Hubbell Galvanizing

Art Work Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 02:17:00 +0000

Every now and then we have a special job come through the plant that is out of the ordinary. The team is excited about running the job because it is different. They know it is a one of a kind. These special jobs are sculptures from artists working with steel. The artists know that the galvanizing process along with powder coating creates an extremely durable and aesthetically pleasing product that will last for years to come. Artwork is always challenging to work with due to the design, shape and intricacy of the sculpture. Special handling and attention to detail is required. Sometimes exceptionally smooth finishes are needed for the powder coating. Imperfections will be highlighted so great caution is used. Other times there are moving parts, for example The Wishing Tree which is a mobile sculpture, required the ability of the steel to move after being hot dip galvanized and powder coated. Another challenge is the packaging process for transportation and delivery. For the main entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, Hubbells galvanized and powder coated the handrail. No chipping, damage, or repairs were acceptable. The rail was wrapped and padded at all times.

Ricky Hallam, Superintendent of the Galvanizing Plant said of these projects, “The employees get excited about running these jobs when they come through. One time there was a set of gates for the NY Mets. That was really cool. Some of the pieces are very challenging like the Muskie. We want to run it just right. We make sure we are communicating with the fabricator. We need to know where on the sculpture is it hallow so we can make sure where to drill the holes for venting. It needs to be perfect. We just had a sculpture of a bald eagle come through. The head was not hallow but it had nostrils in the birds beak so we drilled the holes there. It had metal strips as feathers so it was very intricate.”

At Hubbells we look forward to these challenges when we get the opportunity to work on them. It is a chance for us to work with our galvanizing and powder coating process while still keeping the integrity of the artist work intact.

Here are some examples of the many works of art that have been galvanized and or powder coated at Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings:

Crows, Artist: Will Salisbury

Main entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Location: Cooperstown, NY

Weathervane, Artist: Will Salisbury, Location: Comfort Island, Alexandria Bay, NY

The sculpture was galvanized and powder coated.

The Eagle, Artist: Mark McDermott, hot-dipped galvanized.

Muskie, The Last One, Artist: William Salisbury, Location: Clayton, NY

The entire sculpture was galvanized as an undercoat to prevent rust. A polyester powder coating was then applied to give the base color for the Muskie. Finally, the artist touched painted the highlights. and placed the eye giving the sculpture life.

Located in a private home

Dragon Fly, Located in a Private Home

Crown 2008, Artist: Rainer Maria Wehner, Located in Griffiths Business Park

The sculpture was galvanized and powder coated

The Wishing Tree, Artist: Tash Taskale, Located in Griffiths Business Park

Sisson Family Bench, Artist unknown, Located at a private residence in Old Forge, NY

Fairview Cemetery Sign, Designer Sean Woodard, Galvanized and Powder Coated

Hubbell Galvanizing: http://whyrust.com

Fortress Fusion Powder Coating: http://whypowder.com

Jack Mulvihill Wins "Millennials in Manufacturing" Award

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 19:08:00 +0000

Each year FuzeHub and the Advanced Institute for Manufacturing showcases a Millennials in Manufacturing Award and Hubbell Galvanizing’s Assistant Production Manager, Jack Mulvihill was one of the winners in 2019!

The Millennials in Manufacturing highlights young professionals who are doing their part to strengthen New York State’s manufacturing industry. By recognizing their achievements, the hope is to encourage more people to pursue careers in manufacturing. The requirements to enter are to work for a NYS manufacturer and be an employee 39 or younger playing a vital role in the manufacturing of the company's products. The millennial demonstrates initiative in innovating new products or processes that are keep the team competitive. Entrants had to submit a 60 second video highlighting what excites the employee about manufacturing, innovation and working in New York State. Here is a link to Jack’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j11gicHdtw

In Jack’s role at Hubbells, he is involved in sales, customer service, product development, production process improvement, facilities management, purchasing and employee engagement. He works with the sales department and production to ensure that the customers’ material is delivered on schedule. He is also involved in production development, working on new product offerings that include more aesthetically pleasing coating options. He coordinates with the facilities development and maintenance management teams to prioritize capital improvement projects and purchasing company assets like new machinery or forklifts. He works with the quality control team. He is on the Safety team making sure best practices are being implemented.

What makes Jack a future leader in manufacturing is that he looks at the areas others don't. Our company is a multi-generational workforce made up of Baby boomers to Generation Z. Jack questions processes- why does the company do what they do every day? He is leading the production process improvement project that is transitioning the company's production flow management process. This will improve how production flows through the plant and involves product tracking, billing and customer relationship management. Jack runs our associates meetings with the production staff. In these meetings he communicates customer feedback and helps with employee motivation and engagement like incentive programs. He pioneered a pilot program that involved recycling unused material and to then upcycling it by manufacturing inhouse barrels used in our production process vs. purchasing the barrels outright. This program measured cost effectiveness and environmental impact.

