For hundreds of years the traditional material used for producing metal gates was wrought iron, a malleable iron alloy that was easy to weld. By the mid 20th Century, mild steel became easier and cheaper to produce and shared many of the ease of use characteristics as wrought iron. By the late 1960’s mild steel could be produced at half the cost of wrought iron and by the early 1970’s Atlas Ironworks in Bolton was the last producer of wrought iron in the world. They closed their gates for the final time in 1973. The only wrought iron that is produced today is made from recycled scrap and is used to restore heritage projects. Many items today still carry the description of wrought iron because they were traditionally made of wrought iron or have the appearance of wrought iron, but that are in fact made mostly from steel.
Cast iron is not a good material for gates as cast iron is brittle and liable to crack when knocked. Aluminium gates are rare as although they have the benefit of resisting rust, they lack strength. For now, the best material for metal gates is mild steel. The disadvantage of steel is that when exposed to air and water, it will rust. To protect your gates, there are three options, to paint, to powder coat or to galvanise and powder coat.
Painting your gate is the cheapest option but you will need to re-paint every few years to prevent rust from developing. Powder coating your gate means that you will only need to do minimal maintenance making sure any chips or scratches are touched up to prevent air and water getting to the metal below. The most comprehensive treatment is to galvanise (Zinc plate) and then powder coat your gate. The joint process of galvanising and powder coating provides your gate with a finish that does not require any ongoing maintenance.
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