Excellence in Galvanizing
A Royal Navy engineer-turned-sculptor has unveiled his most challenging work to-date in celebration of Yorkshire’s steep milling heritage.
Pocklington-based sculptor Mark Irwin has unveiled the highly anticipated sculpture of Sir Winston Churchill, named ‘The Man of Steel’, which has been installed at the entrance of D R Baling Wire Manufacturers’ building in Oxspring, Sheffield.
D R Baling Wire Manufacturers has supplied Mark with the core material for his sculptures - steel wire - since he launched the business a few years ago.
Mark said: “Yorkshire has a steep milling heritage dating back to the 1630s, with wire mills fiercely proud fixtures in Oxspring for over 200 years. During the design of D R Baling’s new office block and entrance, I was commissioned to produce a sculpture which showcased their work and the work of fellow Oxspring manufacturers, as well as to give visitors a warm welcome.
“Sir Winston Churchill’s famous ‘never give in’ message strongly resonated with all involved. Much like the pressures from abroad during the war, Oxspring mills have in recent years been impacted by cheaper imports but, despite the challenges they have faced, the industry continues to flourish.”
His artwork work has caught the attention of many, including the Royal Horticultural Society and renowned gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who bought one of his very first displays.
Mark added: “The best part of working as a sculptor is seeing your design take shape before your eyes. With Winston, the stance, clothes, bow tie, stick and of course cigar all needed to be right, which took a lot of careful planning and consideration. When my piece was complete, I sent it to Humber Galvanizing Ltd to make sure it was weather-proof and could be left in the elements without being damaged.
“Winston was carefully lowered into the bath of molten zinc, heated to around 450°C before being left to cool in a quench tank. When the cooling process is complete, the zinc coating is then metallurgically bonded to the steel. All of this is done by a talented team of galvanizers, who understand exactly how to handle very intricate and delicate sculptures. The process is quite a spectacle, and the team have the largest galvanizing bath in Yorkshire at 7.5 metres long – so it could easily fit the whole of Winston in!”
Once galvanized, the sculpture was sent to Danny Egan of DSE Paint Works to be painted in satin black and metallic blue to highlight and detail specific areas.
Tony Linsley, Sales Manager at Humber Galvanizing, added: “We were thrilled to have been asked by Mark to galvanize this incredibly unique piece of art. Many, many hours of hard work, determination, and pure talent has gone into making this sculpture of Winston, and we’re thrilled that it has been protected for life so that it can be enjoyed by many for years to come.”
By Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd