Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/380056
38 nshoremag.com October 2014 photographs by paul lyden custom work Wind Wise New England's best-made weather vanes are the result of a seamless merging of three distinct businesses. By Amanda Brown "think outside the cupola" is the motto of Seabrook, New Hamp- shire's New England Weathervane Shop (NEWS). The company, which has been in operation since 2011, is the result of a joining together of three former weather vane shops. In its current incarnation, NEWS is changing the way people think about weather vanes. Weather vanes were traditionally used as a means of determining the direction of the wind for those whose livelihoods depended on an accurate reading of weather patterns. Their design indicated a building owner's trade—a cow for a farmer, a lobster for a fisherman, and so on. In terms of style, they range from rep- licas of beloved Currier and Ives–inspired designs to farmyard animals to wildlife and nautical symbols. With some pieces dating back as far as 1853, NEWS has the largest collection of original antique molds and bronze pat- terns for weather vanes still in working order. Using the highest quality all-Ameri- can sourced materials, as well as molds and patterns from the likes of A. J. Harris and L. W. Cushing, they apply the long-standing and respected method of hand-hammering the copper into intricately detailed works of art, ready to stand the test of time. Owner Lee Webber says creating a weather vane is "very labor-intensive and time-consuming." It starts with a fla piece of copper, which is clamped and carefully pounded into a mold, making sure the copper doesn't split in the pro- Craftsmanship ne cess. After it has been cautiously molded using hammers and dowels, it is trimmed and then soldered. While a small piece can take a few days to complete from start to finish, a large piece can take up to several weeks. To fabricate molds, a frame is placed over the pieces of a weather vane, and then plaster is poured over the frame and weather vane. The plaster is then brought to a foundry, where a heavy cast-iron mold is made—so heavy, in fact, it needs to be moved with a forklift. Currently, the shop is working on a four-foot-tall replica of a 1967 Corvette. According to Webber, it has taken a week to make the wheels alone. The resident master coppersmith and Webber's partner in weather vane construction, David Fair- banks, makes custom pieces without the use of a mold—a process significantly more involved. Of course, the end product is all the more special. Custom weather vanes add a unique, architectural detail to any home or garden—whether atop the roof or placed on a mantel, shelf, table, or windowsill. They can even be mounted on a wall or freestanding. Outdoors, the copper turns a gorgeous green patina over time. As Webber points out, "The pieces have a lot of detail, which no one sees when [they are mounted] on the roof." Perhaps the per- fect place for a weather vane is anywhere Copper Creation Lee Webber houses the largest collection of original antique molds in working order.