Metalworking Business Welds Family Traditions of Building and Creating
Meet a Maker:
Alex Loos of Hans Noble Design
Alex Loos comes from a long line of blacksmiths on his father’s side, mainly in a small town in Germany outside Stuttgart. His father has been in the sheet metal industry for 40 years.
“So in my opinion, metalworking was my only option,” said Alex, a welder/fabricator and founder of Hans Noble Design in Berea, Ohio. “It’s in my blood.”
At 15, Alex began working for his father’s HVAC company during the summer. Over time, he developed the skills needed to experiment in the furniture world, and he created a clientele base that gave him the ability to start his own company.
“Hans Noble” is a character imagined by Alex using two family names to combine and honor the traits and skills of both sides of his family. A character who builds and creates.
Alex’s grandfather, a blacksmith and tool and die maker, was named Hans. His father also is named Hans, and Alex’s middle name is Hans. Noble Curry, Alex’s great grandfather on his mother’s side, was an abstract expressionist artist who did a lot of work during the Great Depression.
Alex was able to turn something that he thought would always be a hobby into a business employing up to 10 people. The work he’s proudest of includes a large project for Lyft with about 40 pieces of furniture that were shipped to six states. The company also has worked for a few professional basketball players and all the professional sports stadiums/arenas in Cleveland, Ohio, and built a podium for philanthropist Melinda Gates, cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Before ordering a bespoke leather apron from Leather By Dragonfly, Alex didn’t wear anything for protection in his shop. ”I would come home every other week needing new T-shirts because they had so many holes in them,” he said.
Tired of horribly stained and shredded clothing, Alex opted for the protection and precise customization of a Custom Leather Heavyweight Apron. “With what we do, we create a lot of sparks and work with a lot of sharp material that can snag clothing and potentially injure us,” Alex said. “I knew Patrick and Michelle, and saw the indestructible aprons they were making, so I had to have one. The protection they provide is second to none, and the fact that I wasn’t buying new shirts and jeans so often was a plus, too!”
Alex’s apron is made from dark brownish red full-grain leather. It has pockets for all of his necessities and, for extra protection, an additional layer of leather where sparks from a grinder hit him the most.
“(A Leather By Dragonfly Custom Leather Apron) is a quality product that should be a craftsman’s number one tool. The detail and durability are the best I have seen.”
Alex’s core toolset includes MIG/TIG welders, a grinder, a saw for cutting material, shear, brake, and various hand tools. On his apron, he always has a square, a pencil and a marker, a tape measure, and a center punch, all within easy reach.
Alex’s apron is still in great shape after three or so years of use. “It has light scratches and stains from the oils in the material we use, which is inevitable, but nothing that has broken the surface. The quality of leather and the strength of the accessories is amazing.”
Durability is what Alex likes best about his apron: “This thing is going to last forever.”
Would Alex recommend a custom apron from Leather By Dragonfly? “100%. It is a quality product that should be a craftsman's number one tool. The detail and durability are the best I have seen.”
Hans Noble Design currently is working on “some really cool pieces” that will go to a few hotels throughout the country, Alex said. The company also is building a rusted corten steel privacy wall and outdoor shower wall for a residence in Cleveland, as well as a hand-hammered brass dining table base for a home in Columbus, Ohio.
Learn more about Alex and Hans Noble Design on the company’s website and on Instagram, @hansnobledesign.
Read previous posts in our “Meet a Maker” series, featuring other custom leather apron customers: