Distracted...

It's been a great year for Factor II Fabrication. We've grown, matured and made new friends and clients...and are ready for a short break.

I haven't been on my snowboard in years...YEARS!!! I don't know why. But I'm rearing to go so bad I feel like I'm 14-years-old again - pining for snowfall every night...

Friends from the Cities, come join us. Welch Village in three weeks...

Finished table for COSC's EVERGREEN Fundraiser

Here's a pic of the table we're donating to COSC's EVERGREEN Fundraiser event. Details in the prior post. THIS is going to be a killer event - NOT TO BE MISSED! See ya there...

Center on Sustainable Communities EVERGREEN Fundraiser

This table is being donated to the Center on Sustainable Communities EVERGREEN Fundraiser this Wednesday, Nov. 2 at People's Court in Des Moines...Did you know William Elliot Whitmore is playing???...Yeah, it's gonna be a pretty, pretty...pretty sweet event!

Pictured here in its raw steel state, the table will be finished in a RAL #3003 Ruby Red powder coat finish. The square perforated adornments and accompanying hardware get a RAL #9010 Pure White powder coat finish. The table measures 24 1/4"W x 60 3/4"L x 12"H.

For more information on the event checkout COSC. See y'all there...

Barely wired...

These pics were sent to me by Aaron Moon with the attached notations:

"Back story...working on an old car in rural Dallas county with a friend. We were in need of a tap and die set so off to the neighbors we go. There I stumbled upon this gem. Guy tells me he still uses those cables. Wowza!"

Those cables have to have two dozen rolls of electrical tape on 'em...damn. Still, an old, cool Forney welder similar to one Double D sent me a while back...

Mountain & Molehill Preservation Society Fundraiser

Here's a coffee table (21" x 35" reclaimed 2 1/2" thick cedar top, with powder-coated steel frame) we put together for auction at the Mountain & Molehole Preservation Society breast cancer awareness event Saturday, October 15, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm at Snus Hill in Madrid, IA.

$10 Cover (15 & under accompanied by an adult are free)
LIVE MUSIC BY: Ben2K & Danny Grause
POWDERPUFF & MEN'S FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE MORNING! (see separate event)
SILENT AUCTION & RAFFLE ITEMS
BIG G's Catering (for additional cost - more info to come)

It's a fun-filled night with great music, good food, and lots of laughs all supporting a great cause! Please try to stop out & see what we're all about!

Introducing the Gaucho Grill

This has been an ongoing project for the better part of six months now. Mike "The Grill Guy" Schmitt approached me months ago about helping design and fabricate this fun cookout creation. I always take a fond interest in projects related to the food industry - especially this one. It's not a primary grill, but for anyone that consider himself or herself an outdoor chef, this charcoal/wood grill is gonna be tough to beat. Below is some text from Mike's press release along with his contact information.

It's been a pleasure collaborating on this project...and bringing back Mike's inner punk.

-Boonie



The Gaucho Grill is inspired by South American outdoor cooking. Argentinians typically build fires and cook over them in time honored methods that are starting to catch on in the United States. The Gaucho Grill is made in Des Moines, Iowa by Factor II Fabrication for Grill'N Out!



The Gaucho Grill is easy to use, easy to clean, flexible, mobile and built to last a lifetime. Cooks can Grill, Indirect Grill, Griddle, Skewer, Rotisserie, Roast directly on the coals and use Dutch Ovens or other cast iron cookery on the coals as well.



I designed The Gaucho Grill because I was tired of running out of fuel before I was done cooking? You will never run out of fuel again because you can always add fuel at anytime during the cooking process with our open firebox technology. Simply burn wood to embers or prepare Lump Charcoal to ensure even heat transfer then drag the coals under the cooking surface of your food. When the ashes cool, simply pull them off the grill into a trash receptacle.



The Current Model is the 5'. It has 10 square feet of flexible cooking space. Most grills are measured by sq inches! The size and construction lends itself to opportunities to customize, let us know what you'd like to put on your grill.
The Gaucho Grill offers a Customer Satisfaction Warranty on Firebox Burnout, all other components come with a one year limited warranty.
So, If you're fed up with small grills with limited space or limited cooking methods contact us today.


Mike "The Grill Guy"
info@grillnoutiowa.com
515-229-9713
www.grillnoutiowa.com

Sculpture - Daniel Hyland Design

Finished this one a couple of weeks ago for Daniel Hyland Design. Client supplied driftwood mounted on raw, unfinished mild steel.

