In our part of Texas, people love metal cut-outs to decorate indoors and out. Blanton and Russell Jones, owners of Custom Iron Art, cut designs out of steel in their workshop near De Leon, Texas. We went to see a demonstration of the craft last weekend, and Blanton was kind enough to let me take pictures.
The father and son team work with customers and computers to come up with the perfect design, often combining ready-to-use artwork with images that customers bring in. Russell is the computer expert, scanning, composing, redesigning, and resizing designs until they meet with the customer’s approval.
The result is a computer graphic file that looks like a line drawing. Using specialized software, the Joneses place the design onto a screen that represents a sheet of steel, which is lying on a cutting table a few feet away.
At the press of a button, the laser cutter positions itself to make the first cut. The sparks fly!
A few minutes later, the design is cut. Then the finishing work begins. With a home made tool, Blanton knocks steel bits out of all the holes in the design.
The laser cutter leaves irregular lines of slag, which Blanton breaks off with his tool.
He smooths the edges with a power polisher and touches it up by hand. Often, Blanton paints the finished cut-outs black to prevent rusting. We liked the plain steel finish of our hummingbird, and knowing that it will soon have a patina of rust on it, we proclaimed it finished.
You can find more of the Jones’s work at their website: http://www.ciaoftexas.com. Or drop by and see them, on your way through Texas–but call first!