue powder coating finish to the new metalwork. Hot dip galvanizing provides a tough, long lasting finish which, when combined with powder coating, offers an aesthetic, colourful and durable coating that will last for many years.
Operating to stringent quality control processes and fully accredited to all the latest BS and ISO standards, the galvanizing process provides at least 25 years worth of corrosion protection often considerably more.
As the redevelopment of Medway Towns has taken shape in the last 15 years, the regeneration of Strood Waterfront and its extensive riverside railing system will continue to look its best thanks to Joseph Ash Medway.
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Joseph Ash Galvanizing hot dip galvanizes and powder coats steel railings for Claydon Architectural Metalwork and the BSI.
Producing any of kind of project for the British Standards Institute could be a daunting task, because of the very nature of their work. As one of the world’s largest independent certification bodies for management systems, with over 120,000 registered sites across the globe, the BSI has very high standards to meet! Despite this, Claydon Architectural Metalwork (CAM) was asked to create and install new railings outside the BSI’s building in Hemel Hempstead, as part of a larger refurbishment project on the whole building, and Joseph Ash Galvanizing was asked to provide the necessary steel finishing treatments.
CAM was approached by Kirsop, the project surveyors, to design the new front elevation railings for the BSI building. CAM was happy to take on the project and they chose Joseph Ash Galvanizing to provide the finishing treatments – a choice they have been making for the last 20 years, knowing the very high standards of quality and customer care that Joseph Ash Galvanizing provides.
The railings are made from steel and measure 82 linear metres in length and stand approximately 900mm high on top of the existing wall at the front entrance to the building. The total weight of the steel used was just under two tonnes.
As part of the design, CAM managed to incorporate the well known Kitemark and BSI logos into the railing panels with great effect.
Kirsop asked CAM to design and build the new railings in early 2014. By June the railings were fabricated, at which point they were collected by trucks from Joseph Ash Medway (Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s Kent-based plant), driven to Sittingbourne (where the plant is based) and prepared for treatment.
The railings have to last a long time. They need to remain looking good and be protected from corrosion from the elements. With this in mind Joseph Ash Medway treated the steel with a duplex coating of a hot dip galvanized substrate, as well as a powder coated finish.
Duplex Coating = Galvanizing + Powder Coating
Galvanizing: Hot dip galvanizing has been used worldwide for well over a century because it provides a long-life, low-maintenance corrosion protection, which safeguards steel from atmospheric attack.
Powder Coating: This can be combined with a powder coated finish which provides a low maintenance, long lasting, colourful covering for architectural metalwork, fencing, gates and any other steel fabrication. It is a covering which can be offered in a wide variety of durable, colourful, metallic and textured powder coating finishes that are both attractive and guaranteed for up to 25 years.
Once the steel had been treated, Joseph Ash Medway delivered it back to Claydon’s site in Suffolk.
Both CAM and Joseph Ash Galvanizing are very pleased with the railings for the BSI, and work well together as a team.
Claire Rycraft, from CAM said: “As a company it is important for us to adhere to all the required BSI standards when completing work for customers – not just the British Standards Institute! Because of this, we choose suppliers to help us complete projects that also adhere to important standards. Joseph Ash Galvanizing is one such company and we have a great deal of confidence in their work.”
Matthew Hodges at Joseph Ash Medway said: “Aside from the aesthetic appeal of powder coated surfaces, there’s no point investing in a colourful coating unless you know it will last. With Joseph Ash Medway customers can be assured that we are not only approved as paint applicators by AzkoNobel, IGP and Dupont, but we also adhere to the following standards when it comes to galvanizing and powder coating: BS EN ISO 1461 (galvanizing) and BS EN 13438 (powder coating).”
The railings have been standing outside the BSI building for 18 months now and they look great. Because of the high standards of Claydon Architectural Metalwork and Joseph Ash Galvanizing, the gates should be protected and will look attractive to meet the BSI’s exacting standards for many years to come.
About Claydon Architectural Metalwork
Claydon Architectural Metalwork is a family run business, established 30 years ago. Their award-winning designs visually enhance landscapes and urban environments.
They work closely with clients to ensure the facilitation of their creative ambitions, by offering a complete design, manufacture and installation service which guarantees the consistency of CAM’s work at every stage of a project.
Claydon’s passion for design has set them apart for nearly 30 years and has led to an illustrious history featuring work with prominent artists, architects and contractors.
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Rhino enclosures: there’s a first for everything at Joseph Ash Galvanizing!
Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo is based in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was opened in 1988 after being converted from a former dairy farm, and now receives over 400,000 visitors a year.
The park is home to many different types of animals, from lions to penguins and giraffes, and in October 2015 it welcomed two black rhinos to its family.
The rhinos are very rare animals – with fewer than 650 left in the wild – and they have been made welcome at Folly Farm with a brand new rhino enclosure.
