Most of our ornamental iron work is done with wrought iron because, in its raw form, it is very easy to heat and bend into different positions to create some very ornate forms or structures. Because it is an untreated metal it is very susceptible to rust. When painting or powder coating wrought iron, one of the most important steps is the preparation. All slag or debris must be removed and it needs to be grease free before applying a primer. Grease is commonly used to protect the wrought iron from rusting, so it may be covered and will need to be degreased. When all that is done, a good primer needs to be used.
We recommend two coats of primer. The primer needs to stick to the iron and seal it and the paint needs to stick to the primer. The stronger the preparation and primer coat, the better the finish. We recommend a good rust preventative finish. I prefer oil base, but there are some good waterborne products on the market. I’ve been in the industry for almost 40 years.
Something about putting a “water base” product on metal doesn’t sit well with me, but I know they’ve made huge advancements over the years. They paint cars with water base paints now so maybe there’s something there, huh?
Why does “Old School” always go hand in hand with “stubborn”? Beats me.
All that being said…. Iron is metal. Metal rusts. Water is iron’s worst enemy! If you have a wrought iron fence surrounding your yard and your sprinklers are constantly hitting it, you’re adding to the problem and decreasing the longevity of your fence. What I do occasionally, is do a walk around to see if any of my sprinklers may have gotten turned around due to bumping them with the mower or some other reason. It’s well worth the few minutes it takes.
We can’t do anything about the weather we have here in Vegas and for the most part…. who wants to? We’re pretty lucky, but the wind will blow water on to your fence and at the same time will dry it out. We just need to do what we can and control what’s controllable, if that makes sense. The main point of this article is to inform people of the maintenance needed to continue having the beautiful wrought iron you started with and stress the importance of NOT skimping on the materials you apply or have applied to it.
It’s expensive, but it will last for a long time if it’s taken care of. I have a small bucket of touch up paint and I’ll go out and spend an hour or so just touching up the “suspicious” areas. With a good
rust preventative paint you can do just that! Help prevent rust. It’s a cancerous type entity that will spread as fast as you let it. It’s not that difficult to maintain if you get a program and it will save you a lot in repair bills.
I’ll use an example I’ve used before….
Why buy a beautiful, nice looking new car and then never change the oil!
It’s inexpensive, quick and will save tons of money in the long run.
Simple, isn’t it? Thanks for reading, Greg
Greg Combs
Exec. Vice President
Cal/Pac Painting of Nevada, Inc.
Tel: (702) 383-5144
Fax: (702) 383-3007
www.calpac.us
greg.combs@calpac.us