Care of iron, and contact me. My phone number is 404-304-0906My email is rmrblacksmith@isp.com or rmrblacksmithz@yahoo.com Care of ironwork.Wrought iron will last just about forever. The only problems are rust or accidents. All ironwork is now done with mild steel. Wrought iron really means no carbon. Since the bessemer steel method, steel became vastly cheaper. This happened in the 1880's. To defeat rust oxygen must be kept from reaching the steel. The only way to do this is a good primer, and paint. The only paint that won't work is flat black. Flat paint allows water to go through the paint and rust the iron. Also, please note: Hollow pickets allow air to enter through ANY pinhole in the welds. At night the air cools. This sucks in air every night. As the night cools the moisture in the air condenses. The water the sinks to the bottom of the picket, and rusts the steel. When you see the rust, it has rusted through. The hollow steel is a little cheaper then the solid, but the fabricating and installing still cost the same. This is a way to save a little, and get a LOT less. The second problem is accidents. All my work is fully gaurenteed, and accidents are fixed at standard shop costs. I want my work to be around for centuries in the best condition possible.
I would like to exchange links with other blacksmiths, and ornamental ironworkers.