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How We Make Our Products

People can under estimate the workmanship that goes into designing and producing a piece of cast iron work. Superb skill’s and technical dexterity have enabled me to develop and create patterns and moulds for products. The first stage and the most important skillful stage is creating the item or product.Once the design is developed sketchings and drawings can be transformed. A carving or sculpture is formed to precise specification’s, this stage is the most critical part of the pattern because this becomes the perfect protertype model for the product.

The tooling commonly known as the Pattern’s or the compact boxes, are used in the foundry they comprise of two piece’s which must accuratley line up together.The boxes usually have core’s that create undercut’s and hollow’s.

The tooling’s are then transported a few mile’s away to the local foundry, this is where the mould maker completes the next stage making the sand mould’s. The process for this, sand is poured into each half of the mould’s then rammed and leveled out. The sand is then turned out of each mould, the sand mould’s are then placed together,ready for the moulten metal to be poured.

After the metal is poured the cooling process takes place and the castings are then ready to be knocked out of the moulds.

This is part of the process used when making SG iron. This is a malleable iron used on products such as ironmongery. The process for this casting is different to the one used for cast iron because different chemicals are added to the moulten metal.SG iron is the material used for Lumley Designs sign brackets.

After the metal has cooled they are knocked out of the sand moulds, sand blasted and fettled to remove the raw edges, then castings are ready for assemble.

The castings are then returned to the workshop.

The castings are then drilled and tapped and fitted together to make sure the castings line up correctly ready for assembly.

Each component is wet sprayed in the spray booth, with first an etch primer then the top coat is applied.

All the other components are made and assembeled in our workshop. For example the telesopic boxes and sheet metal work.

The products are then assembled.

The final process any detail such as the lettering and motif are then carefully hand painted ready for the customer.

We hope the information provided has been interesting and gives a greater understanding of what is involved to produce bespoke, hand made quality products that give you many years of pleasure.