“The quality and craftsmanship of these iron beds is truly outstanding,” said Mr. Poulos, “The artisans at Wesley Allen have an amazing eye for detail and go above and beyond to make sure that they are proud of every iron bed that goes out through their doors.”

The first part of the tour consisted of seeing how the raw cold-rolled steel begins its journey into becoming a bed. Long steel tubes are cut to the proper length for each section of the particular bed that is being made. Skilled craftsmen then bend the steel on specially designed templates to match the often intricate and ornate curves and flourishes that make up many of the Wesley Allen beds. The next step involves the precise welding of the various pieces together to make up the frame. Welders along with a high-tech welding robot make sure that every seam is exceptionally strong and made to last a lifetime.

After welding, the finials and other decorative elements are cast onto the bed frame. These beautiful designs are conceived and then sculpted in clay by Wesley Allen’s talented artists, some of which have been with the company for decades. After the clay model is perfected, a mold is created and the hot metal is poured and cast directly onto the tubing of the bed for strength and durability. Once the decorative elements are attached to the bed and cooled, the entire frame is sanded and prepared with an electro-static primer for the hand-finishing. With more than 40 finishes to choose from, Wesley Allen has specific finishers that specialize in certain finishes, so their quality remains consistent. “One of the most interesting parts of my tour was seeing an Artist apply one of the Textured Gray Mocha finishes,” said Poulos, “It really is a very manual process, with him hand dabbing the finish onto the frame over and over to create the complex textured look.” Another key ingredient to the Wesley Allen finishing process is the highlighting of the decorative elements. Without individually applying a highlighted color variation on each decorative area on the bed by hand, it wouldn’t have the rich and dynamic look that Wesley Allen beds are known for.

After the iron beds are finished, checked and double checked for quality, and ready for shipment, they are packed with styrofoam blocks specifically made to cover the corners of each individual bed. This protects the vulnerable areas of the bed while in transit. Wesley Allen also triple wraps the other key areas of the bed and packs them in very strong corrugated boxes to make sure they arrive to their destination unharmed. The tour wrapped up with a discussion about Wesley Allen’s impressive commitment to making a minimal environmental impact. They have installed a huge array of solar panels on their facility’s roof, along with using efficient lighting systems and relying on natural light where possible. They have also implemented a sophisticated filtering system to clean and recycle the air from the building where finishes are applied. “I walked away with a real appreciation for what a unique company Wesley Allen is. Their commitment to quality and the sheer size of their operation is astounding. Owning a Wesley Allen bed is really owning a piece of artwork, and one that will serve one well for a lifetime!”

About Just Fine, Inc. Founded in 2004, Just Fine, Inc. is a specialty Internet retailer focusing on premium/luxury furniture and home accessories for the discriminating customer. Their online stores are designed to provide shoppers with a better way to browse and purchase discounted products that would normally only be found in high-end specialty stores.

	Step 1 – Unpack the Boxes The Wesley Allen beds come very well wrapped and protected in sturdy, stapled corregated cardboard boxes. This pictures shows an example of the Sunset Complete Bed, with (from the left) 1) the Millenium Frame box 2) the footboard box and 3) the headboard box.
	The Millenium frame, instructions and hardware packet all come in the same box.
	The beds are packed in a very thorough manner, to prevent damage during shipment. The corners, and other vulnerable areas are packed with thick styrofoam.
	Watch out for the staples when removing the bed from the boxes. These can easily scratch you. It is recommended to remove them.
	This is the footboard removed from the box, so you can see the packing done at the factory.
	Close up of the wrapping in the middle of the footboard, underneath the first layer of foam material.
	Close up of the packing materials on the corners. It is easliy a couple of inches thick.
	Step 2 – Prepare for Assembly Open the hardware packet and make sure you have been given the proper amount of bolts, nuts, washers and screws. You will also need a phillps-head screwdriver and a 7/16″ open-end or adjustable wrench (or 7/16″ socket wrench).
	Step 3 – Attach Millenium Frame Rails As soon as you pick up the Millenium frame, you will know that you have bought the highest-quality iron bed. The rails (shown) are made of heavy guage iron, and make a bell-like sound when struck. These things mean serious business, and are the makings of one sturdy bed.
	Notice that the nuts are not used to attach the rails to the headboard/footboard. Instead, the rails screw directly into the pre-drilled holes. Continue attaching the rails to the headboard, and then do the same with the footboard, remembering to only hand-tighten.
	Here are the rails attached to the headboard and footboard.
	Screw the slats to the bottom of the rails using the phillips head screws, and bolts. The screws should fit nicely into the recessed holes in the rails. Only hand-tighten them at this point.
	Here is the headboard cross slat in place with hand-tightened screws only.
	Now attach the loose V to the footboard cross slat, using the phillips screws and bolts.
	Now that all of the slats are in place, tighten them with the phillips-head screwdriver by holding the nut in place with the wrench underneath.
	Here is the assembled Millenium frame with headboard and footboard.
	Step 5 – Finish Up! Now you can put your mattress and box springs back together;

