Wrought Iron: Questions and Answers

After strolling across the bridges and through the parks of St. Petersburg, admiring the railings of Vigeland Park in Oslo and the marvelous patios of Seville, have you decided to acquire such beauty for your own home? Good choice. Wrought iron never goes out of style and still attests to the owner's good taste and standing. On our blog, you'll find a checklist that makes the process of ordering wrought iron simple and clear.

What can be made of wrought iron?

• Fences
• Gates
• Window grilles
• Stairs, railings, and balustrades
• Balconies
• Canopies and awnings
• Lanterns
• Interior elements (stained-glass windows, mirrors, furniture, candlesticks)
• Landscape elements (gazebos, benches, bridges, weathervanes)

Where to begin?

With the definitions and techniques, which you can read about in our detailed article Speaking the Same Language as the Blacksmith.

And with visualization. From you, pictures of what you like (the internet will help); from the workshop, sketches and drawings of the future piece. Ideally a 3D model, which will let you picture what you want in three dimensions and in place.

Trap number one: place an order only from drawings or sketches, never from simple photos alone. The customer has every right to demand drawings, since they are an integral part of the finished product. A lack of technical documentation is a sign of an unprofessional contractor.

Do not order directly over the internet. Be sure to call the firm you're interested in and ask a few questions about forging and wrought iron. Reputable firms always employ staff who have the necessary knowledge, and if the answers don't satisfy you, it's best to look elsewhere right away.

What should you ask? Find out which forging methods (cold, hot, stamping) they can offer for making the piece you want. Which material would suit your purposes best, and why? How will you have to care for it? And remember that wrought iron can't be cheap. Puzzled by the price? Ask what it's based on. The cost can be an indirect indicator of the manufacturing method, so the information from the manager should match it. If we're not talking about interior pieces, the next stage of the collaboration is a visit from the manager (the installer). A contract is signed only after the measurements and sketches have been agreed upon and approved.

Signed means agreed. When you sign the contract, read the text carefully. The cost of the work always depends directly on the type of product being purchased. Painting the piece and installing it on site are most often charged separately.

Trap number two: if you're drawn in by the relatively low cost of wrought iron, there's a strong chance you won't be warned about the cost of additional work, including not only painting but also the treatment of welds, surface preparation for painting, and installation, and that the contract won't cover them.

Why choose wrought iron if it's so expensive?

Because it is beautiful, stylish, and durable.

Wrought iron can last a hundred years and become a source of family pride, and founding a family tradition is worth the expense. Window grilles and fence elements made in the same style will give the whole estate a sense of completeness. A weathervane will provide an accent, and its silhouette can become an elegant recurring motif in the decor of the gazebo and the garden fixtures. Isn't that an idea worth pursuing? Of course it will take both time and money, but it's worth the effort. A home design project will turn the dream into a goal, and realizing it will then be only a matter of solving a few specific problems.

Which type of forging should you prefer?

Window grilles made by cold forging are still better than no grilles at all, but they fall well short of true elegance.

Cold forging is a metalworking process whose essence is deforming cold-metal blanks with a hammer or press. In exchange for some originality, this method offers shorter lead times and lower production costs. The advantages of cold forging are a high production rate, low-cost products, and the ability to produce perfectly uniform elements (a must if you need elements for a long fence, for example). It also offers wear resistance and increased strength.

The disadvantages are the uniformity and standardization of the elements and the lack of artistic value in the finished products. Cold forging is cold in every sense. Even so, it's a worthy and affordable option for making reliable gates and practical fence caps.

Hot forging is the working of red-hot metal, exactly what we picture when we think of a hammer and anvil. Hot forging is much more expensive than cold forging, but it allows for unique pieces of varying complexity made from sketches. Hot forging produces truly lifelike pieces, each one individual and bearing the imprint of the master's hand and heart. But it takes a fairly long time, and the work costs a great deal.

Most often, the wrought iron offered today for mass-market use is made from blanks (decorative elements, rods, bars, squares, and so on) by welding. It would be more accurate to call these welded metal products. Even so, with a craftsman's skill and a designer's imagination, you can get quite interesting results from template elements. The advantage of this type of fence and grille is its relatively low price and reliability.

Depending on the method, a distinction is made between closed-die forging and so-called open-die forging. The first type is used in mass production, the second in one-off and small-batch production. Open-die forging can be either manual or done by machine. But these technical details only concern people who dream of decorating their country home with a wrought iron gate or lantern.

How is the cost calculated?

The cost of made-to-order wrought iron depends on the material, size, and complexity of the piece, and it is always higher than that of welded structures. It is calculated after the sketch has been approved, though the manager can give you a rough idea of what a particular piece will cost. The cost of manufacturing any metal fence depends on the complexity of the metalwork and the manufacturing method, as well as the fence's purpose and expected lifespan.

How long does manufacturing take?

The time required to make wrought iron depends on the complexity and volume of the work, the type of forging, the client's requirements, and the specifics of the order (whether the piece has been made before or is being made for the first time from the customer's sketch).

Can anything in the finished piece be changed later?

The shape, no, because a forged piece is a finished work. The coating, yes: you can change the color, the patina (artificial aging of the material to give it a refined decorative effect), or apply a bronze or copper finish.

Does wrought iron require special care?

It does. Wrought iron used outdoors (fences, lamps, balustrades, gates, wickets, and so on) requires corrosion protection. For the first two years it has to be painted about once a year; after that the frequency drops (to about once every five years), because the spots that corroded at first soon become covered with a thick coat of paint that reliably protects the metal from moisture and air. Wrought iron used indoors usually doesn't need to be painted.

What should you use to paint wrought iron grilles, and how?

Want them to look refined? Use matte paints and enamels. Don't forget that there must be a layer of rust-preventive primer under the paint. It's best to get the paint and the primer from the same manufacturer.