Jack has the ability to work with others effectively to make things happen. His job is important because he is the liaison and communicator between customers and production staff as well as management and production. It is a unique role that moves the company forward. He has a vision that sees what the company was when it began in 1925, where it is currently and where it needs to be in the future. By questioning how processes have always been done, he forces the company out of stagnation. He is a change agent for not only company processes but for the company culture as well.

Pictured: Jack Mulvihill

Hubbell Galvanizing: www.whyrust.com
Fortress Fusion Powder Coating: www.whypowder.com

Health Insurance and Wellness Classes for Employees

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:16:00 +0000

The majority of the awesome employees at Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings have active jobs. They are constantly moving during their shift every day. The total wellbeing of an individual does not stop just at the physical. To ensure a healthy workforce within our organization, Hubbells is committed to providing resources to promote not only the physical, but also the mental and emotional wellness of our entire staff and their families.

We care about the wellbeing of our team, so for the past five years we have offered a Wellness Program with optional participation to our employees. The goal is obviously, healthy employees. However, the company benefits by an environment with more productive employees, lower health insurance premiums, decreased absenteeism and a greater sense of employee satisfaction. Employees are incentivized to participate in the program by discounts on their monthly insurance premiums, gift cards to local establishments promoting a healthy lifestyle, and wellness days off.

As part of the program, we offer onsite wellness classes covering topics like stress management, how to become a better healthcare consumer, financial wellness, ergonomics, CPR, Stroke awareness, portion control and nutrition. These classes are well attended by our team but the most popular class each year is on the topic of Cooking Light. The class is typically held outside in the summer time. This year, the wellness team enlisted the help of some of our employees who double as chefs in their personal lives: Jovan Myers, Alexandra Semeraro, Emmite White along with the organizational support of Pam Martin and Emma Hubbell. The team put on a cooking demonstration of their menu of Chicken Cauliflower Stir Fry, Venison Stew and Healthy Peanut Butter Protein-ball Bites. The delicious, healthy lunch was enjoyed by everyone.

Hubbells seeks to provide the utmost quality services to our customers. We recognize that providing superior galvanized and powder coated products places us above our competitors and makes our organization special. However, we cannot provide the best services to our customers without healthy, satisfied employees!

For more information about Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Powdercoating, please go to:

Hubbell Galvanizing: www.whyrust.com
Fortress Fusion: www.whypowder.com

Galvanized Rebar Alliance with Hubbell Galvanizing

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 19:05:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing is proud to be a part of the 100 Years Strong Galvanized Rebar Alliance. This partnership represents the expertise and experience of six of North America’s leading providers of hot-dipped galvanizing services and products.

The NY State Thruway has been using Hot-Dipped Galvanized rebar as their standard since 1995 and has no plans to change, including using the product on the signature Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Hubbell Galvanizing has been an industry leader since 1925 and has been galvanizing steel rebar for our customers for over 50 years. This galvanized reinforced steel material will continue to uphold the integrity of America’s infrastructure for the long term future.

Check out the new website for more information: www.100yearstrong.com

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing, Please visit: www.whyrust.com

Manufacturing Day 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 15:18:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing sponsored an exhibit at Manufacturing Day at the Jorgensen Athletic and Events Center at Mohawk Valley Community College. The event was put on by SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Advanced Institute for Manufacturing (AIM) on October 18^th.

Attendees to the event ranged from middle school, high school, and college students as well as job seekers. We were very impressed and encouraged by the questions the students asked as they came through the exhibit. For example, how did you decide to get in to manufacturing? Tell me about the products your company makes? Do you have a social media presence? What are some careers that are available through your company? What are the environmental impacts on your company’s products?

Jack Mulvihill, Alexandra Semeraro, Frank Gerace, Diane Weekes, and Kerie Albano represented the companies at the Career Exploration Fair. It was a great chance to educate the community about our companies, the products we manufacture, steel fabrication, signs and structures, the galvanizing process and powder coating as well as career opportunities. We look forward to participating in next year’s event!

Hubbell Galvanizing: www.whyrust.com
Fortress Fusion: www.whypowder.com

Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awarded to Hubbell Galvanizing

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Thu, 17 May 2018 15:39:00 +0000

On Wednesday April 11, 2018, Mark Wiswell accepted the Most Distinguished award for Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing at the American Galvanizing Association’s Excellence Awards dinner in Tucson, Arizona.
Hubbell Galvanizing was awarded this honor for our work on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project in Tarrytown, NY. Hubbell Galvanizing was a part of a team of six galvanizers and seven fabricators. We produced 3,650 tons of hot-dipped galvanized steel for the largest bridge project in New York State history, and one of the largest design-build projects in the United States. The bridge replaces the Tappan Zee Bridge. Hubbell Galvanizing employees should be very proud of the part they played in this project!

