Kirkpatrick Ironmongery

Cast iron products have been familiar to the general public for many years. However, there are many varieties of cast irons all of which have different properties and applications. Malleable iron is particularly suitable for the production of builders' ironmongery because of its strength and durability. It should not be confused with cheaper cast iron products which are also available.

All of the Kirkpatrick range of malleable iron products are hand made in their foundry in Walsall using the greensand casting process. At this stage the castings are hard and brittle and cannot be hammered, filed or riveted into finished products. The castings are therefore subjected to a heat treatment process known as annealing. In this process the castings are surrounded by an inert haematite ore within iron drums and loaded into ovens of six to eight tons capacity. The ovens take about two days to reach the Annealing process temperature of 980C. The castings are then soaked at this temperature for around 80 hours after which they are allowed to cool naturally. During this process the carbon structure of the iron is changed. The resulting castings are no longer hard and brittle but soft and malleable.

After shot blasting and grinding to remove any rough edges the castings are then assembled into finished or semi - finished products. Following assembly a rust proofing finish may be applied and a two-coat paint process is carried out before the products pass into final assembly for despatch.

At Oak Leaf Gates we chose Kirkpatrick malleable iron products so you can be confident that you are purchasing a quality product which is both functional and highly decorative and one that, well maintained, will give many years of service and pleasure.

TIPS ON THE UPKEEP OF IRONMONGERY

Iron in any form, whether Cast or Malleable, is susceptible to rusting. During Kirkpatrick's finishing process they endeavour to cover all areas of Antique Ironmongery by first dipping it into a liquid paint which is then stove dried. This is then followed by the Black Powder Coating process, which is also cured by stoving. Inevitably when two areas of metal come into contact with each other an abrasive action is enacted, and sooner or later the painted surfaces are lost by the constant rubbing action. This is unavoidable during the operational activity of the article, so where obvious abrasive areas of moving parts are visible an occasional light oiling is reccommended. This will help to prolong the good looks and keep the rusting process at bay. To remove harmful deposits which will cause corrosion  ( this is even more critical where one lives near to a coastline, as salt in the sea air has a very corrosive affect on iron ) we advise that the ironmongery is regularly wiped over with a lightly oiled cloth.

We strongly advise that these precautions are taken. By adopting these simple precautions you will prolong the products life and enhance the beauty of your home.