Schwertfeger Residence - reclaimed wood floor lamp

Here's a floor lamp we fashioned out of a 8' reclaimed tree. The limbs were forged out of 1" pipe to allow for the wiring to be concealed. The flanges had holes drilled drilled in them before the limbs were welded to them. This allowed the client to run the wiring down the back of the trunk and through the base.

The globes...are another story. Jeremy and his wife found them in Italy, thinking they would be the perfect adornment for this project. They came packaged as geometric pieces that required "some assembly"...and a doctorate in advanced mathematical analysis. The instructions included some rough drawings...and directions in Italian. Luckily, Jeremy's father is known to feed on challenging, brain-busting puzzles. What we struggled with all summer, took him a few hours.

The result is this one-of-a-kind, rustically modern piece.

Goemaat tables for Deborah Philips Interior Design

This has been a steadily planned project for a few months now. Interior designer Deborah Phillips approached me about building a few tables out of one retail table...basically, cutting what was to be two tops - now three - out of one of these.

What we ended up with were a desk (23 1/2" x 70"), a coffee table (28" x 51") and a round end table that has yet to be built. The huge slab of wood came from Restoration Hardware in one gigantic 77" x 62" slab with a thin-walled sq. tube frame beneath it.

At almost 2 1/2" thick, it wasn't the lightest piece I've ever dealt with.





The coffee table is composed of 2" sq. steel legs with a 1" sq. steel perimeter around the top and 1" sq. steel cross members at the ends on the bottom. This piece has been force oxidized and sealed with a clear powder coat finish.




The desk's frame is composed of 1 1/2" sq. steel tubing throughout. The center ring is 6" dia., 3/4" tubing. The "rays" are solid 1/2" sq. steel bar. The desk has been finished with "breccia smooth matte" powder coat.

Old school boy eyes some old school equipment

My bud, Dan Dahle gets around...I don't ask doing what, he just gets around. Here, he spies another vintage welder in northwestern Iowa. It must have flooded there lately, the work clamp was plugged into "High Ground." Double D says this unit is still in use.

Hohanshelt Residence - exterior railing

A LOT of railing for Melanie and Jason. Steel 2" sq. tube posts, 1 1/2" sq. tube top rails, 1" sq. tube bottom rails, 1/2" rd. bar laterals. Silver powder coat finish by Miller's Custom Powder Coating. Thanks for Melanie, Jason, Gardner Homes, "Broseph" Bryce, Logan for taking the time to drop off the last couple of stair rails yesterday and everyone back at the shop for helping knock out this project in short order...really short order - thanks Terry, Tyler and J.J.

Clean and contemporary. I dig it. Cheers.

Vintage

Vintage welder still in use in northern Missouri. Spied by my bud, Double D.

We only keep these hours because our vendors do...

A quote from a Banksy book I picked up while on holiday...upon reading it, I promptly texted it to my wife.

Welcome to Linweld!

One of the new FIIF stickers on the front door of Linweld here in Des Moines...Thanks guys!

Want a sticker or two of your own? Send your snail mail address to >>>> info AT factoriifab DOT com

Have a safe holiday weekend...

Kindness of strangers...

Many thanks to "Anonymous" in Tucson, AZ for sending the stickers. I particularly like the purple sheep straying from the flock. The little hatched chick ain't too bad either...

Cheers. Hope the monsoon season has treated you well....

Windmill

Installed this afternoon...just in time.

Better pics and video of the mill in action to come...

Thank you so much, Paula...That this functions on more than one level is fabulous. Thank you again for the inspiration.

Cheers....

New shirts...

"New" old shirts...Gildan's "Ultra Cotton," 100% preshrunk cotton tees. White on various colors. Medium, large and extra large. Get 'em here...

Custom wind mill

This is the framework and beginnings of a custom-built "wind mill" for the Flynn Residence. Paula contacted me last fall about solving an unsightly "plumbing adornment" that so rudely invaded her large, expansive garden. After thinking about it during the winter, we took a look at it again this spring and came up with a mock wind mill that is to be sheeted with various metals: aluminum, galvanized steel flashing, stainless and some corrugated steel if we can find some. The mill is intended to have an organic, natural feel but still retain some "modern" elements. It will have a fully functioning vane and blade assembly. The 5/8" shaft will turn in two ball bearing assemblies concealed under a steel box to keep it out of the elements.

