How to Care for Antique Wrought Iron
Furniture

16 June 2010- Antique wrought iron furniture has become very popular these days due to their sheer beauty and elegance. However, like all vintage furniture care, antique wrought iron too requires special care as these furniture pieces are prone to corroding and rusting. Not only the outdoor furniture like antique garden furniture that bear the brunt of extreme climatic conditions needs proper care but the antique furniture inside home, specially those having hinges, door handles etc. (like antique furniture cupboards and chest drawers) too need special care. Here we give some vintage furniture care tips that will keep all your antique wrought iron furniture intact for years to come.

• 
  When buying antique wrought iron furniture, ask the dealer whether it has been dipped into a liquid paint, coated in black powder, and cured by baking in a stove if refinishing process has been done. This results into a high quality protective finish that is capable of preserving your furniture for years together (of course, with proper care)
• Wipe off the interior fittings of your antique furniture with the help of a dry soft cloth to remove any dirt. Do this for at least twice or thrice a week.
• The moving parts of antique wrought iron furniture like hinges, door knockers and handles etc. rub against each other while opening, closing or handling them. As a result, the protective coating over them gets damaged with time. Apply a light oil into the moving joints of your antique wrought iron furniture to prevent rusting and corrosion.
• If you see that chipping has formed over the protective surface of your black wrought iron furniture, spot paint the affected areas with a good quality enamel based paint. Ensure that the paint is 'satin black'. Avoid using gloss as this makes painted areas more visible. Before you start painting the chipped areas of your vintage furniture, ensure the surface is dry and grease free.
• If there is rust over wrought iron, refinish your antique furniture.

How to Refinish Antique Wrought Iron Furniture?

If you want your rusted antique furniture look like when you bought it, refinish it by following these steps.

• Remove any loose rust on your vintage furniture with the help of a metal scouring pad.
• Apply a thick coat of naval jelly to your antique furniture with an applicator (that mostly comes with the naval jelly).
• Leave the jelly on the antique wrought iron for about 20 minutes.
• Now, using clean water, rinse off the jelly.
• Take a polymer-based rust converter and apply it on the antique wrought iron furniture with brush or spray.
• Let the furniture wrought iron dry completely.
• Paint the antique furniture surface with primer.

Also read How to Remove Rust from Wrought Iron Products