The rhino enclosure features a bespoke house that includes four indoor facilities and straw beds for the rhinos to sleep on. The house is called the Kifaru Reserve, and it has separate interlinking rooms for the rhinos, as they are quite solitary creatures, not often enjoying the company of other rhinos.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing and Folly Farm
The new enclosure is a flagship exhibit and an exciting chapter for Folly Farm. It has also been an exciting project for Joseph Ash Galvanizing who was tasked with the job of galvanizing the steel frames for the rhino enclosure.
Folly Farm fabricated the steel frames themselves at their in-house fabrication unit. And Joseph Ash Bridgend and Joseph Ash Telford galvanized the 14 tonnes of steel.
As the local plant to Folly Farm, Joseph Ash Bridgend collected all the steel and galvanized the smaller pieces. The Joseph Ash Telford plant then collected the steel from Bridgend before dipping the larger pieces into their larger galvanizing bath. Once this process was complete, the steel was delivered back to Wales, where the Joseph Ash Bridgend team placed everything onto Joseph Ash Galvanizing trucks and drove it back to Folly Farm.
Folly Farm chose to contract the work to Joseph Ash Galvanizing not only because Joseph Ash Bridgend was local, but also because Joseph Ash Galvanizing provides such a flexible service that not only gets the job done to a premium quality, but also takes all the hassle out of transport and supplier logistics.
Rhinos’ home protected for many years to come
Galvanizing improves the appearance, as well as protects and prolongs the life of steel, so we hope the rhinos will enjoy their new surroundings for many years.
You can find out more about Folly Farm on their website or their Facebook page.
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Solihull School unveils a wonderful sculpture by Matthew Lane Sanderson in the grounds of its chapel. Sculpture hot dip galvanized by Joseph Ash Galvanizing.
Solihull School in the Midlands is an independent day school for boys and girls aged between seven and 18. The school moved to its present site in 1882, and has seen many improvements since, with recent developments including a new sports pavilion, PE facilities, additional teaching areas and a dedicated music school. One of the most recent developments at the school was the addition a new Matthew Lane Sanderson sculpture on the forecourt of the school chapel. The School has also just opened a new state of the art Sixth Form Building, complete with innovative teaching and private study areas and a panoramic top floor terrace. This new building will be the site of a second sculpture by Matthew.
The chapel and the sculpture
The school felt that the forecourt to the chapel needed redevelopment, as it was looking bland and tired. In addition, some of the paving had cracked and was a health and safety concern.
It was thought that the area needed a new central focus, and after seeing sculptures at other schools, coupled with a desire to promote art and design across the School, the decision was made to commission a sculptor to produce an eye-catching installation.
The brief that was given to various sculptors included a work of art that would:
- Foster a sense of community – an important part of the School’s ethos
- Celebrate the School’s choral successes and excellence
- Promote the School’s Christian foundation, without the need to have an overt religious figure
- Be a strong image, but not one that was too “abstract”.
Many sculptors expressed an interest in the work, but the School liked Matthew’s ideas and approach.
Matthew Lane Sanderson
Matthew is a renowned Midlands based sculptor who specialises in ‘Big Art’, sculpting large public installations, and smaller private pieces, out of industrial materials.
Matthew set to work on designing and creating the sculpture that now sits on the chapel forecourt. The sculpture is called ‘Conduct’.
‘Conduct’ is 5 metres tall and 3 metres wide, and is stunning.
Joseph Ash Galvanizing is pleased to have played a part in the sculpture’s history as the steel was hot dip galvanized at our Joseph Ash Walsall plant.
Richard Bate, Bursar and Clerk to the Governors at Solihull School said:
“The sculpture has helped transform the chapel forecourt, along with the significant repaving and installation of planters/benching in the area surrounding the sculpture.”
Matthew currently has 50 sculptures displayed permanently across the UK, and regularly uses steel to fabricate his art.
We look forward to following the developments at Solihull School and to seeing more of Matthew’s work at our plants.
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In June 2012 the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service submitted plans to demolish the fire station in Hirwaun in the Cynon Valley in Wales, in order to replace it with a new environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art fire station, worth £1 million. Permission was granted by the Rhondda Cynon Taf council, and the work soon began.
The new fire station was built by Andrew Scott Ltd, a construction and engineering company, who then commissioned Shufflebottom Ltd to make the steel frame.
Shufflebottom supplied almost 16 tonnes of steel to Andrew Scott Ltd for the build, some of which Joseph Ash Galvanizing was pleased to hot dip galvanize.
The new fire station is an interesting building because it was designed to not only act as a fire station, but also for use by the whole community. It also had to blend in well with its surroundings, which includes housing, industrial units and mountains. Finally, it needed to be environmentally friendly.
As well as being made of steel, the building – with its integrated training tower – also uses salvaged Welsh slate, timber cladding and two green roofs complete with grass that absorbs pollution in the atmosphere and reduces heating bills. The local wildlife was also considered in the design as the building includes bat boxes and a sparrow terrace.
Shufflebottom is a valued customer of Joseph Ash Galvanizing. We were more than happy to assist with this project and we were also thrilled for both Shufflebottom and Andrew Scott Ltd when they won a RIDBA FAB award for the building in the Spring of 2015.
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