Pictured above is Mark Wiswell (far right) along with the other galvanizers that were members of the team galvanizing the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge project (aka the Tappan Zee Bridge). Photo credit: AGA

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing, please go to:

www.whyrust.com

For more information on Fortress Fusion Powder Coating, please go to:

www.whypowder.com

For more information on Galvagrit, please go to:

www.whyrust.com/index.php/main/products-services/galvagrit/

Hubbell Galvanizing Goes to NYSATE 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Wed, 18 May 2016 13:14:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing recently attended the 2016 NYSATE Conference in beautiful Lake Placid, NY. There were an abundance of NYS DOT Engineers and personnel that Jack Mulvihill, Chris White, Pete Hubbell and Jake Crowell met and spoke with about the services and products that we offer at Hubbell Galvanizing. Many of our customers and vendors also had booths alongside us at the US Olympic Hockey Rink. Some customers also gave presentations on various topics and one such customer even touched on our slip resistant surface that we call “Galvagrit.” Overall, it was a successful show and many contacts were made.

Pictured: Chris White and Jake Crowell ready to invite you to learn about our products

(Photo Credit: Jack Mulvihill)

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing, please go to:

www.whyrust.com

For more information on Fortress Fusion Powder Coating, please go to:

www.whypowder.com

For more information on Galvagrit, please go to:

www.whyrust.com/index.php/main/products-services/galvagrit/

New Chromic Tank for Hubbells

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 09 May 2016 14:31:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing replaced the old chromic tank this past week with a new one that Hermosa Corporation made for them. This new tank weighed in at ~38 thousand pounds. Nate Mastro supplied us with the following pictures of the installation.

(All Photo Credit Goes To: Nate Mastro)

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing, please go to:

www.whyrust.com

For more information on Fortress Fusion Powder Coating, please go to:

www.whypowder.com

For more information on Hermosa Corporation, please go to:

www.hermosacorp.com

Galvanizing Highlight from 2015: The Weathervane and Interview with Artist and Sculptor Will Salisbury

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:18:00 +0000

Written by: Ali Semeraro

As we begin our journey through the infancy of 2016 we must not forget the great things that happened in 2015. One of which was our project with accomplished artist and sculptor Will Salisbury of Upstate NY, completed in the summer of 2015.

You may be more familiar with his Three Crows sculpture, usually located about a half-mile south of I-81, but now we would like to introduce you to the Weathervane (See photos and photo credits below).

Commissioned by a property owner and Fox network employee, the bear sits atop its perch on a 100-year-old tower located on Comfort Island, surrounded by the natural beauty of the St. Lawrence River in Alexandria Bay New York. The tower is approximately 80 feet in height, see the instillation process here Bear Instillation Video.

Bronze is Salisbury’s medium of choice but due to high demand and the malleability of steel, it has been the ideal material for many of his recent projects, including the weathervane. He states that working with steel is almost like working with clay. “It is very easy to work with.”

In order to preserve all his hard work, Salisbury stated that he chose galvanizing as well as powder coating as the method of corrosion protection because together the duplex coating system is the “perfect marriage” to preserve the sculpture in the surrounding environment. He used the word “permanence” when I asked him about the coating. For some added protection he also uses clear enamel coatings over the details he paints (using automotive paint) after the piece has been powder coated.

Salisbury is very happy with his experience working with Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings. We have been able to help him meet his needs and the needs of his clients. Galvanizing is ideal for projects with larger carvings and details.

I went on to ask him what he does differently to a sculpture knowing it is going to be galvanized after construction. “I have to vent the sculpture. This has to be a discussion with the client beforehand and becomes part of the original drafted design.” Said Salisbury.

His next project is to be a set of fish skeletons to be installed on the side of an architect’s home, which he says will be galvanized with us as well! We will certainly look forward to this project!

For more information on these and other projects please come back to the blog and please check out Will’s webpage at willsalisbury.com

Skimming the ash away from the bear as it comes out of the galvanizing tank

(Photo credit: Hubbell Galvanizing)

The bear coming out of the galvanizing tank

(Photo credit: Hubbell Galvanizing)

The bear after being powder coated with Will Salisbury the artist standing next to his sculpture

(Photo credit: Will Salisbury)

The bear is almost ready to be installed on the tower

(Photo credit: Will Salisbury)

The bear from his perch in the wind where he will stay for many years

(Photo credit: Will Salisbury)

For more information on the artist, Will Salisbury, please got to: willsalisbury.com

For more information on galvanizing please go to: Hubbell Galvanizing (www.whyrust.com)

For more information on powder coating please go to: Fortress Fusion Coating Inc. (www.whypowder.com)

Planting the Seed of Galvanizing

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:30:00 +0000

By: Diane Mulvihill

April 3, 2015

Frank Gerace, marketing extraordinaire at Hubbell Galvanizing, is a force to be reckoned with.

Gerace helps Hubbell Galvanizing, and the entire galvanizing industry, by using his expertise in market development of galvanized products to encourage more customers to galvanize their steel projects as well as using powder coating and metalizing, which are all options offered through our company. A lot of Gerace’s time spent marketing is actually through education classes he presents on behalf of the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) called ‘Galvanize It!’ seminars.

