Category: General Category

Ferrier Wire + Design Thanksgiving Long Weekend Hours:

Closed Friday October 8^th
Closed Monday October 11^th
Re-opening Tuesday October 12^th at 8:00 am
Wishing all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Steel wire mesh is a grid structure formed by connecting metal wires together at symmetrical points in a criss-cross pattern. Wire mesh is commonly used to reinforce concrete, masonry, and roofing. It is also widely used in cabinetry, infill panels, storm drains and kitchen inserts.

Two varieties of wire mesh should be noted before we explore its applications:

Two Types of Steel Wire Meshes

Welded Wire Mesh

A welded wire mesh is made by arranging the steel wires in a perpendicular pattern and welding them at the intersections. Each wire is first drawn out to the precise length and diameter in accordance with technical specifications, and then fed into a machine that connects rows of perpendicular wires together by welding them along the same distance. This step is repeated until a firm grid network is formed.

Woven Wire Mesh

Unlike welded mesh, this type of wire mesh has no welds to join the wires together. In this case, a machine similar to a loom weaves the wires together. First, a wire of specified dimensions is inserted into the machine. In the most common weaving designs, this wire is then bent over and under another wire to form a sturdy weave that can withstand high pressures of its applications.

Applications for Wire Meshes

• Grills: Welded wire grills are designed to be more durable than other types of grills. Welded wire grills typically have a thicker metal frame with a thin layer of metal surrounding the outside. This metal layer is usually welded onto the mesh frame, which helps prevent dents or tears in the grill.
• Fences: Steel mesh is one of the common choices for manufacturing both commercial and residential fencing. The material is durable and can withstand various environmental factors, including high and low humidity levels and drastic temperature fluctuations. It usually does not rust, so there is less need for maintenance.
• Cages: Stainless steel wire mesh is a good option for cages, as it is sturdy and can hold up against various pressures. It can be used in a home, outdoor enclosure, or even in a commercial setting.

Apart from the practical uses of wire meshes in day-to-day life, they are often used in architectural projects to add aesthetic elements to the design. We will explore the multiplicity of these uses in future articles.

Ferrier Wire + Design Metals

Labour Day 2021 Hour Alert

Closed Friday September 3rd
Closed Monday September 6th
Re-opening Tuesday September 7th at 8:00 am
Wishing all a happy, healthy and safe long weekend!

Lewitt Construction Inc. has been providing general contracting services to Toronto and the GTA since 1990. In their 30+ years of business, they have done everything from renovations and additions to restoration and heritage projects, but their specialty is building beautiful custom homes. Lewitt Construction Inc. is a team built from professional engineers and a network of skilled trades, and with every project, their goal is always the same – they want to make their clients’ dreams for their homes a reality and leave them smiling!

When Lewitt Construction was approached by architect Joe Knight of blackLAB architects inc. to work on this custom deck, they were all too excited to be a part of such a unique project. The architect and clients had considered doing black metal throughout, but really loved and preferred the look of copper; they loved the idea of incorporating a natural metal into the framework and had an appreciation for how it would age beautifully as time went on. It became clear that copper was going to be the only way to go, but sourcing the material and finding skilled trades willing and able to fabricate the panel frames proved to be challenging. Lewitt Construction reached out to us here at Ferrier Wire Goods Company Ltd. and found we could supply the woven copper mesh, and after months (months!) of searching, they were lucky to find Greg over at Certified Trade Solutions Inc. Greg has years of experience working with various metals but was not as familiar with copper. He was eager to get involved and work with the team at Lewitt Construction in trying to source the copper, as well as experiment with welding and forming techniques to obtain the best possible results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photographs, the completed deck is stunning and the gorgeous copper accents throughout really complement the natural beauty of the IPE wood that was used. Most importantly, the clients were incredibly happy with the end result, and they look forward to enjoying many good times on this deck in the years to come!

Ferrier Wire + Design Metals Canada Day Long Weekend Hours:

Closed Thursday July 1^st and Friday July 2^nd
Re-opening Monday July 5^th
Happy Birthday Canada and wishing all a great long weekend!

Ferrier Wire + Design Metals stainless steel wire mesh, Zeta 1 pattern at Union Station, the main train station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Victoria Day Long Weekend Hours:

Closed Friday May 21st.
Closed Monday May 24th.
Re-opening Tuesday May 25th at 8:00 am.
Please stay safe, wishing all a healthy and fun long weekend.

Early in the year, Ferrier Wire was contacted by a refinery on the Canadian East Coast to see if we could supply a reactor screen. We have fabricated these screens in the past but typically they have been much smaller in size, in the 100” – 150” size range. This time, the refinery asked us to fabricate one that is 246” (20’-6”) dia. The only way that we could supply a screen this large in diameter was to take several strips of stainless steel mesh, overlap them and attach them to each other. The refinery wanted the overlapped seams to be spot welded but in this case this method was not feasible due to the large size of the screen. The mesh would not fit into the throat opening of any spot welder. We proposed a method that we had utilized in the past: overlap the strips of screen 2” and then tie the screen with 2 pieces of tie wire every 2” along each seam. They agreed and placed the order.

The mesh was a stainless steel type 316 grade weavemesh 10 x 10 mesh x .025” dia wire.

The tie wire was also stainless steel type 316 material. We took 5 strips of mesh 60” x 248”, overlapped them and started tying. The entire tying process took two employees 4 days to complete. Now the next challenge was how to cut this large sheet of stainless steel mesh into a 246” dia circle. We moved the very long tube of mesh to another section of our building and rolled out half of the material flat on the floor. Now we were able to mark the proper diameter and cut the mesh. Once the first half of the circle was cut, we rolled it up and unrolled the other uncut half, marked and cut it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This process took 2 days to complete. Finally, the circle was rolled up, plastic wrapped and then strapped to create lifting handles for transport and installation.These reactor screens are used to hold catalyst in reactors and is typically laid on either heavier mesh, perforated metal or bar grating for support.

Please contact us if you have any questions about this product or any of our other products and services.

Ferrier Wire + Design Metals 2021 Easter Hours

Closed Friday April 2nd
Closed Monday April 5th
Wishing all a happy, healthy and safe long weekend!