DIY: house maintenance manuals
Iron decoration
by Carlo Amedeo Reyneri di Lagnasco
In Greek mythology the god Hephaestus forged weapons for the bravest gods and heroes in iron; during the Middle Ages, Romanesque and Gothic art produced true masterpieces and even, in more recent times, Art Nouveau highlighted the expressive possibilities of this material, which became fashionable again and spread to houses and cities. Currently, artisan tradition and technological innovation have come together to make wrought iron the main material in the design of the third millennium. In this work you will find the most beautiful wrought iron ideas and designs that have ever been made, and that you can copy or modify to suit your home. Iron is ideal for garden and outdoor lighting, as well as for gates, balconies, pavilions and benches, and especially for chairs, tables, beds and decorative lamps. But the fascination for iron finds its maximum expression in the recovery of ancient objects. With this book you will learn to assess their deterioration, to restore them, clean them, strip them, paint them and varnish them. You will also find all the techniques for treating and decorating iron: from operations such as oxidation, sanding, burnishing or galvanizing to the delicate application of gold and silver leaves, which gives it a shiny and noble appearance.
