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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Tom Maringer, post: 25446770, member: 7033&quot;]I just logged in and realized my last post was some years ago. It&#039;s been a busy time and much has happened! The biggest news is that we have built a new building in West Fork Arkansas (about 1 mile from I-49) and now have a showroom and museum open to the public! It was a long hard effort getting the building put up and then moving and installing all the equipment, but it is SO much better here than the old place. In Springdale we were stuffed in a 30 x 60 (1800 sq ft) shop and there was barely room to move between pieces of equipment. Now we have an 80 x90 building (7200 sq ft). About half of that is the mint workshop and the rest is showroom, offices, inventory and shipping space. The museum on the mezzanine level has a balcony that looks over the shop floor, and features displays about various aspects of minting, some antique equipment, and a selection of things we&#039;ve made. </p><p><br /></p><p>The newest press restoration is a classic 1897 Ferracute E-52 120-ton up-acting knuckle press, which came to us in deplorable condition from a musical instrument factory in Elkhart Indiana where it was being used to form clarinet key parts. (we know this from bits and pieces recovered from the inch-thick grease and dirt that had accumulated) We stripped it completely down to the bare metal, fabricated replacements for several broken parts, re-worked the die-holders and clutch, and of course re-painted in a LOTR inspired theme. </p><p><br /></p><p>Also new, and the most modern piece of equipment in-house, is a laser die-cutting machine. The manufacturer tells us it is the same machine used by the US mint to cut &quot;real&quot; dies. Only thing... they wouldn&#039;t share the software to run it! So we have had to basically figure it all out on our own. We still use traditional engraving techniques for some projects, but for a lot of the work we do, like golf-ball markers for tournaments, the laser is all we need.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But if you&#039;re ever traveling cross-country, we&#039;re just off I-49 in West Fork Arkansas, about 30 minutes north of I-40, or an hour south of I-74. Just look for the round green door! We have a coffee-tea hut and a barbecue food-truck parked out front. [ATTACH=full]1628709[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1628711[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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