Creative designs make park benches stylish.
Elegance and style come in many forms, but a piece of furniture made from wrought iron adds a turn-of-the-century appeal to decor, whether in the home or outside in a park. Wrought iron furniture, such as benches along a walkway or path, are made of darkened iron with great attention to detail and skill. The intricate details and elaborate designs are what makes these pieces stand out in unique beauty and creativity.
Instructions
1. Heat the propane forge to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping the forge heat level stable to prevent increased gas pressure.
2. Draw the design for the legs, back, and arms of the bench before starting work. Draw the entire bench on one piece of paper and the parts of the bench on separate pieces. This will help in keeping the different details of each section separate when hammering the steel on the anvil.
3. Cut the needed amount of steel from the rolled amount during each step. For the arms, cut out 5 feet for each arm. Cut 10 feet for the feet and use the remaining 20 feet for the back and base of the bench. Use the chisel and hammer to cut the steel.
4. Hold the steel into the forge with the tongs. Heat the steel in the propane forge until the steel is yellow-white. Once the steel is the appropriate color, it is essential to move quickly or the steel will cool and become too hard to mold. When removing the metal from the forge, make sure no one is in the path of the metal to prevent severe injuries.
5. Use the thin tip of the anvil to create the intricate scrolls in the design. Use the flat top to create flattened areas of the design for the bench. The arms, legs and back will have special designs decided upon by the creator, however the base is a 3-foot-by-1-foot rectangle of rolled mild steel.
6. The arms must have a height of at least four inches and a length, for an arm to rest, of at least six inches. Within these specifications, the rest of the detail is in the creator's mind.
7. The legs must be at least 1.5-feet tall. This will ensure the person seated upon the bench can easily rise again.
8. Set aside each section as it is finished. Once the arms, legs, back and base have been finished, use the propane torch to weld the pieces together. To weld the pieces together, heat sections of the pieces with the propane torch until the steel glows to the same yellow-white as in the forge. Hammer the heated sections with the ball pein hammer until they are melded into one piece. Using precision rather than strength will guarantee the pieces retain the shape desired without denting.
9. Set a flat 3-foot-by-1-foot piece of mild steel upon the base. Weld it into position with the propane torch and ball pein hammer by hammering the corners after heating them to 1800 degree Fahrenheit.
10. Soften the edges of the seat with a sander to ensure the seat does not scratch or cut the occupant. The bench is then finished.
Tags: legs back, propane torch, arms legs, arms legs back, back base, ball pein, ball pein hammer