Using his knowledge of galvanizing, Gerace leads the ‘Galvanize It!’ seminars that educate engineers, architects, students, manufacturers and many other people that want to learn about what galvanizing is and what it does. He has presented more seminars than any other member of the AGA, and his total number of presentations is still climbing.

Over the last weekend of March, Gerace drove to Kingston, Ontario to present to 80-85 students from Queen’s University. This presentation was out of the ordinary for him because he had the pleasure of presenting with another galvanizer, Godfroy St. Pierre, from Corbec, which is a galvanizing company based in Quebec, Canada. Gerace had asked him to present with him on account of the fact that St. Pierre is bilingual and a powerful presenter.

The students they were presenting to were juniors studying in the Civil Engineering Department and had never been exposed to what galvanizing was; Gerace feels that this was a positive because he and St. Pierre were able to “plant the seed early” about how galvanizing is a great option for engineers who are concerned with corrosion protection. The two of them presented on the core principles of hot dip galvanizing as well as how galvanizing is helpful when it comes to sustainable development.

“Overall, I think that the presentations went well. The two presenter technique worked well…I think the change of voice kept the program interesting. We both had different stories to tell and I think this was well received,” Gerace stated regarding how he thought the presentation was received as a whole. He said that he always enjoys presenting with other galvanizers, and co-presenting in this circumstance with St. Pierre was great, especially since he is Canadian and he could accommodate the French speaking students who were there for the lecture.

Gerace is a powerhouse of a presenter for the AGA because of his history as well as his knowledge. He gives presentations like the one in this article to hundreds of people per year, and he certainly is amazing at it. His knowledge of galvanizing, his honesty, and the aura he creates when presenting is catching when you listen to him speak about the process…it makes you want to learn more and to really listen to what he has to say.

If you’re interested in having Frank Gerace give a GalvanizeIt! presentation to your firm, company or class, contact him at geracefp@whyrust.com or call 315-796-2221 today.

For more information about Hubbell Galvanizing, please go to:

www.whyrust.com

For more information on the American Galvanizers Association(AGA), please go to:

www.galvanizeit.org

For more information about Corbec, Inc., please go to:

www.corbec.net

Hubbell Galvanizing Goes to ThinkZinc! 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:05:00 +0000

“Why is it shiny in some areas and dull gray in others?” Every year the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) hosts ThinkZinc--a three day seminar comprised of four specific classes in beautiful Denver, Colorado to help us answer questions like these.

The main objective of ThinkZinc is to increase our knowledge as galvanizers in order to help us effectively market the hot dip galvanizing process to architects, engineers and specifiers. The seminar this year had 41 participants from galvanizing companies all over the United States and Canada.

This year Hubbell Galvanizing elected Diane Mulvihill and Ali Semeraro to attend this year’s event as they are both relatively new to the company and had the most to gain from the experience. Primarily in the accounting department, Semeraro does not play a role in the galvanizing process itself. However, it is essential for everyone to have an understanding of production within the company.

“I have been exposed to this information gradually throughout the year and now I have to say that I feel more confident in my knowledge of the galvanizing process. I feel as though I can contribute that much more to my company by taking on new tasks and getting involved in other departments. I learned that I still have a lot to learn!" says, Semeraro.

Mulvihill, who is more familiar with the steel fabrication process, describes her experience as “...Very helpful. The presenters made the information easy to understand and presented that information in an interesting way while incorporating real-world examples and fun team activities to get all of us at the seminar excited about what we were doing and learning.”

Overall, the experience was a success. The information was presented in a comprehensive way by the AGA marketing director and other staff, which both girls understood and easily followed along with. Part of the curriculum included the participants studying three or more slides from the “Galvanizeit!” PowerPoint in order to present the information to the class as if they were giving the actual presentation. As a result of this experience, each participant is certified to give the entire presentation to groups to help spread the word of why galvanizing is the answer. The primary audience for these presentations includes architects and engineers, who in turn can choose galvanizing as corrosion protection for their projects.

Our most daunting task as galvanizers is combating the lack of understanding regarding what galvanizing actually is. What we can do is communicate how hot dip galvanizing can benefit any project as catholic corrosion protection for exposed structural steel, rebar and many other applications of steel. By educating as many individuals as possible about the process, we can effectively market our product and services as well as preserving America’s valuable natural resources.

If this has you "thinking zinc," please visit the AGA’s website to find out more!:

www.galvanizeit.org

For more information about what Hubbell Galvanizing has to offer, please visit:

www.whyrust.com

Galvagrit in Seattle: We’re Singing in the Rain, Not Slipping!

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:32:00 +0000

The Hubbell companies’ products have reached across to the other side of the country! Our Galvagrit can now be seen out in Seattle, Washington along the Seattle Seawall which is a job that ST Fabrication Inc. has been working on with Manson Construction Co. and Mortenson.

