Metal furniture

Last updated January 11, 2024

Metal furniture is furniture made with metal parts: iron, carbon steel, aluminium, brass and stainless steel.

Cast iron is used mainly for outdoor finishings and settings, such as those used for bench legs and solid iron tables. It is suited to outdoor use due to its hardness, heaviness and general tough composition. The main disadvantage to this is that it, being a relatively pure form of iron is subject to corrosion at the hands of the moisture and air.

Stainless steel is used extensively for most modern interior furnishings involving metal. Many hinges, slides, supports and body pieces are composed of stainless. It has a high tensile strength, allowing it to be applied using hollow tubes, reducing weight and increasing user accessibility.

Aluminum is light and corrosion-resistant; it is heavily utilized for stamped and cast furniture, especially for molded chairs.

Metal furniture is a popular choice of furnishings, especially used outdoors for decks and patios. However, metal furniture can also be used indoors, such as brass beds, brass tables, iron bakers racks and metal curio cabinets.

History

Around 1840, Janes, Beebe & Co. produced one of the earliest products of mass-produced cast-iron seating in America, an example of which is held by the Smithsonian Institution as inv. no. 1980.006 ^[1]

Steel indoor and outdoor furniture has been popular in the US since the '20s. Around 1925, Marcel Breuer, the Bauhaus furniture designer and architect, began working with tubular steel, having been impressed with the light weight and strength of the handlebars of a bicycle. The resulting furniture designs by Breuer and others using this material are some of the most important of the period.

In the United States during the 1930s, designers such as Gilbert Rohde and Wolfgang Hoffman specialized in indoor tubular chrome plated furniture, while Warren McArthur was the preeminent maker of high-end aluminum tubular furniture. But production of metal furniture came to a sudden halt when the United States entered World War II and factories began churning out products supporting the war effort.

After the war ended, those same factories necessarily switched to making products for peacetime pursuits. Arvin Industries, for example, began production of metal lawn furniture and dinette sets in 1940 and stopped it by the end of 1941 when the US entered the war.

When the war ended, a new consumer society developed, and Arvin began producing products for the home such as electric irons and ironing boards, waffle makers, radios and, by 1949, its first television set. It also began once again to manufacture outdoor steel furniture. By the 1950s, in addition to tubular steel, furniture was produced using aluminum, wire mesh and legs made of thin steel rods that give mid-century furniture its distinctive splayed leg, light-on-its-feet look.

Benefits

Durability is the main advantage of metal furniture. For example, not many types of non-metal furniture can remain outside during winter and still look good when spring arrives. If cared for properly, metal furniture can last up to 30 years. Because most metal furniture is treated for rust and heat resistance, it does not need much maintenance.

Types of metals

Usually metal furniture is made from either steel or aluminum.

Steel furniture is typically more expensive when it is used as furniture, with the price varying according to the type of metal and thickness. However, it is hard to identify it after a finish is applied. Steel has low, medium or high carbon, with most metal furniture being made with low carbon because it is cheaper. Stainless steel is good for low maintenance.

Wrought iron is used for garden furniture. It is heavy, which is useful on windy days. It needs much care, and can easily rust and corrode if not waterproofed. Aluminum is more common than steel furniture, mostly because it does not rust, although it oxidizes, turning into a chalky white. It is also lighter than steel. Cast and heavy tube aluminum give better quality. Aluminum has to be thicker than steel if it is to have as much strength. Tubular aluminum is flexible and less sturdy. However, its lightness makes for an ideal poolside furniture and is mainly used for benches, folding chairs and swing sets.

Types of finishes

Choosing the right finish for metal furniture is important because of its durability. Some of the most common finishes include chrome plating, PVDF, plastic, painted, brass and anodized finishes. Chrome plating, although durable, is thin and if damaged where it is exposed to air, scratches can rust. Plastic-coated finishes are synthetically made and good as they prevent rusting or the metal changing color from air exposure. Although they're as strong as paint finishes, they do not hold up as well as electroplated finishes. Paint finishes are for both steel and aluminum furniture, although it easily scratches and rusts. Brass plating, which is an electroplated finish, is applied in a bath and is durable. Solid brass is both pricey and rare. To decide if a finish is solid brass put a magnet on the furniture and if it clings, it is made of brass-plated steel (iron in the steel is magnetic). Brass is made from copper and zinc, two metals that are prone to corrosion from exposure to (salty) water or air. Brass finishes should be oiled or clear-coated with polyurethane or a similar material to make a barrier from air and water to prevent corrosion. Corrosion is slowed when a surface is already oxidized, for example aluminum is very hard to weld because of its persistent aluminum oxide layer, this prevents access to the bare metal. Anodized finishes are used on aluminum furniture to increase the thickness of the aluminum oxide layer, creating a thicker barrier between the atmosphere and aluminum base metal.

Considerations

When selecting metal furniture, consider coat and finish, ensuring the surface is either powder coated or electroplated. Depending on climate, different treatments may be appropriate. For example, in rainy areas, furniture should be waterproof and light enough to carry indoors.

Related Research Articles

Galvanization or galvanizing is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are coated by submerging them in a bath of hot, molten zinc.

Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe₂O₃·nH₂O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH), Fe(OH)₃), and is typically associated with the corrosion of refined iron.

