Antique Wrought Iron Table Restoration

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My local powder coating shop referred this job to me. As the story goes, this table was made by the customers grandfather and is about 120 years old. As I have dug into it, I have discovered that it does not have one "weld" on it. Everything is either forged, riveted, or screwed in place, and in most cases where I am concerned it is screwed with flat head slotted screws. I have removed the severely rusted table top, tomorrow I'll take it back to the powder coating shop to sandblast the legs and the corona. Then I will survey the necessary repairs. Attached ImagesIan TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:wow, that's really interesting, soo much detail!HH187Hobart 500i plasma cutterClark 4.5" GrinderDewalt 14" chop saw30 gallom 1.6 hp compressor10 gallon pressure pot sand blasterlots of hand tools
Reply:Interesting.  Not my style, but still interesting and I can appreciate the workmanship to make it all.Next.  I would say to NOT sandblast that.Use chemical paint strippers and then chemical rust removers/converters or use the electrolysis rust removal method.  Way less chance of removing too much metal or detail.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseNext.  I would say to NOT sandblast that. . . . Way less chance of removing too much metal or detail.
Reply:Originally Posted by rlitmanI don't know about you, but in the closeup shot, I don't see too much surface detail, but maybe that was already obscured by paint.There are blasting media that will remove paint without metal.  Walnut hulls come to mind, and are often used in car restoration.
Reply:True.  It looks like there may be some veining in the leaves.  Hard to see through the paint.I don't know.I mentioned an alternative to sand blasting, since the OP seemed to want to blast (which is a pretty quick and easy way to remove paint around contoured surfaces).  There are lots of alternatives to sand (which is probably the worst option), and I mentioned walnut hulls as a safe option, since it is far on the other end of the spectrum.  Glass beads and black beauty are both better options than sand as well.But, the truth is, if it were mine, I would do what I do to most of these types of projects, and wire wheel it.
Reply:Moonrise....what do you think about baking soda blasting?  It's used to blast paint off airplanes and doesn't warp or otherwise damage the thin aluminum skin.  I know a guy here in Houston that has a soda blast rig that he uses to strip old truck body parts....he says it cleans 'em up just fine.BTW...nice table.  All my furniture looks 120 years old...but I bought it in the early '90's (1990's that is).Miller 211 w/ spool gunMiller Dynasty 200DXLongevity 60i IGBT plasmaO/A w/ crappy chinese torch/gaugesSouth Bend 10K latheGrizzly 4029 10x54 millGrizzly 7x12 hor bandsawangle grnders, bench grnder, bench belt sndr7.5 hp 80gal cmprsor
Reply:i'd go with glass bead. glass bead is pretty nonabrasive and will retain most of the detail.
Reply:fortyonethirty  -  If the provenance of your heirloom is correct, you havea diamond.  Blasting: sand, bead, walnut, plastic, all have there applications, but not in the restoration of vintage [fine] ferric metal work.  Preservation of the original surface is the paramount consideration.  The first choice of discovery is a "hot tank" aka - caustic soda.  The motor-heads on this forum know this well.  When an recip-engine [gas/diesel] is professionally rebuilt the first operation is the 'hot tank'.  The block is cooked and comes out of the bath naked, cleaner than the day it was manufactured, reveling all of the surface truths.  Search for a local diesel rebuild shop.  Because wrought iron has a very low carbon content, it can be welded by any of the standard mild steel weld modes.  If this piece requires discreet repairs, TIG is your best choice.  Once you get this piece to bare metal, and if indeed it is hand wrought by a known maker, absolutely do not have it powder-coated!  Powder-coating today is akin to aluminum siding of yesteryear to a Bungalow.    OPUS
Reply:Originally Posted by BTDMoonrise....what do you think about baking soda blasting?  It's used to blast paint off airplanes and doesn't warp or otherwise damage the thin aluminum skin.  I know a guy here in Houston that has a soda blast rig that he uses to strip old truck body parts....he says it cleans 'em up just fine.BTW...nice table.  All my furniture looks 120 years old...but I bought it in the early '90's (1990's that is).
Reply:Like Supe said, soda blasting really won't remove rust.And like Opus said, media blasting certainly has its uses.  IMHO this restoration is NOT a valid time to use media blasting.Use chemical means to remove the paint.  Then use either chemical rust removers/converters or electrolytic rust removal.There is just too much chance to damage the part in some way if you use media blasting.And I also agree that glopping a thick coat of powdercoat paint onto that is probably not a 'proper' way to finish the piece.  It will tend to obscure some of the details (veins on leaves, where the balls attach, etc).  OPUS, yeah aluminum siding on a Craftsman-style bungalow.  Sheesh.    Good analogy.  How about painting an original ChrisCraft mahogany boat with an opaque marine paint?  Sandblasting an Imperial katana to get rid of some rust?  etc, etc.True restoration of antique stuff is more than just glopping it back together.And if the original was all connected via forging (forge welding), rivets, or screws, then I would recommend using the same processes where possible.  I could possibly see -careful- GTAW of a broken part to restore it back into a state of OnePart.  But even there, check the original part carefully and try to use the appropriate methods and materials to "restore" it.  Not just 'fix' it.Example:  Although wrought iron -could- be TIG welded using plain ER70 wire filler, the joint would no longer be wrought iron.  Finding some scrap pieces of real wrought iron and using -that- as filler would be more appropriate to me than just adding some ER70 filler.If a broken piece is just plain mild steel, then sure, go ahead and use the ER70 filler.  Carefully.In a restoration, you want any 'fixes' to be unobtrusive or period appropriate.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...