Decorative Metals

The ancient art of forging metal is still being practiced today by select artisan studios. Here are some of the best that are working in the traditional style.

Based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Compass Ironworks creates custom ironwork for clients across the United States and abroad.

The 27-year-old, family-owned company is comprised of a select team of skilled artisans who specialize in crafting custom stairs, gates, fences, and railings. The work blends innovative design with classical traditions established by masters such as Samuel Yellin and Cyril Colnik.

“We are inspired by innovation, grounded in integrity, and driven by a strong work ethic,” says owner Amos Glick. “We think outside the box to deliver creative solutions tailored to our clients’ needs. Using iron, aluminum, stainless steel, bronze, and brass, we create ironworks other companies may only dream of. We approach each challenge as an opportunity to provide a better product.”

Recalling past challenges, Glick describes a three-story, eight-foot-diameter staircase that had to corkscrew through a six-foot door opening—a feat accomplished through teamwork and outside-the-box thinking.

He also highlights Compass Ironworks’ Create & Collaborate process, a recent initiative that allows the company to deliver custom ironwork worldwide.

“Whether it’s a staircase for a private estate in Florida or a historic gate restoration in California, our Create & Collaborate process makes it possible,” he says.

Glick’s passion for metalwork began with a childhood fascination for blacksmith shops and has remained as enduring as the metal he shapes.

“Watching metal take form left a lasting impression,” he says. “From a young age, I knew I had metal in my veins.”

Compass Ironworks’ legacy lies in crafting pieces that outlast their designer, their owner, and even their maker.

For more than 40 years, Historical Arts & Casting has been designing and fabricating cast ornamental and decorative metalwork.

Working primarily with bronze, aluminum, and cast iron, the Utah-based company makes a variety of products, including railings, light fixtures, doors, windows, foundations, furniture, and garden ornaments.

“We have the entire process—design, engineering, pattern shop, foundry,  machining, fabrication, finishing, packaging, and shipping—in house and under one roof,” says Chad Thorell, partner/CFO, adding that the crews also do field measurements, consulting, demolition, and installation. “Having all these capabilities at arm’s-length gives us great flexibility with producing prototypes, scheduling, and the assurance that it will be done to our standards.”

Historical Arts & Casting has worked on numerous historical projects around the country, including the U.S. Capitol Building’s restoration and the restoration of the lighting fixtures at New York City’s Grand Central Station.

“We are artisans who restore life to the classical and bring new meaning to America’s architectural heritage,” says Thorell. “With a commitment to old-world craftsmanship, we utilize new-world technology to create custom, quality, architectural ornamentation. We are leaving a lasting legacy of beauty for current and future generations to enjoy.”

Thorell, who joined the family-owned company in 1987 when he was 16, says it’s fulfilling and inspiring to be involved with projects of such national importance.

“My first job was working on the outdoor patio furniture for the Statue of Liberty,” he says. “We provided very ornate cast aluminum tables and chairs. “It is still rewarding to revisit that project over the years and see that work that we had done so many years ago.”

Known for custom, site-specific work in a variety of styles ranging from traditional to contemporary, James DeMartis is inspired by his eponymous studio’s large collection of metalwork and vintage and antique hand tools that he uses daily.

The studio, based in East Hampton, New York, specializes in all kinds of metalwork, including railings, furniture, hardware, sculpture, fireplace accessories, lighting, artifact mounts, and restoration and often collaborates with leather, wood, glass, and stone craftsmen.

“I love to be involved in the design process,” says DeMartis, who founded the studio in 2001 after working for another metalwork shop. “I’m an artist—I don’t replicate antique metalwork unless it’s for a restoration, but I incorporate elements of antique design and construction technique into my designs.”

DeMartis, who typically is involved in all aspects of the design, engineering, and drawing, works with clients on Long Island, and in New York City and the Adirondacks.

His mid-size studio uses traditional techniques and modern technology ranging from blacksmithing and soldering to water jet, laser cutting, and precision machining and welding fabrication.

“Drawing from a diversity of skills, techniques, tools, technology, materials, hand-applied finishes, and design, my shop thrives on projects that range from minor repairs to large-scale installations,” he says. “I work in the realm of contemporary to the traditional and everything in between. I’m also known as the shop clients find themselves at when no one else wants to tackle their thorny projects.”

Working mostly with institutional and commercial clients worldwide, Wiemann Metalcraft specializes in traditional metal railings but also designs and manufactures a variety of decorative and ornamental metalwork ranging from glass structures and glass railings to solid-iron and steel fencing and gates and feature lighting.

“We are incredibly agile and diverse in our capabilities, and while we do travel far and wide for work, we excel at producing complex assemblies that others can install with confidence,” says President Douglas Bracken, whose family bought the company in 1997. “We are very progressive in leveraging technology to assist in everything from design through fabrication and installation.”

Oklahoma-based Wiemann Metalcraft, which was founded in 1940, also has a division that focuses on contract manufacturing for clients who are original equipment manufacturers.

Bracken is passionate about “making beautiful products and solving design and fabrication problems gracefully and efficiently.”

The members of the Wiemann team, he says, are not mere welders and fabricators: “We work hard to be artisans every day. We are all dedicated to our craft.” TB