A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Cast Iron Restoration Project
Get an in-depth look at the techniques that Oakland’s Preservation and Restoration Team used to restore a 19th-century cast iron grave cover.
By Kellea Roberston, Preservation Intern
Broken name plate for the grave marker
Utilizing proper conservation treatments is always at the forefront of our preservation team’s mindset, which sometimes requires consulting with outside experts. Last fall our preservation team had the opportunity to restore a 19th century cast iron grave cover for two-year old resident, Myrtis Jentzet, located in Greenhouse Valley. The main part of her marker was dug up by Ashley Shares, Director of Preservation, and Walt, one of our cherished volunteers. Broken pieces of Myrtis’s marker including the name plate and top dome piece were both stored in the Boiler Room until the day came to restore the piece in its entirety. And that day came!
Blacksmith Jeffry Loy and Ashley Shares observing the overall condition of the grave cover
We had the opportunity to work with Jeffry Loy, a blacksmith and visual artist, who provided his expertise in metalwork and guidance as it pertained to the conservation of cast iron. He let us set up shop in his southwest Atlanta studio for a few days and talked us through the proper steps of restoring cast iron. The grave cover was a rare marker used during the late 19th century, with the first patent for this cast iron grave cover being made by civil engineer Joseph R. Abrams of Greenville, Alabama in 1873. It was advertised as a longer-lasting cast iron cover that had the goal of protecting grave mounds due to the dome shape, and clearly, it lasted because the cover was still in fair condition for its age.
J.R. Abrams 1873 cast iron grave cover patent
Since the grave cover was buried underground, there was a build-up of dirt, so the process started by simply cleaning the dirt off. With the use of ice picks and other picking and prodding tools, we worked to get the dirt out of all the nooks and crannies. After picking much of the loose dirt off, we moved to using a power washer with low pressure so the water could loosen up the tougher dirt. Alternating between power washing, picking and using a wire brush to clean off the dirt, we were able to remove it all which led to the second layer of crusty rust. Jeffry shared that in order to get the years of caked-up rust off, a more aggressive tool was needed. He brought out the grinder with a wire brush attachment to grind down the layers of rust.
This process took some time, but once most of the rust was ground off the surface, we applied Ospho. Ospho is a metal treatment that chemically changes iron oxide (rust) into iron phosphate, an inert hard substance that turns the metal black. The chemical prepares the surface for painting.
Historic Oakland Foundation Director of Preservation Ashley Shares and Preservation Intern Kellea Roberson using a grinder to get rid of rust build-up
Once we finished restoring the surface of the cast iron piece, we moved to determining the best welding techniques to weld together the broken pieces. Jeffry decided that Tig welding would be the best option, as the pieces that needed to be reattached were very fine and thin and the weld would come out cleaner. Then, Jeffry welded the name plate and two other broken pieces to the base of the overall grave cover, and all that was left was painting it the historically accurate color for a final layer of protection. The choice of the color was based on small green and white paint flakes that we discovered after getting to the original surface of the piece. The vibrant green color was reflective of its Victorian era times; cast and wrought iron were often painted a vibrant color.
Ashley Shares and Oakland Volunteers Bill and Stephanie placing the restored grave marker back in Greenhouse Alley
After the grave marker was painted properly, it was placed back to its original location in Greenhouse Valley. Overall, the process was long but rewarding. We are grateful that we had the expertise of Jeffry guiding us!