I am making a cake for a guy graduating from ironworking course and his wife wants a tall square coloumn cake with the illusion of metal beams. I dont want to just put strips of fondant on the sides. I want something more challenging with more wow factor. i need to put little men on the beams too. Any suggestions?

Do you have a way to make solid chocolate beams? You could build a framework around the cake. And if you wanted to go old school, you could put an hammer and anvil on top. (And if you can make figures, have the worker using the hammer on the anvil; arm raised over his head with the hammer in his hand)

I think of the hot fire when I think I ironworking. You could have the metal going into the fire. Use those little colored LED lights for the fire and you'll get the WOW factor.

I dont know chocolate that well but was thinking of using gumpaste and airbrushing them kind of a rusty color and putting them up the sides of the ckae kind of like scaffolding. Do you think this will work if i let them harden really well?

My husband, father and brother are/were all Ironworkers in CA...cant wait to see what you do....

Ok,
I come from a long line of Ironworkers...I beams are definitely the way to go. I also know they won't go anywhere without their hardhat (typically covered in stickers), heavy duty tool belt, spud wrench, steel toed boots (usually Red Wings), and remember they can't be up in the air without being tied off (wearing a harness in case of a fall...my dad has a shattered back thanks to a 40 ft fall and a 10 ft fall of a JLG lift). A lot of Ironworkers also do work with rebar. You MAY want to find out what local union they graduated out of because they typically are extremely proud to represent their local. Hope this helps, however the cake may already be made