It’s All About the Process!!

Upon purchasing the original piece of salvage (the inserts for table top and chairs), I took it home and put it up against a wall. From there I would look at it from day to day as I worked on other pieces. The original sheet was about 4’ x 6’ and the pattern ran vertically thru the center and then around the outsides horizontally so the majority of materials could be utilized. They were cutting out trusses used in the housing industry.

Since I have an affinity for making furniture, I decided I had enough product to create a pair of chairs and some kind of small table. Then I had to decide on what size stock I should use to create the frames for chair backs and table top along with seats and legs. Not having a power hammer and forging by hand, I opted for 5/8” hot rolled steel.

After cleaning the salvage, I took the it apart by looking at how much of the pattern I could use without having to “cut and paste” with the oxy-acetylene torch. Having made those decisions it is cut, ground and welded until I get what looks like pattern pieces that will work.

Next the mig welder is used creating the rivet look around all the cutouts. Tops of the welds then knocked off with a grinder. In the making of the chairs, I then cut out perforated steel to fit the inside of the backs and the remaining pieces of perforation were used in various individual cutouts for the tabletop along with two pieces of brass. The perforation was then welded inside the chair backs. For the tabletop, the brass was heated, annealed, hammered and then brazed into place. The various pieces of perforation were then welded into place.

I then measure how much steel I will need for frames, seats and legs. Using the chop saw,
it’s cut into various lengths. Next, all steel is degreased and cleaned. Now it’s time to light the forge and get hammering! My goal is to knock off the corners of the steel and get as much scale off as I can. Then the side pieces are heated and twisted for each side of the chair back along with the legs and supports for chair legs. The legs for the table are heated and bent. Next, the ends are heated and placed in a post vise where they are “upset” (which creates the tops of the chairs and the feet for the table and chair legs). All pieces of the frames (back, seat and legs are forged to their respective lengths and allowed to cool).

Now it’s time to finish the chairs. The frames for the backs are assembled first. Neither one will be totally identical given the nature of the salvage. The inserts are ground to make the edges as smooth as possible and give the best fit. Then the cutout/perforated steel is tacked to the backside right along the edge, if it’s a good fit, the rest of the frame is welded into place.

Next the seat top is welded together and seat supports are welded to the bottom of each seat. The legs are then assembled in pairs with the support for each side tacked into place. When both pairs of legs are together and straight, they are welded to the base of the seat. The center support is then centered between the legs and welded to each leg support.

Before the tabletop can be completed, a frame is made from 1” hollow square stock 6” from each end of the table and welded to the underside for support. The tabletop frame is then welded together after having measured the insert to ensure proper fit of the inside measurement. The legs for each end have their vertical supports welded into place and then welded to the top of them. These two ends are then attached to the underside of the table top. Support pieces are finished by putting the rivet look around the cutouts on all three pieces and then welded into their respective locations… between the leg supports (each side and across the bottom).

The Finish

I use a plumbers’ torch and small atomizer spray bottles to adhere patina. In this set, the base color is Japanese brown. It is put on in layers of heating, spraying, heating, spraying until I get the right degree of color. The perforated inserts for the chairs are done in sage green. Once I am satisfied with the colors they are allowed to cool and set. The clear finish is then applied the following day, one layer at a time until 3 coats have been applied.

Glass

The glass top is 3/16” tempered glass cut to the measurements of the table.

Seats

The seats are 2 inch foam over plywood. The material chosen is red, sage and gold strip chenille that is adhered with a staple gun.

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