Galvagrit is a special product we offer at Hubbell Galvanizing that our customers order if they want an anti-slip surface coating on their product, which is very similar to Slip-NOT. Galvagrit comes in different slip-resistant grades that are available to keep people safe from any liquids that may be on the surface of a walk-way, ladder, staircase, or any other places that someone may be walking. Galvagrit meets or exceeds the OSHA, ADA, and ASTM requirements for slip resistance and coefficient of friction. It is also UL classified. Our Galvagrit can be custom applied to your project or we can supply you with stock sheets.

So, after you enjoy a ride on the Seattle Ferris Wheel, when you’re walking around on the pier you’ll know you’re safe because there will be Galvagrit there under your feet to keep you steady and not slip from all of the Washington rain and drizzle.

You know who to call if you can’t afford to slip—you need Galvagrit!

Photo Credit: John Weber

For more information on Galvagrit please visit: http://whyrust.com/index.php/products-and-services/galvagrit/

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing please visit: www.whyrust.com

For more information on ST Fabrication Inc. please visit: http://www.stfab.com/

For more information on Mason Construction Co. please visit: http://www.mansonconstruction.com/

For more information on Mortenson please visit: http://www.mortenson.com/seattle

25th Annual Sculpture Space, CHAIRity Art Auction 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 19:11:00 +0000

Featuring Hubbell Galvanizing’s Rick Mulvihill

By: Ali Semeraro

This year’s Sculpture Space Charity Auction was held Saturday, October 25^th to benefit the Sculpture Space organization and its “International Artists in Residence Program” of Utica, NY. For several years, donations to Sculpture Space have been an esteemed tradition for Hubbell Galvanizing. It began with Dan Hubbell and his desire to give back to the community and support local artists by bidding on unique and incredible chairs as well as other works of art.

Sculpture Space was founded in 1976 with the intention of supporting and recognizing contemporary art and artists in our community. (www.sculpturespace.org). These folks have been encouraging creativity since then by holding auctions, demonstrations, lectures, and giving cultural tours throughout the city of Utica.

Not only does Hubbell continue that tradition today, but also Rick Mulvihill contributes by donating a work of art he crafts himself, utilizing recycled scrap material from our facility here at Hubbell. This year, being so close to Halloween, Rick created a unique and spirited “Web Chair” for the occasion, which was very well received. While I was looking at the completed chair for the first time myself in the gallery, some fellow onlookers were ooing and aweing at its themed whimsy. The chair, as pictured below, was featured in the auction, and went for approx. $500.00.

The Adirondack style “Web Chair” is made out of repurposed steel scrap and recycled materials welded together and then galvanized, so the hair can weather any environment the new owner decides to display it in. It features a black widow spider perched on a web of steel wire, with a crescent moon and tree branches decorating the base. After galvanizing, the chair was powder coated orange, black and green at Fortress Fusion Coatings, our sister company. The chair is an excellent example of the services we offer not only to steel fabricators, but artisans as well.

Several other members of the Mulvihill clan were featured in the exhibit and auction including Suzanne Firsching (Serving as this year’s Committee Chair of the auction), Sharon Mulvihill, and Cathleen Mulvihill, making this a wonderful family affair. I have to say I have never seen so much talent in one family! I was lucky enough to experience this year’s auction and got a front row seat while some of the bidding was taking place. It was inspiring to be surrounded by the art and I definitely felt a sense of community and appreciation for our local artists and patrons.

For more information on Hubbell Galvanizing, please visit www.whyrust.com

For more information on Fortress Fusion Powder Coatings Inc., please visit www.whypowder.com

For more information about Sculpture Space, please visit www.sculpturespace.org

We Salute Our Vets

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 19:56:00 +0000

During the first week of October, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi’s office held a presentation for the restored “Veteran’s Memorial Bridge” plaque that the DOT brought to Hubbell Galvanizing to restore using galvanizing and powder coating.

John DelMonte, a Hubbell Galvanizing employee, explains that, “the plaque was commissioned in 1981, after an act of Congress gave the authorization to name the bridge in honor of the local veterans who bravely served our country.”

Unfortunately, in the last few years the plaque came loose and was struck by a passing highway snowplow. Since this happened, the local DOT representatives, in conjunction with Assemblyman Brindisi’s office, began a campaign to restore the plaque and ended up calling Hubbell Galvanizing and DelMonte to aid in the restoration process.

Once the plaque was finished, instead of putting the plaque directly back on the bridge where it originally was, the DOT decided that this time, the plaque should stand in its own frame a few feet away from the bridge on the northern side on Burrstone Road in Utica, New York.

So next time you are driving by, be on the lookout for the newly restored Veteran’s Memorial plaque.

(Above) The old Veteran's Memorial plaque before it was restored

(Above) The newly restored Veteran's Memorial plaque

For more information on galvanizing please go to:

Hubbell Galvanizing (www.whyrust.com)

For more information on powder coating please go to:

Fortress Fusion Coating Inc. (www.whypowder.com)

Photo Credit: John DelMonte

Powder Coating for Future Generations

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:51:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings Inc. normally galvanize and powder coat your standard highway safety materials, but often times, besides artists coming in to galvanize and powder coat their own artwork, sometimes customers come in with special family treasures.

