HOW TO OBTAIN QUOTES ON THE RESTORATION OF HERITAGE METALWORK
We are frequently asked by builders, homeowners and architects to provide a quote to ‘restore’ heritage metalwork, without being provided with any firm specification to define what is meant by the term ‘restore’.
Without a specification written by someone with expertise in that work, the term ‘restore’ is quite meaningless. One person’s interpretation might be to slap on a coat of paint over all the rust, to pretty it up to sell. Another interpretation could be to make the object exactly as it was when first made. Naturally, there will be a huge difference in the 2 quotes because we are not comparing apples with apples as they say.
On heritage-listed metalwork, we follow the guidelines set by the National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) which we are proud members of. NHIG is arguably the world’s leading authority on architectural metalwork conservation and restoration. They created a handy guide to conservation principles which we recommend clients read before requesting any contractor to quote on restoring or conserving heritage metalwork.
COMMON MISTAKES THAT RUIN HERITAGE METALWORK
In Australia, there is unfortunately very little awareness of these principles and we often see beautiful, genuine wrought iron work that is over 130 years old, ruined by inappropriate ‘restoration’ techniques. One of the main mistakes we see made is the shot blasting and galvanising of genuine wrought iron. It is appropriate for mild steel but should not be used on puddled wrought iron, which is a very different metal. The 2nd most common mistake we see is the use of electric welding to repair genuine puddled wrought iron. Nothing devalues heritage wrought iron more than these 2 inappropriate, irreversible techniques.
Puddled wrought iron was used for some of the world’s most famous structures, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It gradually fell out of use around the mid to late 1800’s when the much cheaper mild steel became widely used. Puddled wrought iron gates and fences adorn many of Sydney’s Victorian terrace buildings in the inner city suburbs. Unlike wrought iron, mild steel needs protecting from rust with galvanising or painting. Wrought iron on the other hand, forms its own protective layer of oxidised metal which should not be removed. NHIG have a very informative brochure on genuine wrought iron and explains the differences between it and mild steel.
HOW TO RESTORE THE RIGHT WAY. THE 3 STEP PROCESS.
Step 1 in the conservation or restoration process is to do a Condition Report, which entails having the metalwork closely inspected by someone with experience and expertise, to determine what it is and its current condition.
Step 2 is defining exactly what restoration will involve and creating a written Specification for the work. Creating the specification requires a conversation between the client and the specifier. Restoration does not need to be about restoring something to ‘as new’ condition. Often, an aged look is more appropriate. It must be clearly defined either way, not left to chance.
Step 3 is the tender process. The most important part of the process is to identify suitably qualified and experienced tenderers to approach. Certain questions at the start of the tender process will soon sort the sheep from the goats -if any contractor even mentions using electric welding or galvanising, immediately remove him from the short list. With that written Condition Report and Specification, a client can then obtain quotes from suitably skilled contractors to carry out the work, knowing all contractors are quoting on the same basis. NHIG has a wealth of information on their WEBSITE. It’s essential reading before choosing a contractor to assess work or carry out conservation or restoration work.
JB Wrought Iron have expert blacksmiths with experience in the UK, working on listed buildings, available to do high-quality conservation and restoration work here. We also work with some of the best UK based conservation experts and can provide condition reports and highly detailed specifications, to ensure any conservation or restoration work is carried out in compliance with the NHIG principles.