Every now and then we have a special job come through the plant that is out of the ordinary. The team is excited about running the job because it is different. They know it is a one of a kind. These special jobs are sculptures from artists working with steel. The artists know that the galvanizing process along with powder coating creates an extremely durable and aesthetically pleasing product that will last for years to come. Artwork is always challenging to work with due to the design, shape and intricacy of the sculpture. Special handling and attention to detail is required. Sometimes exceptionally smooth finishes are needed for the powder coating. Imperfections will be highlighted so great caution is used. Other times there are moving parts, for example The Wishing Tree which is a mobile sculpture, required the ability of the steel to move after being hot dip galvanized and powder coated. Another challenge is the packaging process for transportation and delivery. For the main entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, Hubbells galvanized and powder coated the handrail. No chipping, damage, or repairs were acceptable. The rail was wrapped and padded at all times.
Ricky Hallam, Superintendent of the Galvanizing Plant said of these projects, “The employees get excited about running these jobs when they come through. One time there was a set of gates for the NY Mets. That was really cool. Some of the pieces are very challenging like the Muskie. We want to run it just right. We make sure we are communicating with the fabricator. We need to know where on the sculpture is it hallow so we can make sure where to drill the holes for venting. It needs to be perfect. We just had a sculpture of a bald eagle come through. The head was not hallow but it had nostrils in the birds beak so we drilled the holes there. It had metal strips as feathers so it was very intricate.”
At Hubbells we look forward to these challenges when we
get the opportunity to work on them. It is a chance for us to work with our
galvanizing and powder coating process while still keeping the integrity of the
artist work intact.
Here are some examples of the many works of art that have been galvanized and or powder coated at Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings:
Main entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Location: Cooperstown, NY
Weathervane, Artist: Will Salisbury, Location: Comfort Island, Alexandria Bay, NY
The sculpture was galvanized and powder coated.
The Eagle, Artist: Mark McDermott, hot-dipped galvanized.
Muskie, The Last One, Artist: William Salisbury, Location: Clayton, NY
The entire sculpture was galvanized as an undercoat to
prevent rust. A polyester powder coating was then applied to give the base
color for the Muskie. Finally, the artist touched painted the highlights. and
placed the eye giving the sculpture life.
Located in a private home
Dragon Fly, Located in a Private Home
Crown 2008, Artist: Rainer Maria Wehner, Located in Griffiths Business Park
The sculpture was galvanized and powder coated
The Wishing Tree, Artist: Tash Taskale, Located in Griffiths Business Park
Sisson Family Bench, Artist unknown, Located at a private residence in Old Forge, NY
Fairview Cemetery Sign, Designer Sean Woodard, Galvanized and Powder Coated