A week ago Jane Mulvihill (Granddaughter of our founder O.W. Hubbell) had us powder coat her Great-grandmother Merritt’s cast iron bench. The bench usually sits outside in her garden up at her family Camp in Old Forge, New York.

The bench is very intricate, and the old white paint was flaking off quite a lot so the Hubbells and Mulvihills decided to powder coat it so that more of their family generations can appreciate the Merritt Family bench. The bench was sand blasted (to remove the old paint) and then powder coated white.

The bench is now sitting on Jane’s mother’s patio where Mrs. Hubbell can enjoy it.

The bench after being sand-blasted

The Merritt bench, after being powder coated, is now in Mrs. Hubbell's backyard

For more information on powder coating please go to:

Fortress Fusion Coating Inc. (www.whypowder.com)

For more information on galvanizing please go to:

Hubbell Galvanizing (www.whyrust.com)

Photo Credit: Emmite White and Diane Mulvihill

A Spotlight on Artwork: Muskie in the Galvanizing Tank

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:09:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings Inc. not only galvanize and powder coat structures, bridge rail and fences, but we also have a lot of artwork that comes through our plant as well. Recently we completed a galvanizing job for the town of Clayton, New York’s fishing competition which features the opportunity to catch the largest muskie (a native fish to upstate New York). Will Salisbury, the artist, created a muskie sculpture out of steel, which we were then asked to galvanize and give it a two-toned powder coat. After our employees took the muskie out of the galvanizing tank, it weighed in at 345 pounds. The fish was then taken over to Fortress Fusion and powder coated with care, and we are proud to say that it came out beautifully. Mr. Salisbury plans on painting on scales, spots/markings, realistic eyeballs and other details on top of the powder coating to fully finish his artwork. We at Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings Inc. are sure the town of Clayton’s residents will enjoy this exquisite piece of art, and we wish to remind our present and future customers that we are always happy to take a look at your steel artwork and give you a quote.

Please feel free to look at our pictures of the process below.

The muskie coming out of the galvanizing tank (See pictures below)

The muskie polished after being galvanized (See pictures below)

The muskie after being primed (See pictures below)

The muskie after being powder coated grey (See picture below)

The muskie after being powder coated with detailing (See picture below)

The muskie prebake (See picture below)

The finished muskie (See pictures below)

Photos courtesy of Nate Mastro and Emmite White

For more information, please refer to the following websites below:

Hubbell Galvanizing: www.whyrust.com

Fortress Fusion Coatings Inc.: www.whypowder.com

Will Salisbury (the artist): www.willsalisbury.com

From the Past, Brought Back to Life: A Project by Hubbell Galvanizing and Fortress Fusion Coatings

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:11:00 +0000

Written by: John DelMonte

Edited By: Diane Mulvihill

Introduction By: Ali Semeraro

A customer of ours, Bill Gaetano of Gaetano Construction, approached us with a suit of armor approximately a month ago. His story of how he and his son discovered the armor and the process by which it was brought back to brilliant life is as follows as told by project leader John DelMonte, Hubbell Employee.

The complete suit of armor was found in the basement of a house Bill and his son recently purchased. It was a replica, but it was obvious that there was great effort taken to make it as original and authentic looking as possible. As you will see in the photos, particularly the gloves, small sections of metal were hammered out and attached to each other, forming the protective layer for each finger. Our customer was unsure what, if anything, we could do for him to remove the oxide/rust that had formed, some being so aggressive it started to create a distinct pattern in the metal surface.

Traditional methods of rust removal are media (sand) blasting, which would leave the metal with a very pitted look, and take away from the old school hammered look, which is not what he was looking to achieve. Another method would be a strong acid, which would destroy the leather strapping and possibly the brass rivets and brass detail of some of the pieces.

DelMonte, called in our chemical supplier, from DuBois Chemical and discussed what process methods they could offer. The final decision was to try out a new green rust/oxide remover that they had never tried before.

One day was put aside, when our shop was quiet (a day when most of our employees were off) for DuBois Chemical employee, Tom O’Connor and DelMonte to get to work trying to salvage the suit of armor. They set up a small tub of the new green rust/oxide remover product, taking into account the proper concentration level, and also added a small stream of air into the tub to keep the chemical solution in suspension and aid in agitation. They started with the small segmented elbow guards first, keeping them in solution for 30 minutes before examining the results. The results were surprising and promising...the rust was all but removed, with no signs of the chemical solution having and effect on the base metal...as they were partially concerned about metal pitting.

DelMonte and O’Connor added more armor pieces to the tub of solution and kept track of the time, as 30 minutes was their baseline. As suspected, the solution did a great job in removing the rust oxide. They did find that on the hard-formed rust they needed to aid in the removal by hand scrubbing the rust, carefully, without scratching the base metal. This was time consuming, but proved to be effective.

