Figure out what needs to happen.
Where does it mount? What has to clear? What's already there? Those questions are worth answering before the first cut.
About Artisan Ironworks
Metalwork has been in my family for generations.
I'm Charles, the guy behind Artisan Ironworks in Monroe, NC. I build and repair metalwork, and I enjoy the projects where there's a little figuring out to do first.
Our roots
Years later, Dad and I worked on the same ironwork.
My great-great-grandfather made the wrought-iron railings at Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Lancaster, South Carolina. Years later, Dad and I got to help restore those very same panels. There's something pretty special about working on iron that somebody in your family made that long ago.
I still enjoy ornamental ironwork, but my shop does a lot more than railings. These days I also work on repairs, custom parts, CAD models and 3D-printed prototypes. Some jobs are straightforward. Others take more measuring, testing and figuring out before I start cutting metal. I enjoy both.
Read the full restoration story →How we approach the job
A drawing is a start. It still has to work in real life.
Use what makes sense for the job.
Some parts need a welder and a grinder. Others go a lot smoother with a CAD model, a printed test piece or a jig. I use whichever helps.
Make something that actually works.
Whether it's a one-off railing, a broken bracket or a small run of parts, it has to fit and do what it's supposed to do.
A look in the shop
Here's what that looks like.
Other work I take on includes custom fabrication, repairs, CAD and rapid prototyping and small-batch manufacturing.
Have something unusual?
Tell us what it needs to do.
A photo, sketch or an old part is plenty to start with. Tell me what you're trying to do.
Start a Custom Project