Art and metalworking meet at the Steel Yard
Local artists have taken over a steel factory in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
No need to worry - the steel factory was vacated and the takeover was not violent. Industrial artists Nick Bauta and Clay Rockefeller purchased the facility, now called the Steel Yard, from Providence Steel & Iron in 2001, complete with the metalworking equipment. The steelmaking equipment is now used to create public art and to teach classes on welding and blacksmithing.
The Steel Yard also focuses on public works projects, like the "trash can project," which provided a gift to the city of over 200 trash receptacles and tree guards created by students at of the welding class.
Tuition from classes covers about half of the nonprofit's $600,000 yearly budget. For the other half, the Yard depends on donors, such as metal fabricators and manufacturers. One donor, Fabricators and Manufacturers Association Foundation, funds Camp Metalhead, an intensive two-week summer program where local kids learn to use everything in the Steel Yard's metal shop program.
Most recently, the Steel Yard put on a car show last Wednesday, in which forty classic cars were on display while George Lucas' "American Graffiti" was projected onto a large screen.
Cycling purists favor steel bikes
At the Interbike bicycle convention that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada last week, the new trend in cycling was on display: steel.
While materials like aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber gained popularity over steel for bicycle frame construction in recent years, the industry is now seeing a resurgence in steel popularity, with many cycling enthusiasts favoring steel's smooth handling properties.
"Steel is almost the perfect material for bikes," bicycle designer Sky Yeager told press. "Workability, longevity, ride quality: Steel is it."
Yeager said steel used to be the only material used for bike frames 20 years ago when she first began designing bicycles, but then aluminum came on the scene and gained popularity because it is lighter and easier to manipulate than steel.
While aluminum and high-carbon fiber bikes now dominate the market, more and more steel models are hitting the market and according to Yeager, they're selling out quick. Get one while you can!
Steel beam falls on taxi in Chicago
This past Tuesday night in the South Loop area of Chicago, a steel beam fell from a high-rise building under construction onto a taxicab stopped at a traffic light.
Luckily, the cab driver was not injured in the accident, which took place at around 11:45 p.m. at 259 E Roosevelt Rd. It is unknown whether any passengers were in the cab, but no injuries were reported.
It is unknown why the beam fell, according to police.
Police temporarily cordoned off Roosevelt between Lake Shore Drive and Indiana Avenue, and Columbus Drive between Balbo and McFetridge Drives, though the roads were re-opened by 4am.
Steel-toed boots recalled
Nearly 200,000 pairs Timberland steel-toed boots were recalled this week because they could fail to provide the intended protection against compression and impact, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This recall involves the Timberland PRO Direct Attach Steel Toe Boots with model numbers 26002 (wheat nubuck leather), 65016 (wheat nubuck leather), 26038 (black full-grain leather), and 38021 (brown oiled full-grain leather).
The boots were sold at stores and other independent retailers nationwide from September 2005 through September 2007 for between $90 and $115.
No injuries have been reported yet, though the CPSC says that the structural flaw in the boots poses a serious risk of foot injury.
Ironically enough, given the recent bad press about products made in China, the Direct Attach Steel Toe Boots made in China, are not subject to the recall (The recalled boots were made in the Dominican Republic).