Cast Iron Furniture.

Iron to make furniture is quite common. There are many iron furniture products available on the market, either as a fully iron product or in combination with wood, rattan, or other natural substrates. There are two processes to shape and form the iron: casting and wrought. Cast iron is when the iron is melted and then poured in a mold or mattress; when it is cold and hardened, then the iron product with a special shape and object is resulted. The iron melts at very high temperatures (about 1350 °C), then a special furnace with high energy consumption is needed. The special equipment and expertise of people are also needed to handle the hot, melted iron. The precise mattress is a very important tool to make the good shape and precise result. The imperfectness of the casting process will create the incorrect product form as well. 

cast iron furniture

The casting process has advantages since it can produce a variety of shapes and sizes. It is available to make iron in many shapes and motifs, such as floral, animal, and other three-dimensional shapes. This casting process is often done in combination with wrought iron to produce furniture. Cast iron can be used to make components to make furniture in combination with rattan, wood, or other natural materials to produce the unique and special models. The casting process is considered a mass production process; when the mattress is created, we can make many products with the same size and form in a large amount.

But the cast iron is often identical with the low strength; many people consider that the cast iron product is often brittle and easily broken. Yes, it is. Compared with wrought iron, cast iron generally is more brittle and fractile. But actually, the quality and strength of the cast iron product are dependent on the type of iron that is melted and cast. If we use the proper material, then we can get the tough and tenacious cast iron product. 

Cast iron combined with teak wood

 
Finishing process for the cast iron.
 
The touch-up to make corrections for the furniture product is the important thing. We need to do sanding, filling, and sandblasting to clean up the iron surfaces and to correct the form and shape of the iron product. After we get a proper shape and smooth surface, we need to layer it with the coating material soon. The cast iron is highly reactive to water and oxygen. The iron product that is exposed in the open air will immediately react with air to form rust. Coating with the right finishing materials will cover the surface of the iron and prevent rust. Several types of finishing can be applied to the cast iron furniture to provide protection and decoration. The powder coating or electroplating finish will give a very strong layer and high resistance to scratching, chemicals, and solvents, but it is limited to the clean-looking and plain finish. If the fully decorative finish is needed, then we can use the NC finish system. The n.c. finish with many special effects can be generated with the application of glazes and stains.
Whatever type of coatings and finishes are used, the pretreatment and surface cleaning are very important to get the maximum adhesion. The mechanical pretreatment process to clean the dirt or rust on the surface can be done by sanding or sandblasting. The cleaning with solvent is also needed to clean the surface from any chemicals or dirt just before the coating application.