A local client contacted me about forging a railing for their front step. It went through a couple iterations before the client was happy with the design I drew up for them. Functionality is always a top concern, and the client was happy to let me handle the details of the ironwork and finishing.
The installed railing was secured with anchor bolts into the wall on the top step, and concrete anchor bolts at the bottom. The rail itself is a solid 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ steel bar.
The leaf finial scroll at the front and end of the rail were forged separately from 1/4″ x 1″ bar, and then riveted into place. I was working within the limitations of my workshop, and being unable to forge a 6′ length of heavy bar, while keeping modern welding to a minimum, meant using the traditional riveting technique.
Each scroll is a snub nosed finial forged from 1/4″ x 1″ flat bar. The pieces were forged such that each scroll appears to flow out of the proceeding one, creating a sense of movement down the rail.
The wall mount was forged from plate and given a leaf-type texture to tie in the motif. The second leaf finial scroll can be see here with the rivet details below. The wall mount was welded to the rail.
The post is simply a 1″ square tube. Budget constrains required that I use modern welding in many places. Traditionally the post would be solid steel and connected to the rail and base plate with mortise and tenon joinery.
This photo really capture the flowing effect of the progressively enlarging scrolls “tumbling” down the under side of the rail.
The finish was something I agonized about during the entire project. I detest paint finishes for a number of reasons, the most important being that it obscures the naturally beautiful finish that comes with forged ironwork. I consulted with another blacksmith with more experience in outdoor ornamental pieces and I settled on a mix of linseed oil, beeswax and turpentine tinted with stove black, a polish for wood stoves.
Before connecting all the pieces and after polishing all the surfaces with a wire wheel brush, I heated them to a black heat in the forge. This creates a uniform dark gray colour on the steel and helps to protect it from rust. The dark gray comes from a thin layer of scale that forms from heating.
Once the piece was assembled, I applied the linseed oil finish to the rail. Now, one of the benefits of a linseed oil finish is that it can be reapplied easily to the piece. If rust does happen to form in a spot, it can be scoured away and linseed oil applied. No need to repaint the entire rail in the future.
