About AZCAST

The Product

All AZCAST metal products are made in the U.S.A. of recycled sand-cast aluminum. Hand-molded, hand-poured, and hand-finished, AZCAST creates beautiful and useful goods that are ultimately recyclable themselves.

 

The Company

An offshoot of a multi-generation, family-run aluminum foundry that remains one of the few to continue the art of hand poured sand casting. With the skill that comes with over 50 years experience, AZCAST was formed as the ideal medium to express a talent for artistic and functional designs.

Recently, new owners purchased the design company, pledging to retain the high design and superior quality that is AZCAST. Administrative and operational improvements to the company, which are in progress, include the automation of the order processing and order flow, Internet presence, and online order status reporting.

In addition, the original line of tables and chairs will be expanded, branded with the Girari name, and will include upholstered furniture, metal bedroom furniture, and marble & glass furniture, all in the minimalist contemporary modern design.

 

The Process

Unchanged for over 2,000 years, sand casting allows the formation of molded, fluid designs. Using aluminum also allows the piece to be polished in varying ways, from a silky mat satin or hammered stone finish, to a highly polished mirror finish. Example AZCAST sand-casting mold The stunning sophisticated bowl your friends are admiring is comprised of metal that in an earlier life might have had a different shape and might have supported the landing gear on a Boeing 727, for example.

Each AZCAST product begins as a mold, or "pattern" in foundry language. The pattern is the actual shape of the item and is covered with damp sand poured and packed into a frame. The pattern is removed, leaving a mold in the shape of the item. When the molten aluminum is at exactly the right temperature, foundry craftsmen ladle the molten metal into an entry hole opened in the mold. The casting is left to cool, and later vibrating machines shake the frame and sand off the mold, leaving a rough surfaced product. Example AZCAST castings That resulting product in foundry jargon is called "as cast", hence the original company name, AZCAST.

Because some aluminum fills the access hole, the item needs to be rough ground. That item is given to another group of craftsmen who grind the item with increasingly finer sanding belts. Finally, the item is polished with an extremely fine compound over a soft polishing wheel to produce the finished product. Example AZCAST hand finishing Because there are many opportunities for flaws to occur, many items are rejected at each stage by quality control, adding to the cost of the final product. The rejects, however, are simply recycled into other AZCAST products. Due to the nature of the hand crafted manufacturing process, there are inherent irregularities which add to the character of the product. No two are ever exactly alike.

 

The Designers

Eyreick Williamson—Founder, whose designs, such as "the Orbit Vase" and "Tractor Stool", comprise a majority of the AZCAST line and whose expertise with the intricacies of sand casting have laid a solid foundation for AZCAST.

Neil Stratton—Furniture Designer and Enthusiast, whose concepts and inspiration have catalyzed Girari by AZCAST with the distinct "ARC", "Recurve" and "Lola" furniture lines.

Bonnie Kim—Offers AZCAST a most notable product, "the Milk Bottle".

Traer Price—Reveals her occupation in water design with such serene and fluid expressions as the "Wave Candle Holder".

 

The Customers

AZCAST products and Girari furniture are featured in fine homes, offices and restaurants and a number of contemporary museums of art.

You can purchase AZCAST products and Girari furniture at fine furniture and gift stores throughout North America. Use our Dealer Locator to find a retailer in your area.