Old Fashioned Wrought Iron Patio Furniture

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Wrought Iron Dining Set up

Long prized for its sturdiness and craftsmanship, wrought-iron outdoor piece of furniture is bent and hammered into shape by hand — unlike mold-fabricated bandage-iron items, whose parts are bolted together (and whose seams are sometimes visible). Blacksmiths in America popularized wrought iron during the 1920s, and it remained in faddy until the Eisenhower era, when lighter, cheaper, rust-proof aluminum caught on.

Pictured: This early-20th-century Salterini dining set has substantial curved feet that don't sink into the ground.

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Maintenance: Once a Year

Although it's strong plenty to sit outside twelvemonth-round, wrought-iron furniture rusts easily. Inspect your furniture every year, and if yous run into any rust, sand it away and embrace the spot with primer and paint. (Painting an antique won't diminish its value.) Even if no corrosion is visible, protect the iron with a coat of marine varnish.

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Leaf Chair

Vintage American-made wrought iron is now highly coveted, says Joni Lima, a dealer and co-owner of Iron Renaissance in Damariscotta, Maine. At a flea marketplace or antiques garden show, await to pay effectually $100 for an unsigned side chair and between $1,000 and $3,500 for a consummate dining fix. That may sound steep for outdoor furniture, but with the raw cloth now and then expensive, a new wrought-iron table or chair can price three times as much as a vintage piece.

Pictured: Grape and olive leaves grace Salterini'south French Provincial pattern (early on 1940s; $3,500 for a table and six chairs).

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Wire Mesh Chair

TIPS: Lima says, "Look for nicely rounded wire ends and sturdy tables that don't shake," besides as substantial curvy feet that won't sink into the grass. Barbara Israel, a dealer and author of Antique Garden Ornament (Abrams), suggests this straightforward technique: "Examination a magnet against the furniture. If it sticks, the piece is probably wrought iron, not aluminum."

Pictured: Furniture makers shaped and welded this finely woven wire mesh to a Lee Woodard Sons frame by hand (1950s; $400).

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Chair and Tabular array Set

The unfinished wire ends indicate an inexpensively fabricated — simply yet robust — furniture fix (1950s; $250 for a chair and table).

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Graceful Arms

Leinfelder's design features swanlike, artfully curved ironwork (1930s; $iii,000 for a dining set with vi chairs).

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Lily-Pad Table

A refurbished Salterini lily-pad table originally sold as part of a ready of nesting tables (1930s-1940s; $175).

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Grapevine Table

Grape clusters decorate a Salterini tabular array (early on 1940s; $three,500 for a dining set).

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Molded Meshwork Chair

This chair with molded meshwork connects with an umbrella table (1950s; $3,500).

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Lattice-Back Chair

Leinfelder's latticework, fabricated in Wisconsin, evokes the cables of a bridge (1930s; $2,900 for a dining set up with six chairs).

All selections are from Iron Renaissance; ironrenaissance.com.

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