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Home & Garden Articles
Why Repair Your Wrought Iron Railings?
Tue 22 May 2007 - 11:25
Why Repair Your Wrought Iron Railings?
By Andrew Caxton
It's possible to repair old wrought iron railings yourself if you know a little about wrought iron. Old railings that are neglected can become dull and brittle or rusted.
How do you keep wrought iron hand railings looking good?
The craft of making wrought iron was in high demand in the 1600's. Only very wealthy owned it and very talented craftsmen were in high demand with waiting lists for their wrought iron wares. During this time, it was expensive and complicated to make. Taking care of railings was important otherwise tarnished or cracked railings looked awful. Back then, they weren't so easy to repair because of their expense and rarity.
Tips and tools for wrought iron repair
Restoration of wrought iron hand rails can be done in many cases with a few tools and items from a home building or hardware store. Some repairs are more complex and need a professional but minor repairs can often be done yourself with tools such as: drill and bits, rivets, saw, woodworking implements, metal glue/cement as well as a scraping tool
Pipes can sometimes be mended with welding but unless you are an expert, it might not always hold. Security is pretty important especially on a staircase where handrail support is necessary so you may want to hire a professional welder if your iron pipes have broken off. Repairs can be done in the interior of pipes though with supports inserted such as wood or a steel post. The internal reinforcements can make them stable enough to be reattached with proper metal cement.
Mounting Poles or Base of Wrought Iron Railings
If there is a crack in the base of railings, or the eyelet of railing pipe demands repairs, one of the methods is stitch welding. There are many companies which provide this kind of repair service and also provide guarantee. It is not very frequent that eyelets or the base cracks, however if it cracks, it needs to be repaired by experts only.
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Stitch welding may need to be done to help you reattach the poles to the base, especially in the case of a hair line fracture of the eyelet. If you are not expert, you can often hire someone to come out and estimate and then do your repairs for you.
Wrought iron looks so good that it's often worthwhile to take the time to repair it rather than replace it.
Andrew Caxton is the editor of different articles published at http://www.wrought-iron-guide.com , with reference to fences and wrought iron balusters . You can find more information and resources on wrought iron railings at his website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Caxton
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Repair-Your-Wrought-Iron-Railings?&id=572992
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