As the day progressed, items were removed and other items were added to the solution, all resulting in a 95%+ removal of rust oxide, without hurting the base metal, brass accents/rivets and leather strapping. Once they were confident each item was finished in the solution it was rinsed with fresh water, then a rust preventative chemical was sprayed on, to seal the pores of the metal and in doing so, gave the metal a skin of protection against further moisture/rust oxide from coming back.

Gaetano was very surprised and pleased with the results, especially seeing that the metal was kept in its original hammered state, with all brass hardware and leather strapping in place. DelMonte and O’Connor suggested that he apply a lite coat of gun oil to the metal surfaces to retard any moisture from settling into the metal again.

This was a great way to experiment on material that we would not often see in our shop, and certainly an interesting and different project DelMonte decided to take on.

Wellness Program

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Sat, 03 May 2014 01:26:00 +0000

On Friday, March 28^th 2014, employees from Hubbell Galvanizing participated in an onsite health evaluation event to kick off the companies’ Wellness Program. The partnership with Excellus Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Interactive Health is aimed at ensuring a healthy workforce throughout the company.

The evaluations began at 7:30am with Christopher, the phlebotomist from Interactive Health administering health questionnaires, blood pressure screenings and a comprehensive blood test that evaluated the employees on the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and much more. After fasting for twelve hours prior to the blood draw, the employees enjoyed a company sponsored breakfast. The employees received a very detailed, confidential report on their current state of health, and all employees that participated were entered into a drawing to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards.

In addition to the health evaluations, Sara Haag from the Center for Family Life and Recovery met with the employees to discuss the benefits that are offered to them and their families free of charge through the company Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP is a short-term referral assessment and counseling service where employees can talk with trained professionals regarding personal and work related issues. The service is voluntary and confidential.

As a company we want to provide the utmost quality products and service to our customers. We recognize that providing superior products and service places us above our competitors and makes our organization special. However, we cannot provide the best to our customers without healthy, satisfied employees.

To ensure a healthy workforce within our organization, as a company, we are committed to providing resources to promote the physical, mental and emotional wellness of our entire staff and their families on a continual basis. These resources include time, program initiatives, education, financial support and commitment of the managing staff in promoting wellness in our workplace. We seek to improve individual well-being now, and to make health and wellness a permanent staple in our employees’ and their families’ lives. In turn, we envision an environment with more productive employees, lower health insurance premiums, decreased absenteeism and a greater overall sense of employee satisfaction.

Kerie (Hubbell) Albano is head of the Human Resources Department at Hubbell Galvanizing & Fortress Fusion Coatings Inc. She saw a need and implemented this Wellness Program for us at Hubbell Galvanizing, and we believe it was an overall success.

Christopher the Phlebotomist from Interactive Health and Hubbell Galvanizing’s employee Chris Tanner getting his blood pressure taken.

Hubbell Galvanizing’s employees Chris Tanner and Doug Drake and Hermosa Corporation employee Dave Bintz eating breakfast after the health evaluation.

English as a Second Language Pilot Program at Hubbell Galvanizing

noreply@blogger.com (Hubbell Galavanizing) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:44:00 +0000

Ali Semeraro is an Accounting/Administrative Assistant for Hubbell Galvanizing who has been in charge of creating and implementing the English as a Second Language Pilot Program at Hubbell Galvanizing. Here she gives an account of how she helped start the program as well as how it is going.

Hubbell Galvanizing, Inc. has approximately thirty-one employees originally from countries including Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia, among others. Hubbell is committed to maintaining a safe working environment for all of its employees. One way that we have done so is by reinforcing industry specific words and phrases for employees where English is their second language.

As a native English speaking individual myself, this became a learning experience for me as well. Since I do not speak Burmese we had to get creative with our tutoring methods. With the help of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, we were able to get accurate translations of words such as danger, crane, forklift, zinc, burn, and other words to help employees communicate and maintain safety in the workplace. I made flashcards that included pictures, the English word, and the respective translation to communicate with and teach the employees. We meet once a week for about thirty minutes when it is convenient with the production schedule. I found myself learning how to say some of the words in Burmese, getting to know the employees, and learning more about galvanizing in the process.

Several of the employees involved in the program have been with the company for ten or more years and helped me break down some language barriers. As a whole, the feedback from the employees was very positive and they are enjoying their time in the class.

As a long term goal we will be prepared to help new hires learn in this way in the future. I am very happy to have been involved in this process and look forward to working more with the employees.

Pictured Left to Right: Ruby Shwe (Burmese), Kyaw M. Oo (Burmese), Maung Thet Oo (Burmese), Ja Mar (Burmese), Pichai Keawpinna (Thai), Emmite White (Supervisor). Hubbell Galvanizing Plant Employees.

