Angels Camp metal artist creates signs for county project

Angels Camp resident Amanda Hernandez stands inside her stand-alone garage, which she converted into a metal workshop for her business, A-Fab Creations.
Lance Armstrong/Calaveras Enterprise

Working from her stand-alone garage that she converted into a metal workshop, Angels Camp resident Amanda Hernandez has produced nearly 1,000 metal creations for her customers, which currently includes Calaveras County.

Her project for the county, which she said is funded through a grant, includes the large metal monument signs that have been appearing throughout the county. Those signs are placed along roadsides to introduce towns, as well as the city of Angels Camp.

Hernandez, who was born in Sonora and raised in Angels Camp, noted that this in-progress project features 14 metal signs, of which nine have been completed.

This metal “Angels Camp” sign, which was created by Amanda Hernandez, was recently installed near the county fairgrounds in Angels Camp.
Lance Armstrong/Calaveras Enterprise

“They’re not all finished,” she said. “We go through and we do the metal components, and they’re all in process. It depends on how you look at it. So, they will all have a rock wall around the base of it.”

She added that each town, as well as the city of Angels Camp, provided input on the project before it began.

“We are just providing what was in the plan each town decided on, basically,” Hernandez said. “So, (there is a plan for) Valley Springs, for example. Moke(lumne) Hill has the historic Hotel Ledger on it, Angels Camp has the jumping frogs, (and) Murphys has the gazebo.

“And some of them have (slogans and symbols). So, Murphys, “Queen of the Sierra,” Arnold, they put “The Gateway to Adventure,” with the pine trees on it. Copper(opolis), they put cows on it. San Andreas is the historic Calaveras County seat, and then it’s got the county logo on it.”

The greatest number of monument signs for a single area are the four signs for Angels Camp.

There are also three signs for Valley Springs, two each for Mokelumne Hill and Murphys, and one each for Arnold, Copperopolis and San Andreas.

Also included within Hernandez’s contract with the county is the creation of seven metal reflective roadway signs, of which four are located in Angels Camp. Two others are in San Andreas and one was installed in Murphys.

All of those signs have been completed and include updated city or town logos.

Providing an example of one of the reflective roadway signs, Hernandez described a sign in Angels Camp.

“The City of Angels (has a sign with its) new logo with the frog jumping on it, and then it’s just pointing to different things around town,” she said. “So, either historic downtown, the museums, the fairgrounds.”

Hernandez mentioned that Mark Lowe, of the local business, Lowefab, is also providing work on this project, which began this summer and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

“I do the plasma cutting, basically, and then any type of welding or fabrication, I’ll say he does that part,” she said.

Hernandez identified her work on this project as the largest project of her career in metalworking, and she told this paper that she has been enjoying working on this project.

“It’s been a learning curve, but it’s a really fun and cool project to be a part of,” she said. “We work with Calaveras County Public Works specifically, and then we’re working with Sutton

Amanda Hernandez holds a metal sign that she created to advertise for her Angels Camp business, A-Fab Creations.
Lance Armstrong/Calaveras Enterprise

Enterprises (the Vallecito-based sign installer) and Lowefab on this project. It’s been a great process and enjoyable.”

Hernandez is the sole proprietor of her business, A-Fab Creations, which she began with a $16,000 plasma table investment in October 2018.

She had already gained experience in metalworking when she was in college, Hernandez recalled.

“My dad knew how to weld, and so he taught me how to do that,” she said. “And I kind of started out just doing like horseshoe art-type welding for the most part, and someone wanted something made that needed a little bit more of a unique part. And so, my dad had worked at a place that had a plasma table.

“(He said), “Well, come to work and check this machine out and see what it can do.’ And it was one of those things. I walked in and I saw the machine run, and kind of looked online at the business capabilities behind it, and was like, ‘That’s what I want to do as far as metalwork.’”

Hernandez noted that within a week of purchasing her own plasma table, she was already working on orders for clients.

“I had some people that were willing to (order) Christmas gifts from me,” she said.

But prior to working on her first order, Hernandez worked on her first project on her new plasma table, as she cut out the logo of her new business.

Hernandez mentioned that she learned a lot of what she knows about working with metal on her own.

“I had never really gotten into the graphic design side of things prior to this, or CAD (computer-aided design) programming or anything like that,” she said. “I had no CNC (computer numerical control) experience prior to purchasing that machine. So, kind of self-taught, slash YouTube videos and everything, and a lot of trial by error.

“So, that was probably the biggest part, is learning the computer side of it, and then being able to envision cutting out simple signs. That’s kind of where I started.”

Among Hernandez’s many customers is Valerie Mergl, who stated that Hernandez made a sign that she proudly displays with her recreational vehicle during her vacations.

“We had her design and make us a sign that we post when we travel by RV,” she said. “It is amazing. Her designs are customized to whatever the client desires.”

While sign making has been a large part of Hernandez’s business, she has also made other metal items, including Christmas tree ornaments and fire pits.

This large metal monument sign was created by Angels Camp resident Amanda Hernandez.
Lance Armstrong/Calaveras Enterprise

Hernandez’s business has continuously grown throughout the years. She noted that she does not need to advertise, because her clients come to her through word-of-mouth referrals.

In addition to her steady workload is her enjoyment as a custom metal artist.

“I’ve always had fun with it,” she said. “It has always been a hobby. It’s been a hobby that makes a little bit of money.”

Along with this hobby, Hernandez works another job as a personal property appraiser for an agricultural lender. She obtained that job after earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Chico State University in 2017. She also graduated from Bret Harte High School in 2014.

Because her main job consumes much of her time, Hernandez often works on her metal projects after her days at that job and on weekends.

Hernandez still reserves time for another one of her passions: leading the Murphys 4-H Club’s industrial arts and agricultural mechanics group.

Last year, she worked with seven of that club’s members, who built metal projects and exhibited at the Calaveras County Fair.

Speaking about her future in metalwork, Hernandez mentioned that she intends to continue working on custom metal projects as long as she is able bodied, noting that “there’s always creativity to be built upon.”

“I hope that I can keep moving forward as long as I can, whether it’s just simple orders for customers or businesses or local or farm, anything like that,” she said.

“And I look forward to keeping our working relationship with Mark Lowe and other projects that we’re able to be creative on and have the opportunity to work on. And if another opportunity presents itself to be able to work on another government job, then if I feel like I’m capable, I’d love to give it a shot.”