Electroplating, also known as electrochemical deposition or electrodeposition, is a process for producing a metal coating on a solid substrate through the reduction of cations of that metal by means of a direct electric current. The part to be coated acts as the cathode of an electrolytic cell; the electrolyte is a solution of a salt of the metal to be coated; and the anode is usually either a block of that metal, or of some inert conductive material. The current is provided by an external power supply.

Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engineering is the field dedicated to controlling and preventing corrosion.

Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware and bakeware.

Chrome plating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. A chrome plated part is called chrome, or is said to have been chromed. The chromium layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, facilitate cleaning, or increase surface hardness. Sometimes, a less expensive substitute for chrome such as nickel may be used for aesthetic purposes.

Plating is a finishing process in which a metal is deposited on a surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years; it is also critical for modern technology. Plating is used to decorate objects, for corrosion inhibition, to improve solderability, to harden, to improve wearability, to reduce friction, to improve paint adhesion, to alter conductivity, to improve IR reflectivity, for radiation shielding, and for other purposes. Jewelry typically uses plating to give a silver or gold finish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallizing</span>

Metallizing is the general name for the technique of coating metal on the surface of objects. Metallic coatings may be decorative, protective or functional.

Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process.

The galvanic series determines the nobility of metals and semi-metals. When two metals are submerged in an electrolyte, while also electrically connected by some external conductor, the less noble (base) will experience galvanic corrosion. The rate of corrosion is determined by the electrolyte, the difference in nobility, and the relative areas of the anode and cathode exposed to the electrolyte. The difference can be measured as a difference in voltage potential: the less noble metal is the one with a lower electrode potential than the nobler one, and will function as the anode within the electrolyte device functioning as described above. Galvanic reaction is the principle upon which batteries are based.

Surface finishing is a broad range of industrial processes that alter the surface of a manufactured item to achieve a certain property. Finishing processes may be employed to: improve appearance, adhesion or wettability, solderability, corrosion resistance, tarnish resistance, chemical resistance, wear resistance, hardness, modify electrical conductivity, remove burrs and other surface flaws, and control the surface friction. In limited cases some of these techniques can be used to restore original dimensions to salvage or repair an item. An unfinished surface is often called mill finish.

Pickling is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains, inorganic contaminants, and rust or scale from ferrous metals, copper, precious metals and aluminum alloys. A solution called pickle liquor, which usually contains acid, is used to remove the surface impurities. It is commonly used to descale or clean steel in various steelmaking processes.

Bluing, sometimes spelled as blueing, is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. Bluing involves an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface selectively forming magnetite, the black oxide of iron. In comparison, rust, the red oxide of iron, undergoes an extremely large volume change upon hydration; as a result, the oxide easily flakes off, causing the typical reddish rusting away of iron. Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action. In colloquial use, thin coatings of black oxide are often termed 'gun bluing', while heavier coatings are termed 'black oxide'. Both refer to the same chemical process for providing true gun bluing.

Rustproofing is the prevention or delay of rusting of iron and steel objects, or the permanent protection against corrosion. Typically, the protection is achieved by a process of surface finishing or treatment. Depending on mechanical wear or environmental conditions, the degradation may not be stopped completely, unless the process is periodically repeated. The term is particularly used in the automobile industry.

Chromate conversion coating or alodine coating is a type of conversion coating used to passivate steel, aluminium, zinc, cadmium, copper, silver, titanium, magnesium, and tin alloys. The coating serves as a corrosion inhibitor, as a primer to improve the adherence of paints and adhesives, as a decorative finish, or to preserve electrical conductivity. It also provides some resistance to abrasion and light chemical attack on soft metals.

The salt spray test is a standardized and popular corrosion test method, used to check corrosion resistance of materials and surface coatings. Usually, the materials to be tested are metallic and finished with a surface coating which is intended to provide a degree of corrosion protection to the underlying metal.

Metals used for architectural purposes include lead, for water pipes, roofing, and windows; tin, formed into tinplate; zinc, copper and aluminium, in a range of applications including roofing and decoration; and iron, which has structural and other uses in the form of cast iron or wrought iron, or made into steel. Metal alloys used in building include bronze ; brass ; monel metal and nickel silver, mainly consisting of nickel and copper; and stainless steel, with important components of nickel and chromium.

Nickel electroplating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of nickel onto a metal object. The nickel layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, wear resistance, or used to build up worn or undersized parts for salvage purposes.

According to EN 13523-0, a prepainted metal is a ‘metal on which a coating material has been applied by coil coating’. When applied onto the metallic substrate, the coating material forms a film possessing protective, decorative and/or other specific properties.

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte. A similar galvanic reaction is exploited in primary cells to generate a useful electrical voltage to power portable devices. This phenomenon is named after Italian physician Luigi Galvani (1737–1798).

References

↑ Snyder, Ellen Marie (1985). "Victory over Nature: Victorian Cast-Iron Seating Furniture". Winterthur Portfolio. 20 (4): 221–242. doi:10.1086/496238. ISSN 0084-0416. JSTOR 1181091. S2CID 111228848.

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[1] Snyder, Ellen Marie (1985). "Victory over Nature: Victorian Cast-Iron Seating Furniture". Winterthur Portfolio. 20 (4): 221–242. doi:10.1086/496238. ISSN 0084-0416. JSTOR 1181091. S2CID 111228848.

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