Forged art products are well-deservedly popular all over the world. For many centuries, artistic forging has taken a strong place in construction and architecture, combining beauty, durability and individuality.
Where are forged metal products used?
Today, artistic forging has firmly entered our everyday life and is used almost everywhere. These products can be found both on the streets and in the courtyards, as well as in houses and apartments.
Most popular forgings:
- Forged gates.
- Forged fences.
- Forged window bars.
- Forged railings and stairs.
- Barbecues, gazebos, lanterns.
- Forged furniture and interior items.
- Forged products for the fireplace.
In fact, such a list can be continued for a very long time, because thanks to the ability to make a metal product of any style and shape, it can fit into almost any interior.
To understand all the variety that forged products have today, a photo is not enough. A lot of beautiful things can be seen inspecial books, manuals and just on the streets of cities.
The virtues of forged metal
Why do people love forged metal products so much? After all, steel is inherently susceptible to corrosion, which has a very negative effect on both aesthetics and operation. What is so special about forging that even today, when there are many artificial materials for the same gates or fences, which are lighter in weight, do not corrode and have an attractive appearance, many choose forging?
Forged Metal Benefits:
- Beauty.
- Durability.
- Good protective features.
- Available for custom sizes.
- Handmade.
- Forged products can be made in any style.
- Forging goes well with other materials.
The list of advantages turns out to be quite large, and it can be continued. If we characterize forged metal in a few words, it turns out that such products combine beauty, durability and good functionality.
Disadvantages of forging
No matter how good forging is, forged products, like any other, have their drawbacks. Moreover, these disadvantages make many people refuse it.
The main disadvantages of forged metal:
- Cost.
- Susceptibility of metal to corrosion.
You can, of course, add a few more minuses, but they will follow from the above one way or another.
The high cost of forged products deters many consumers. Since the budget for even a simple piece of art, such as a fence, is quite large.
And due to complex patterns, forged things are quite difficult to prepare for coloring and coloring. Therefore, corrosion can appear quite quickly.
Types of forging
If we consider the style of forging, then it can be made of almost any kind. And this is one of its most important advantages. Since you can make both simple, strict things, as well as rich ones with a complex pattern. And it is always easy to bind to different architectural styles.
In technical terms, it is customary to divide artistic forging into two types:
- Hot forged.
- Cold forging.
Despite many similarities, and the fact that both directions offer the same products at the output, cold and hot forging have many differences between them. First of all, it is the cost and individuality.
Hot forged
The classic method of making forged products. When using it, the metal is first heated to high temperatures, and then it is shaped. In modern blacksmith shops, bellows-mounted forges have not been used for a long time, and you will not meet hammerers either. Ancient methods have long been replaced by electric motors, pneumatic hammers, cutting and drilling machines and electric welding.
Althoughthe basic principle of hand forging has remained the same as 100 and 200 years ago. All the charm and beauty of a forged product lies in the ability of the master to give the desired shape and shape to the metal.
Cold forging
In cold forging, single manual labor is replaced by machine labor. Thanks to the unification and stamping of all kinds of artistic elements, a kind of designer is obtained. And with a welding machine and minimal skills, it is quite possible to make forged products with your own hands. Moreover, manufacturers of forged items offer extensive catalogs where you can pick up quite decent sketches of forged items.
The main advantages of cold forging are:
- Low cost compared to handmade.
- Availability of parts.
- Ability to get different patterns and arrange art elements with each other.
- The ability to make forged products with your own hands.
However, this method has its drawbacks:
- Limited patterns.
- Standardization of artistic elements.
Based on the above pros and cons, we can conclude that cold forging can be a worthy alternative to manual, especially in the budget segment.
Fight against metal corrosion
Apart from cost, the main disadvantage of any forging will be its susceptibility to corrosion. Like any metal, such products require special attention at the stages of pre-painting preparation and painting itself.
The best option for cleaning forged products from scale and rust is sandblasting. The result is a surface that is completely ready for painting. The only disadvantage of such processing can be called its cost. However, the high price is justified by the quality of metal cleaning.
Of course, if you spend a lot of money on sandblasting, it is foolish to save on paints. The best option would be to treat the metal with a zinc-containing composition. In our market there are several options for such primers. Among themselves, they differ in the content of zinc in the dry residue, as well as the requirements for solvents.
In any case, regardless of the choice of brand of zinc-containing primer, it will provide reliable and long-term protection of the metal from corrosion. A distinctive feature of such a coating is the ability to penetrate into the upper layer of the metal, thereby protecting it from moisture.
Forged Metal Paints
When painting any metal product, a primer must be used. Otherwise, even expensive and high-quality paint will lose its properties very quickly. Metal primers have good adhesion to metal and in turn give good penetration for paints. In addition, the primers contain anti-corrosion additives, which are aimed at increasing the resistance of the metal to corrosion.
The cheapest option would be to use conventional primers and enamels for metal. However, despite the low cost of the resulting coating, the effectwill be short. Cheap paints have a lot of negative properties. They fade quickly and do not provide long lasting protection.
A good choice would be to use "2 in 1" and "3 in 1" paints. They imply their use without a primer layer. Such paints contain a primer, a rust converter and the paint itself. Like any other, such paints must be applied in 2 layers.
However, if finances allow, the best choice would be to use industrial paints. Quite decent rulers are present, for example, the brand "Tikkurilla".
Such paints, although expensive, have significant advantages. First, they provide high coverage reliability. Secondly, they can be tinted in any color, they dry very quickly.
Forged handicrafts
If we consider hot forging, then skills and experience are needed to make art things with one's own hand. As well as special equipment, without which production would simply be impossible.
However, using cold forging elements, you can make quite worthy forged products with your own hands. This requires:
- Welding skills.
- Assembly room equipped with a welding table. Of course, you can do without it - just collect it on the floor. Only with this approach is unlikely to get something worthwhile.
- Required decorative items.
- Sketches of forged products. Forged products can be taken as a basis, photowhich are easy to find in various sources and instructions.
- Tool: welding, grinder, tape measure and so on.
In fact, despite the seeming complexity, assembling a forged product from finished elements can be quite simple. Of course, it cannot be compared with hot forging, but the result usually turns out to be very even nothing. Moreover, if you make your own, for example, a fence, you can save a decent amount.