Burmese Flash Card Example:

Sorting Out the Specs

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:42:00 +0000

G60, G90, ASTM A123 -- what does it all mean?
Many of our customers call with questions regarding specifications.
One of the most common questions we get is regarding G60 or G90
coatings. While these designations do refer to a hot-dip galvanized
process, it is really referring to the continuous galvanizing industry.
These products are usually seen on items like corrugated roofing
and wall panels. ASTM A123 refers to the batch hot-dip
galvanizing process, like we perform daily here at Hubbell.

So beyond that simple explanation, what is the difference?
The 60 and 90 in the G60 and G90 are really referring to
coating weights. G90 products need to have .90 oz/sf of zinc to
meet the specification. This is a total weight for the piece, so it
really means .45 oz/sf on each side. This is equivalent to about
0.75 mils per side. Batch hot-dip galvanizing per ASTM A123
calls for a much higher zinc coating thickness. Standard structural
shapes 1/4" or greater in thickness require a minimum of 3.9 mils
(about 2.3 oz/sf) of thickness. If you compare the numbers, you
can definitely see the difference.

Want more information? The AGA has created a two-page comparison
of the products:

Looking for Galvanizing Information?

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:34:00 +0000

Our friends at the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) have put out a new informational video about hot-dip galvanizing. Just click below!

Hot-Dip Galvanizing: Protecting Steel For Generations

NEW KETTLE!

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:27:00 +0000

Hubbell Galvanizing would like to formally announce that our

new kettle is now operational. The new kettle dimensions

are as follows:

46'L x 5'W x 10'H

Please contact us with any questions regarding size/fit, or to

place your next order -- we look forward to assisting you!

Hubbell Galvanizing

1-800-244-4258

(315) 736-8311

info@whyrust.com

Raised Welds After Galvanizing

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:25:00 +0000

Our customers take a lot of time and pride in their work, and want the completed product to

look its best. We understand this desire, and always strive to make our customers happy.

Quality and appearance are just as important to us as they are to our customers. Below is

a short discussion that can aid our customers in reaching their goal, especially with products

such as handrail.

Raised welds after galvanizing are a common occurrence in the galvanizing industry,

especially with handrail. Many fabricators spend great amounts of time ensuring that the

handrails and welded areas on the handrails are as smooth as possible. These same fabricators

are then surprised when the handrails return from galvanizing and all of the welds they spent

so much time smoothing out, are anything but smooth. Most likely, this has to do with a

differing chemistry between the steel and the weld material -- namely the silicon level.

Some concentrations of silicon can speed up the metallurgic reaction between the zinc and

steel, causing rapid and large crystal growth. This, in turn, causes the welds to become

raised in comparison with the surrounding steel. Fabricators need to pay close attention to

the silicon level of the weld material, to ensure that it is compatible with the steel in the parts

they are constructing. Below is an article from the AGA discussing this issue in more detail:

Size & Shape

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:43:00 +0000

Size and shape of the fabrication is an important consideration to make, during the design process for parts to be galvanized. Because hot-dip galvanizing is a total immersion process, the design must take into consideration the capacity of the galvanizing kettle; therefore, it is wise to verify kettle constraints with your galvanizer early in the design process. Almost any component can be galvanized by designing and fabricating in pieces suitable for available galvanizing facilities. Parts can also be progressively dipped by the galvanizer, to accomodate larger sizes and abnormal shapes. For reference, the average kettle length in North America is 40 feet (13m), and there are many kettles between 50-60 feet (15.24 m - 18.28 m).

If you have any design questions relating to galvanizing, please give us a call:

Hubbell Galvanizing
1-800-244-4258
(315) 736-8311
info@whyrust.com
http://www.whyrust.com

Can Castings be Galvanized?

noreply@blogger.com (Galvanizing News) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:57:00 +0000

High-quality castings and forged parts are commonly and successfully galvanized. The quality of the galvanizing is strongly influenced by the quality of the casting. As with all steel to be galvanized, cleanliness is very important to achieve completely galvanized cast iron or steel parts. However, conventional cleaning processes employed by galvanizers do not always adequately clean castings. This is because sand and other surface inclusions are not removed by chemical cleaning. Thorough abrasive cleaning is the most effective method for removing foundry sand and impurities. In fact, the preferred way to clean the casting is by abrasive blasting (either grit-blasting or a combination of grit and shot). Cleaning is traditionally performed at the foundry before shipment to the galvanizer. However, some galvanizers are able to perform abrasive blasting at their facilities - check with your galvanizer before sending your parts.

Sound, stress-free castings with good surface finishes will produce high-quality galvanized coatings. The following design and preparation rules should be applied for castings to be galvanized:

· Avoid sharp corners and deep recesses

· Use large pattern numerals and generous radii to facilitate abrasive cleaning

· Specify uniform wall sections. Non-uniform wall thickness in certain casting designs may lead to distortion and/or cracking. Cracking results from stress developed as the temperature of the casting is increased during galvanizing. Uniform wall sections and a balanced design lowers stress.

As always, if you have any questions regarding this or any other galvanizing topic, please don't hesitate to contact us:

Hubbell Galvanizing

1-800-244-4258

(315) 736-8311

info@whyrust.com