A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted 50 years ago this year.

It seems like just yesterday Charlie Brown and his warm-hearted motley crew melted our hearts for the first time with the 1965 premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas. The classic holiday special turned 50 this year, but the lessons it taught us are as fresh in our minds each year as the first time we saw them. Never, perhaps, has a holiday special illustrated so poignantly “what Christmas is all about.”

Commercial aluminum trees were all the rage in the sixties.

The most evident antagonist to the true spirit of Christmas in the episode, among others such as an awry Christmas production and an empty mailbox, is the presence of the aluminum Christmas tree – a popular staple in American homes during the time. The immense fabrication of the aluminum tree was a symbol of the over-commercialization of the Christmas season; a motif as hollow as the sound it produced whence knocked upon by Charlie Brown. By opting for a sparse little sapling over a “big, shiny aluminum tree” Charlie Brown reminds us that yuletide cheer is not found in the sparkle of commercialism, but the humble authenticity found in the love between friends and family, symbolized by the small but mighty sapling.

While aluminum extrusion, aluminum alloys, and aluminum as a whole is our business, we must admit that we’re happy to see the scratchy, shiny, fabricated fad of the aluminum tree phased out of the holiday season.

From our family here at Taber Extrusions to yours, we wish you warmth and joy this holiday season, and we encourage you to embrace the true spirit of Christmas this year by enjoying it with the best gift of all – your loved ones. Happy holidays!

Ant hill art – aluminum sculpture of an underground ant colony.

Strong. Intricate. Durable. Sound familiar? No, we’re not talking about Taber Extrusions’ aluminum shapes. We’re talking about ant hills.

The creator of anthillart.com and his website gallery became extremely popular when a video of the artist casting an ant hill sculpture out of a molten aluminum alloys went viral in 2014. And we must admit, from one aluminum casting manufacturer to another, these arthropod aluminum extrusions are pretty impressive.

In the video, the artist pours molten aluminum alloy into the fire ant colony, where the aluminum casts within every nook and cranny of the complex underground colony, creating a perfect aluminum replica of the infamous insect’s habitat. After the aluminum cools, the artist digs up the aluminum anthill, hoses it off, and voila! A biological, aluminum extrusion, scientific work of art.

Photos courtesy of anthillart.com

The aluminum sculptures became an overnight hit, and the internet is now buzzing not only with EBay listings of the famous aluminum shapes and countless photos, but a surprising amount of how-to articles and Do-It-Yourself video tutorials.

Left: Heavily protected workers pour molten aluminum alloys at the Taber Gulfport aluminum cast house facility.
Right: A “Bitty-Q” miniature grill made out of an aluminum can. Perfect for hot dogs and DIY Saturdays.

As an extrusion company that spends a good deal of time around aluminum alloys, pouring pounds of fiery aluminum lava on the front lawn seems a little too intense for our next weekend craft project, not to mention dangerous. (You could light your lawn on fire like this guy did.) We love a good aluminum casting project, but a DIY molten aluminum ant hill casting seems to be a little more extensive than, say, a DIY aluminum can miniature hot dog grill.

But hey, if you readily have access to a heavy-duty furnace burning at 1,220 degrees, 15 pounds of aluminum alloy scrap, and a portable crucible with fireproof tongs – knock yourself out. (And those pesky fire ants, too.)

Photo courtesy of Temisko.

With their commitment to quality service, technological advancement, and breadth of applications it’s no wonder that Temisko chooses Taber as their premier provider of aluminum extrusions, despite the many miles between them. At times 1,559 miles, to be exact.

Since their initial partnership in 2013, Taber has shipped hundreds of thousands of pounds of aluminum shapes to Temisko, but their relationship doesn’t stop there. This past summer, Taber proudly sponsored Temisko in a promotional cross country truck rodeo show in Notre-Dame-Du-Nord, Quebec.

This road trip included an exhibition of three Temisko trailers that journeyed across Ontario and Quebec, spreading brand awareness and generating buzz about Taber’s unique extrusion and aluminum fabrication qualifications. If you happened to catch one of the Temisko trailers riding by from Mid-May to July, you probably saw Taber’s logo displayed on one trailer, promoting El Rodeo.

From extrusions to excursions, Taber is proud to partner with Temisko to achieve a common goal: supplying the highest quality aluminum extrusion products and service to their customers in the U.S., Canada, and beyond.