{"id":1755,"date":"2014-01-03T14:44:09","date_gmt":"2014-01-03T19:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mansfieldplumbing.com\/?p=175"},"modified":"2014-01-03T14:44:09","modified_gmt":"2014-01-03T19:44:09","slug":"meet-a-mansfield-modeler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/blog\/meet-a-mansfield-modeler\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet a Mansfield Modeler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dave<\/a>At our manufacturing plant in Perrysville, Ohio, we have many talented and hardworking men and women.\u00a0<\/strong> With few bathroom-fixture manufacturers still operating plants in the U.S., many of our manufacturing team\u2019s skills are becoming quite rare in this country.<\/p>\n

For instance, our modelers are true artists who go through years of training before they become proficient at creating the molds that make each plumbing fixture.\u00a0 Once our designers have come up with a new toilet, the modelers are the ones who take that vision and bring it to life.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to introduce one of our three modelers.\u00a0 Dave Fletcher has been with us for 28 years, and his modeling talent is truly tops.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 How did you become a modeler? <\/b><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 I first learned about Mansfield because my brother in law worked here, so I applied. I was hired as a caster, but wanted to become a modeler after my boss took me over to the modeling shop.\u00a0 After I learned there was a job opening in the model shop, I took the test and was picked for the job.\u00a0 I then spent the next five years learning casing and blocking, and then moved into modeling and blocking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What is important for modelers to do?\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

A: \u00a0For us modelers, it\u2019s important to make sure the fixture has the correct thickness, radius, look and performance.\u00a0 We use measuring tools and radius gauges to make sure our models are perfect.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 How have you seen modeling evolve since you started at Mansfield?<\/b><\/p>\n

A: A year or two ago, we hired a 3D modeler, and will soon hire a second.\u00a0 He\u2019s already designed two molds, and we\u2019ve already cased them and have them in product.\u00a0 However, I don\u2019t think hand modelers like me will ever cease to exist because we do lots of alterations.\u00a0 I think it\u2019ll take both 3D and hand modelers to create the best models.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 Can you share how you create a model?\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 It takes weeks to make sure a model is accurate.\u00a0 If a new design is similar to a past model, we take the existing block mold and make adjustments to it.\u00a0 A model is about 12.5 percent larger than a piece after it\u2019s gone through the firing\/kiln process, so I have to make sure the final mold will have the correct dimensions and shape.\u00a0 In the rare instance where we can\u2019t use an existing mold to help create a new piece, I create the mold by hand from scratch. I start with a big piece of plaster and carve the model out using drills, saws and other special tools.\u00a0 I created one of the toilet tanks by hand from scratch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What\u2019s happening right now at Mansfield?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 We\u2019re very excited about our company. We\u2019re in the midst of our second expansion in Perrysville.\u00a0 We\u2019re hiring more people and we\u2019re bringing in new casting technologies and processes.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What do you like most about being a modeler?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 We like that it\u2019s never boring, that it\u2019s hands on and you have to be creative.\u00a0 I don\u2019t necessarily feel like I\u2019m an artist, but a lot of people view us as artists.\u00a0 We get a sense of satisfaction from completing a project.<\/p>\n

Do you have any questions for Dave?\u00a0 Leave them below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At our manufacturing plant in Perrysville, Ohio, we have many talented and hardworking men and women.\u00a0 With few bathroom-fixture manufacturers still operating plants in the U.S., many of our manufacturing team\u2019s skills are becoming quite rare in this country. For instance, our modelers are true artists who go through years of training before they become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,82,84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consumer-resources","category-mansfield-plumbing","category-toilets"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mansfieldplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}