Historic Preservation Services - Restoration

Main Pages Historic Restoration & Preservation Custom Work Cleaning & Refinishing Metal Sculpture Historic Restoration Services Consulting Stabilization Restoration Rehabilitation Reproduction Artifact Conservation	Restoration implies bringing historic works back to the way they looked and performed originally. It could require only cleaning and refinishing, but more often than not, repairs are needed and missing elements have to be made to complete a work for aesthetic and/or structural reasons, or to support an interpretive program at a public site. Traditional metalworking technology, such as hand forging and original materials are usually used in the process of restoration. Replacement parts are labeled to distinguish them from the original work. The preservation of the historic integrity of the work is of foremost importance. Vintage Metalwork, Inc. can provide the knowledge the skills to implement most of what is needed for accurate restoration work. We also collaborate closely with qualified firms offering complementary services that we cannot provide in-house. Restoration requires replacing materials in kind whenever possible. The choice was made in this case, however to substitute cast iron for the original brass rosettes mounted on the thin wrought iron cross bars because of the serious corrosion occurring with the coupling of the two dissimilar metals. This approach had the added advantage of naturally distinguishing the old from the new so as not to confuse the historic record. The brass rosettes were never meant to be exposed, especially in an exterior application. The original finish for the whole railing was a black oil base paint. The brass rosettes were removed for cleaning and replaced after treatment of the wrought iron. The water traps seen here were discretely filled with a quality elastic filler material after priming and before painting to insure the longest possible survival of this very delicate detail. This is one of the earliest examples of cast iron used in an ornamental railing application in the United States dating to the 1840s. The metallurgy and inherent physical limitations of cast iron were not fully understood at the time, which meant that the castings were riddled with defects and had suffered from extensive failures over its long life. In addition, several restoration campaigns left the metal in an even more fragile state. A number of unique approaches to treatment had to be devised to circumvent the flaws and impart needed strength to the rail system. The cast iron stair railings had to be partially rebuilt during restoration. Some difficult repairs were made using a combination mechanical and epoxy bonding system to correct flaws in the material. (left) during, (right) after installation This pair of 1830s stair railings surviving in the Society Hill area of Philadelphia is a prime example of the finest ornamental ironwork produced in a part of the country renowned for being a major center for ironwork during the 18th and into the 20th Century. They had fallen into disrepair and were the victim of a series of inappropriate repairs. Scroll work had to be replicated along with missing cast rosettes. The original rosettes were cast in brass and were a very early application of cast detail on the more traditional hand forged wrought iron work. The rail to the basement on the right is an adaptation of the original design. Click images to view enlarged

These two shots of original railings surviving in old Philadelphia helped provide the physical evidence of period treatments for cap rails. These clues, corroborated with other ironwork of the same period in town and physical evidence on the rails themselves permitted a reconstruction of the top rail detail for their restoration.

These views show the reconstructed rail during and after installation.

These detail shots of the 1830s stair rail show the conditions before and after.

The wrought and cast iron gate to this historic cemetery was restored following significant vehicle damage.

This detail shows serious damage to the massive cast iron gate post. The subsequent repair to the crack in the post and reinforcement to carry the weight of the gate are shown on the right. The repairs had to be done on site.

An eight sided late 19th-Century rail surrounds a monument in a park in Philadelphia slated for restoration.

These two close ups (left & right) of the rail show extensive structural damage from neglect and from the undermining of the foundations of the railing with excavation for site drainage located too close the monument. The railing will be brought back to its original configuration. Replacement panels were recast in a local Philadelphia foundry using a squeeze mold technique to match the extremely fine section.

A brazed repair was performed in place on this 18th Century English wrought iron gate to minimize impact on the original fabric and assemblages. Note the infill in lead in the vertical member to the right indicating that the wrought iron was already recycled material, a common occurrence in early wrought iron work. Lead was also used to patch mistakes made during fabrication in the days before modern welding.

Stephen O'Ryan Curtis & Denise Curtis
Vintage Metalwork, Inc.
255 Mullet Run Street
Milford, DE 19963
(302) 424-2270 Office
(302) 424-3768 Fax
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