A Blacksmith Shows How to Protect Ornamental Metalwork

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Painting Iron

To give wrought iron a smooth painted coating, it helps to follow a methodical painting sequence that moves from top to bottom, as shown in the photo below:

1. Upper bars
Using a series of quick brush strokes up from the top rail, paint each bar all the way around. Where a bar is topped with a finial, paint the finial first, then halfway down the bar, then up from the rail.

2. Upper rail
Brush out from each bar's base until the paint film is continuous. Paint the rail's underside around each bar in the same fashion.

3. Middle bars
Paint each bar completely before moving to the next. Brush with downward strokes all around and most of the way down each bar. Then paint up from the bottom rail.

4. Bottom rail
Follow the same sequence as the upper rail.

5. Bottom bars
Brush each one down from the bottom rail. —Thomas Baker

TIP

On wrought ironwork with intricate scrolls, coat the crevices where a brush can't reach with spray paint. Apply light coats (to avoid drips), and immediately brush out any overspray. Finish all the spray painting before brush — painting the rest of the work.

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