A Link To The Past

Come with us on a nostalgic journey back to the quality, craftsmanship and elegance that was yesteryear. Benicia Foundry and Iron Works is located on the Straights of Carquinez in historic Benicia, California, once the stomping grounds of Jack London. In 1853 Benicia became California's third state capitol. That same year the first foundry was built in Benicia, that was the foundry of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company which became Baker and Hamilton's Benicia Agricultural Works in 1879. Baker and Hamilton produced a wide variety of tools and farm equipment that became well known for their excellence by the farmers and ranchers of the early west. Since this was before the machine age, the fine quality of these products was largely due to the skill of the craftsmen that worked there. In the early 1900's the Benicia Agricultural Works was acquired by Yuba Industries which specialized in large metal products, such as dredging and mining equipment. Yuba also manufactured the giant spillway gates for the Hoover Dam and during World War II manufactured 155mm Howitzer cannons. By 1970, with demand for their products down, Yuba Industries closed the Benicia Works and sold off all of their equipment. Only the foundy with all of its historic molds and patterns was sold intact.

Soon, the foundry began manufacturing automobile parts, then started reintroducing products from the past -- which quickly became very popular and have now become famous for style and quality. The craftsmen at Benicia Foundry and Iron Works take great pride in the quality and durability of our products. In keeping the tradition of the early craftsmen, each Benicia product is manufactured from only the finest materials. The manufacturing process is all done by hand: each piece is cut by hand, bent by hand, and each connecting joint is formed by hand pouring molten metal into a mold. As in the past, all this is done by skilled craftsmen. Because each process is done by hand, modern technology had not greatly affected the methods used to produce Benicia products -- except for one major change. All Benicia products are finished with a polyurethane powder coating. This baked-on process far surpasses paint for scratch resistance and for durability. Properly cared for, this finish will last a long, long time