Restoration of Ironwork

The answer to a good restoration job is preparation. For those who are new to the process, I have listed some useful pointers. My apologies to experienced restorers of ironwork for stating the obvious.

First, take plenty of photos and measurements. If there are stone steps to be reset, take a pattern. In the case of railings, the plinths may also have to be reset. Plinths must be re-set in the same order as they were removed and accurate measurements between the centres of each hole must be noted or else it maybe necessary to fill the holes and re-drill the plinths. This attention to detail will prevent problems during the job and after completion. Put a tag on every section that is removed. Tags can be cut from 30mm x 30mm pieces of galvanised sheet although some architects insist on brass or copper tags. A number or letter should then be stamped on each tag and attached to each part of the ironwork to identify a section. Secure the tag with wire and keep a written record of each section and its relevant tag. I find that shot-blasting the ironwork is the best way to expose and assess the damaged ironwork so plastic cable ties are not recommended as these can be severed by the shot-blasting.

Throughout the restoration project, keep in touch with the Conservation Architect, Project Manager and the Heritage Officer in the region. Avoid taking advice from others on site (stone-masons for example) without first confirming, preferably in writing, with the individuals above. Your responsibility is firstly to your client and the professionals involved in the restoration project.

Some railings may be loose enough in the lead to come out easily from the stone work. If not, get four tapered wedges, two each side of the leg which is in the stone and gently prise upwards. Make sure the surface of the stone is protected before any pressure is applied and work over three or four fixing points as you try to lift the railing. If it will not move, your only alternative is to cut the leg off and then extend it as part of the repair. As the leg into the stone may be tapered, this may be your only option. During this procedure some splitting of the stone may occur, so be sure to advise whoever is in charge of the job of the risk and all possible scenarios that could arise. Once the railing is removed, the remaining leg in the stone or foundation can be core drilled out.

In your choice of materials, take into account whether your project is conservation, renovation or restoration. For example, iron should be used to make a genuine repair, pure iron or mild steel are possible alternatives. Bear in mind that mild steel only comes in metric sizes whereas iron can be obtained in imperial sizes. All early ironwork was made in imperial measurements so if you wish to use mild steel, it will have to be milled or forged down making it expensive. This will have an impact on the cost of your job so be careful to explain this to your client. Always give an estimate rather than a quotation, allowing you to add for extras as you never know what problems will be exposed under decades of paint, cracked castings or iron that is so rotten that it needs to be replaced.

When ironwork was first made, it was fire-welded in a particular order, but this does not work for repairs. Therefore some electric welding can be allowed providing you use a low carbon rod and all welds are filed smooth afterwards. The welds can be heated in a fire and worked with a flatter or swages to achieve a smooth finish. When dismantling the ironwork you may not be able to separate some of the mortise and tenon joints, in which case the tenon will have to be cut and reformed. A lathe is useful for re-reforming the tenon on the bottom of a railing or a top and bottom set can also be used. Advise the Architect that repairs of this type will reduce the height by approx the thickness of the bottom rail or alternatively, each upright will need to be extended before the new tenon is formed.

Once separated, clean all parts thoroughly of all loose rust. It may be worthwhile to shot blast again and prime before assembly. Alternatively, just prime the parts that will be inaccessible after assembly.

If castings have to be removed for reuse, they must be heated to melt the lead out that was used to stick the casting to the wrought iron. Only heat the castings and the lead outside or in a well ventilated building as lead is toxic and is cacogenic. Old lead can also contain arsenic so be careful. Once most of the lead has run out, you can then use a drill to clean out the inside of the casting. Remember; the rougher the inside of the casting, the greater adhesion when re-leading. If necessary, the bar can be roughened where it is covered by the casting. A safety note: hot lead reacts violently with any moisture so do not pour molten lead when it is raining or if the stone plinth or foundation is wet or even moist. When pouring lead, be sure to wear appropriate safety gear, goggles and gloves and as stated above, only pour outside or in a well ventilated building. If you are allowed, you can use a chemical mortar of which there are a number on the market and readily available.

To renew a broken casting which is half way down a bar, heat and then slide the casting down the bar and cut the bar through the middle where the casting was. Bend the bar slightly to one side, replace casting, straighten bar, re-weld, slide up new casting and re-fix (but don't tell anyone - that's our secret !). When re-leading castings, you can use fireclay to block any holes and to pack under the casting before pouring the lead.

These are just a few of the issues you will come up against when renovating ironwork. Ironwork renovation and restoration skills have to be learned, e.g. making scrolling tools and scrolls, fitting castings, anti-rust treatment and re-erection and this is where IABA comes in. With Forge Ins or even a phone call to a member, we are all willing to help, advise and pass on to you the relevant information. If those of us who have this information do not pass it on to our up-and-coming smiths, this craft will be lost. I myself am only too willing to pass on any information that I can.

Photos for the IABA Web Site

Below are some guidelines on producing photos of a standard which will be acceptable to show on the IABA web site. It is not intended to turn you into a professional photographer but to help you make your photos as good as they can be using inexpensive consumer cameras. It also provides technical details on the file requirements and any other relevant information required for the web site.

Description / File Name : The name of the object as well as any other characteristics which are relevant, such as size, should be supplied. The description should be no more than 100 characters, including spaces. The description should be the file name where possible. Otherwise, it should be supplied in some text format with the name of the file to which it relates.

File Type : JPG or PNG

Camera : Even a compact camera in today's market will allow you to take photos good enough to display on the web site. The number of mega pixels the camera is rated at is not the main factor in determining whether the photo turns out to be good. Other factors, such as exposure, focus and lighting are usually more important.

Orientation : Landscape or Portrait, whichever suits the object, although landscape photos will enable more detail to be displayed since the web site display area for photos is landscape shaped.

Resolution : As high as possible but 600 pixels is the absolute minimum. If the photo is landscape orientated, the height, and if portrait oriented, the width, should be a minimum of 600 pixels.

Focus : The photo must be in sharp focus as, otherwise, it cannot be added to the web site. Nothing can be done to correct a photo that is out of focus.

Exposure : Ensure that the exposure is right for the object and not the background. When photographing against a bright background, such as the sky, unless you use the exposure compensation (to over expose), the object will likely appear under exposed. The same will be true the other way around for dark backgrounds. This will depend on the camera and lens as professional SLR cameras have facilities for targetting the area for exposure measurement much more accurately than can non-professional ones.

Backgrounds : Usually contrasting backgrounds work best, i.e. light backgrounds for dark objects and vice versa. However, there are no hard and fast rules about this and feel free to use your imagination. Avoid crumpled material as backgrounds as it could spoil the photo.

Lighting : When outdoors, avoid bright sunlight as it will cast shadows which usually spoils a photo. A cloudy day where the light is defused is usually best. When indoors, colour temperature can be a problem if not compensated using the appropriate settings in the camera. For example, a photo will appear too yellow when taken under artificial lights with the camera set for daylight.