]]> http://FineFurnitureShopping.com/index.php/2007/07/assembly-tutorial-wesley-allen-sunset-complete-bed/feed/ 0 http://FineFurnitureShopping.com/index.php/2007/06/fineironbedscom-%e2%80%9cbed-finder%e2%80%9d-is-live/ http://FineFurnitureShopping.com/index.php/2007/06/fineironbedscom-%e2%80%9cbed-finder%e2%80%9d-is-live/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:53:05 +0000 Ward http://wpoulos.mysite4now.net/finefurnitureshopping/?p=33 With over 100 beds in up to 10 configurations in up to 30 finishes, it can be difficult to find exactly the iron bed you are looking for, especially when you have to work within a budget. To simplify the purchasing process, FineIronBeds.com has launched the Bed Finder feature and as of June 1, the site statistics show that this new tool has been very helpful for shoppers. We hope to add some more improvements to this page as we go forward, including a free-form text search. We may even consider directing everyone one who clicks on the “Iron Beds” tab straight to this form first, to help them along with their search.

A lot of our customers wonder exactly what “curb-side delivery” or “truck-freight shipping” is, and if we are going to leave their new iron bed sitting out on the street, or ask them to unload it from the truck themselves! Well, the short answer is no, and the information below will hopefully help explain…

When we ship large items to our customers, they cannot be sent via traditional ground shipping like FedEx or UPS because they are too bulky. So, we have to use truck-freight companies that have large semi-trucks, such as Old Dominion Freight Line. Usually these freight providers are chosen by the manufacturer, like Wesley Allen, because they provide a dependable, high-quality service, and have coverage across the continental U.S.

When a package is sent from Wesley Allen via Old Dominion, for example, it is first very carefully packed and triple wrapped by Wesley Allen with padding at the corners to protect your product (see image to right). Then, it is boxed up in sturdy boxes and carefully loaded onto the truck at the Wesley Allen factory in Los Angeles. This truck then ships the product to the local Old Dominion office in your area, where it is offloaded to the local warehouse. Once shipped, it usually takes from 3-5 business days to get to your locale. At this point, you are called at the phone number you provided to us to schedule a convenient delivery day that fits your schedule.

When the truck arrives at your location on the set delivery date, the driver will unload the boxes from the truck and bring them to your front door. They are not technically allowed to bring the boxes into your residence, for liability reasons, but the drivers are usually very helpful and will work with you to make it easier. Once you inspect the product for any damage, your will need to sign for the delivery as “accepted”. It is important to note that you should REJECT the shipment if there is any apparent damage and contact us immediately. The driver will wait for you to open and inspect the product for any damage. Don’t be afraid to ask them to wait, since it is their job!

It is definitely recommended that you have a friend or relative (even a neighbor) there at the time of delivery to help carry the boxes into their final location (i.e. your bedroom). Some of the beds are large and the boxes can be awkward. If you live in an apartment building, the driver will not carry the boxes into the elevator and up to your residence, nor will they carry the boxes up stairs. This is why you will need someone to help you carry them. After the boxes are brought in, just set up your new bed following the enclosed instructions, and enjoy!