From an old brick warehouse on East Campbell Street in Butler, the sounds of clanging metal, piercing drills and buzzing welders give the impression of a booming industry.

Yet, from within this small, dimly lit workshop, artist Geoff Warheit creates functional masterpieces in the form of custom-designed motorcycles and sheet metal panels for hot rods.

"The development was kind of evolutionary," said Geoff's father Matt Warheit, who said that his son's interests have progressed from riding motocross bikes to custom painting for motorcycles and now the fabrication and creation of motorcycles.

The self-employed machinist and his son, both from Penn Township, have shared work space in the shop for about two years.

Though Matt has passed on some of his machine shop skills to his son, Geoff has created his custom metalwork niche from skills he has largely taught himself.

"I've kind of been his consultant and assistant in this whole thing rather than his mentor," said Matt. "He's always been very independent and self-motivated."

Aside from a couple metalworking seminars, Geoff, 22, picked up valuable experience working in a local motorcycle shop, creating parts that the shop was unable to order for its customers.

Now

self-employed, Geoff

prefers to fabricate all parts possible instead of ordering or customizing existing parts.

"Its much more gratifying for me," he said.

To create or modify a motorcycle, Geoff must start with a vision.Working with initial ideas for how the end result should look, Geoff builds a bike in his mind - at times adapting the customer's requests to improve the performance or look of the bike.Though he sometimes creates a rough initial sketch, his work is done from the detailed blueprint in his mind.Beginning with the bike's frame, Geoff fits in the engine, one of the few components not made from scratch.Once the engine is placed and connections for the wheels and handlebars are welded to the frame, Geoff begins the metalwork that will create the gas tank and fenders and support the seat.Using a large power hammer, which Geoff and his father built, he angles aluminum sheets under the pounding hammer, which bends the metal into the curve of a fender or the teardrop shape of a gas tank.Though not yet attached to the bike, Geoff places each completed piece on the frame, ensuring the parts will fit together properly.

The time spent completing a bike depends on the complexity and details of each design.For Tom Brucker of Penn Township, Geoff's talent for customizing parts turned a factory bike into something that's one of a kind."We're both really proud of the project," said Brucker who has known the Warheit family for many years."He did as nice of a job on that as anyone who's been in the business 20 years has done."Dividing the project over two winters, Brucker allowed Geoff to use his own ideas for the bike, altering the look of the gas tank, the seat and the fenders along with several other details."Anytime I deal with an artist I say 'Just let your creative juices go.'"Though Brucker is considering more decorative paint touches and metalwork to conceal cables, he is impressed with the results."I have a lot of pride in knowing it's one of a kind."For Geoff's own custom bike, the process has been much slower, working on the bike during spare time between other projects."I'm trying to do something that has a real Old World look to it," said Geoff, who feels any delay in working on his bike gives him time to sift through new ideas.As his talent for bending and forming sheet metal has improved, Geoff has expanded his work, now creating customized side panels for classic cars such as hot rods."One of the things I really like about this is I can use my own ideas and my own imagination."Enjoying his independence, Geoff hopes to one day own his own manufacturing shop where he could continue as his own boss.

In an effort to enhance his creations, Geoff recently participated in a seminar by Fay Butler, a metal shaping professional from Wheelwright, Mass.After about 30 years of experience shaping metal for aircraft, cars, decorative and architectural uses, Butler has noticed a rise in interest in metalworking in recent years."Now there is definitely a younger group that's interested in getting back to creating things with their hands," he said, attributing it in part to reality television shows that have focused on motorcycle building and other metalworking applications.Butler hosts about a dozen seminars a year, each limited to three participants to allow for hands-on instruction as well as scientific explanations for how metal is shaped.In each seminar, he stresses this understanding metalwork as both an art and a science."You can weld all the pieces of a gas tank together, but does it tell you a story?"

Though some trade programs have emerged in recent years, Butler feels that some details of the trade may be lost if the classes are taught by less-experienced instructors."It takes a lifetime to be a craftsman," said Butler who hopes the trade of metalwork will be passed down through both his workshops and the professionals he has worked with and taught."Geoff is quite mature for his age," said Butler. "He seems like he also has good support from his family and he has the confidence. I think he's gonna make it."<br></br><br></br><br></br>