Ward Forging

Sculptorx (Brad),
When you first called I told you we did not have any rolls that fit your 2" OD tubing. This was when I asked you what tolerances needed to be held on the roundness of the tube when it was rolled. At that point you did not indicate any specific tolerance on the material and mentioned that you have never had anything rolled before. This was when I responded that I would do the best that I could to fit your dimensions and maintain the structure of the tube with the knowledge that it still would conform to the shape of the rolls. I recall you also mentioning that it was for sculpture. I have been in the business of bending well over 20 years and have rolled and bent thousands of pieces of materials, some of which are for artworks and sculptures. I filled the tube with a solid substance to help maintain its shape and began rolling your tube. After the 7th pass or so through the rolls it was 3" big so I rolled it one more. On the last pass it started distorting at which point I stopped. At that point I called you and explained what happened. You sent another tube which I did the same procedure to with a one day turnaround due to the first piece distorting. It was also mentioned to send the distorted piece back to you to see if you could possibly use it for a different job or sculpture.
Ward Forging has been bending steel regionally and nationally for the past 60 years or better since its inception in 1933. The majority of our customers require strict tolerances on materials and dimensions which are rolled to exact specifications. We do from time to time roll materials for artists who usually indicate to us the need to maintain the vision of the art piece and idea for its inception with a lesser need on maintaining the structural integrity of their artworks.
I believe you were billed $35.00 total for the job. This was for retooling the machine two times to bend your two tubes at different times. It was also to cover the cost of filling your materials with a substance to help it hold its shape during the bending process to provide the best possible outcome since you didn't give a tolerance for the piece of metal after it was bent. I am guessing you were satisifed with the 2nd piece of metal that was rolled for you and sent to you and unhappy that you cannot use the first piece in any sculptures. It certainly should have been discussed better to you that it is upon the providers burden that your materials maintain their structural intergrity during the bending process. As even with more then 60 years of bending experience there are times when the outcome of the bending process is unpredictable depending on the alloy used, type of material provided, and bend required.
Sincerely,
Adam Becht, VP
Ward Forging Co., Inc.