Like we mentioned in the last post, we’ve got just a little bit of finishing details to wrap up upon our return in a couple of weeks. But for the most part, our pieces are complete.
Video is on its way!
Now that the measurements have been calculated for the lightning protection and the tower lights, we needed to temporarily dismantle the spire to finish our work on the top of the archway.
We’ve said this in every post involving the spire so far, but just so there is no misunderstanding, Copper Exclusive is NOT responsible for crafting the spire. We built the archways, ornaments and the cross.
The following pictures show the different stages of dismantling. We’ll show you the finished top of the archway, soon.
We had some fun today! As you can see, we added the copper spire to the archway.
We temporarily lifted the tower so the specialists could attach the lights. Yes! The tower will be lit! And Jesse Rhodes from Hightower Construction (pictured on the left) added a makeshift cross (about the height of the real cross) made out of 2 x 4s just so we could better visualize the end result. Ok…and because it was fun!
Wondering about the stainless steel poles extending from the top of the arch bows? That’s where the finials go. Though they are all finished, we won’t add them until the last minute.
While the workers were up there installing the lights, they set up a lightning prevention system as well.
The spire comes back down, maybe not tomorrow as it is scheduled to rain all day again, but soon. We still have some details to finish on the top of the archway and can’t do that with the spire up there. But there’s not much more to do as far as that is concerned. In the meantime, we’ll be working on the cross. See you next entry!
(Disclaimer…Remember Copper Exclusive did NOT make the spire. We want to give credit where credit is due.)
Remember the pictures of our bright and shiny, newly made arch bows? We had visions of lifting a gleaming, unblemished copper tower into place, just to show the “new-ness” of the piece. Well, what we’ve built here is essentially a really big copper ornament. So big, in fact, that we don’t have a facility large enough to keep it 100% out of the elements while we work on it. And it’s been raining down here. A lot.
As we all know, one of the most remarkable features of copper is how it reacts with the elements. These reactions are what build the glorious and sought-after patina that only copper can produce. So even though the copper arch bows will be a bit on the brown side when the tower is placed, they will be every bit as beautiful. Like fine wine, copper becomes more valuable as it ages. 
If you’ve read about our company, you’ll know that we’ve spent most of our lives restoring some of the most beautiful castles, cathedrals and other important historic buildings in the world. Since the methods of installation in Europe are so stringent and have been for hundreds of years, the majority of our restoration work on copper has been almost exclusively due to “acts of God” like fallen trees or nasty hail storms but also, sad to say, damage from the world wars.
When we examine the copper on these centuries-old structures, the copper can be over double its original thickness! It is an honor to work among these buildings and see the depth of character they have taken on after so many years.
So all the details on this cathedral spire won’t be perfectly shiny on reveal day, but the copper is on its way to developing its own unique character people centuries from now will appreciate and love. We are proud to be part of this legacy!
We just made the copper collar that connects the cross to the tower. We still have quite a bit of work to do on the cross and it will be about two weeks before it is gilded, but when all is attached, the completed copper spire will be very dramatic and beautiful. The collar will also be gilded.
Here’s a step by step of how the collar was made:
Check out the progress on the copper arch bows!
In less than a month from now, these pieces will be set into place giving the cathedral the crowning glory it has awaited for well over two centuries. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to upload videos and give you notice of when this will happen. Until then, we’ll be busy working on polishing and refining and putting on all the finishing touches for the big day.
You’ve seen the somewhat completed top of the copper arch bows in previous posts. We’ve now started to work on the base. Here are some progress pics…
The first of the beautiful copper arch bows is complete!
When we were discussing the “clouds”, the ornamental details on the sides of the upper bow a few posts ago, we mentioned we were not planning to install them until the parts arrived to the cathedral site. We changed our minds. It took a day or so of renegotiating the shipping crate design whereas it would have taken many times that amount of time and effort for on-site assembly. The entire ornamental piece will be safely contained in its new, custom crate.
Please check out our detail project pictures below! It’s a pretty thing, isn’t it?