Zart 1312 window adornments

These are the windows behind the bar placement at Zart1312 in Des Moines. We simply found various pieces of steel and stainless drop-off from the shop and started attaching them to the window trim. Galvanized, mild steel, oxidized, HVAC flashing all made the dance on this project. Not too bad looking...

All things considered, in a best case scenario, I'll be able to COMPLETELY pull out of 1312 Locust at the end of next week. After I get a few things tidied up on Maribeth's railing at Zart, I can haul my JoBox back to the shop.

Worst case? I never leave.......and end up tending bar at Americana with Pete and Chief.

FIIF and the family in print

Here's some pics from the recent issue of Ready Made magazine. It shows us in the midst of our ongoing renovation of our American foursquare house. I absolutely love the pic with our son, Strummer!! He looks like he's about to eat the kitty cat!!

I also love the fact that I was allowed to wear my Murder City Devils shirt. Additionally, the URL for this blog was printed along with a pic of the reclaimed barn wood bed I built for my wife. Grab a copy on newsstands today to get the whole scoop on our project along with many more profiles!

Send me your stickers!

I like to tag. My body is adorned with tattoos. My clothing with stenciled art. Many of my larger tools and cabinets are slapped with stickers. I need more...of everything I've listed. You can help - send me stickers. Anything: bands, automotive, food, sports but especially SLAYER stickers. I'll return the favor by dropping a few FIIF stickers in the mail back to ya. International? Even better.

Factor II Fabrication
5268 NW 2nd Ave.
Des Moines IA 50313
USA

Cheers,
Boonie

Americana Restaurant and Lounge

Here's some pics of the wine racks going into the soon-to-open Americana Restaurant and Lounge at 1312 Locust across from Des Moines' Pappajohn Sculpture Garden. 1 1/2" sq. tube frames with 1/2" sq. bar. Each rack will house 60-70 bottles of wine. These will definitely be a fine focal point, among MANY more in what's shaping up to be a uniquely modern interior. More pics to come...

Remembrance Table Designs

I don't get to fabricate aluminum as much as I'd like, so this job has been a welcome change of pace lately. This project is a prototype for Dave Fremming and his company,Remembrance Table Designs, in Ankeny, IA. Most of Dave's products are fashioned out of wood and adorned with ornate handles - the entire product built by various craftsmen from around Iowa.

Hopefully, the aluminum table will find its way to Dave's permanent line. Thanks, Dave! You are an absolute pleasure to work with. I'm always happy to help out another carpenter!!!

Marge's kitchen island

Here's the completed kitchen island for my friend, Maggie Senn. 1" mild steel sq. tube legs with 1/2" solid round bar for the shelving in a "statuary bronze" powder coat finish. The top is a 1" thick maple butcher's block with 3" wide trim pieces wrapped around its perimeter. 2" locking casters keep the island mobile, but stationary when desired. Hidden under the block is a 1 1/2" thick piece of granite, supplied by Marge's, er, I mean, Maggie's mother, Jennifer. The block is removable so the granite can be used for baking purposes.

Thanks for your patience, Maggie! I hope this piece is integral in helping you prepare many, many fine dinners. Don't forget to KEEP THE WOOD OILED! Oh, and NEVER cut directly on the granite - you might as well bang your knives on the pavement.

Bon appetit.

2011 DSM Juice Mixies awards

Thanks to my pal, Eric Rowley, for bringing the photo shoot into the shop for a session with one of this year's winners, Canby. Check out all of the winners at Juice or pick up a copy at your local merchant.

Zart 1312 forged railing...FIN!!!

Well, it came down to the 11th hour, but the railing for Zart 1312 was indeed ready to go for Maribeth's first event on April 1. A few loose ends need to be tied up, but we're pretty much a wrap on this one. Though, Maribeth has a few more builds inside to complete. They should be great too!

Thanks go out to Terry Reeves for the milling of the mahogany molding, Nate Fetus for pitching in on the cleaning of the rails and especially April Moore for her undying eagerness to learn and heed constructive criticism. April's dedication to the build really made this job a success. Seriously, I couldn't have done a job this big in such a short period of time without her enormous contribution. You have a solid future in this field, girl!

Thanks, ALWAYS, to Miller's Custom Powder for their extraordinary generosity and hospitality.

Last but not least, thanks to Maribeth Trevillyan for trusting us in getting the job right and installed on time. It was a pleasure working on this one, despite the long, long days and nights and we look forward to knocking out that list of future endeavors.

So...cheers. I'm gonna go sleep for a couple days.