The advantage of Danish cast iron

Durability and quality in cast iron

Since VELAMP was established in 1944, we have produced a myriad of cast iron products. We are happy to accept special assignments, but some of the things we can call ourselves specialists in are classic cast iron windows (stable windows), cast iron benches and cast iron lamps. We vouch for the quality and durability. That's why we offer a surface warranty of 30 years.

Avoid rust with surface treatment

VELAMP always offers to surface treat the cast iron. Our standard is an overlay treatment that resembles graphite linseed oil paint, but in a modern version that lasts for over 30 years without the need to re-paint.

All our cast iron products are thoroughly cleaned after casting and receive a primer surface treatment. The cleaning is done using steel shot and all burrs from the casting are removed. Next, we metallize or E-coat all surfaces, and we apply a 2-component primer. Finally, we apply a 2-component anthracite grey topcoat. This surface treatment provides a corrosion class C4-C5, which is even suitable for lightly salty environments. This means that all our products are extremely well protected against wind and weather.

Stable windows, fences and lamps in cast iron can often last for well over 100 years. Although cast iron in untreated form has a long lifespan, it will always rust on the surface, which over time will lead to deterioration of the workpiece.  Therefore, we always recommend that cast iron solutions are given a surface treatment.

The long life of cast iron is due to the high carbon content of cast iron. A little popularly said, you can say that the graphite, i.e. the carbon, blocks the oxygen. So, even without surface treatment, cast iron rusts very slowly, as carbon cannot rust. However, we would always recommend surface treatment, as it extends the life and gives a nice and classic look.

Renovation

The use of cast iron for urban furniture has been used for many years. Although cast iron has a long shelf life, it needs to be maintained from time to time. A renovation of cast iron solutions is a new rust protection. 

In the case of preservation-worthy and listed buildings, it is an absolute requirement to preserve the original castings to the greatest extent possible. This is where VELAMP's long-standing expertise excels. We have helped churches, castles, manor houses and municipalities to bring church spires, windows, signs, fences, lamps and many other cast iron items back to their original appearance. 

Cast iron and iron grades

Cast iron consists of iron (Fe), carbon (C) and silicon (Si) and is heated to about 1400 degrees. However, cast iron has been produced for more than 1000 years.  Modern cast iron was not invented until back in the 1700s, but at that time only what we know today as gray iron was known. Grey iron has carbon lying in slats, which is very vibration and noise dampening. 

Later, SG iron is invented, which differs from gray iron in that the carbon is in balls rather than lamellae. This is done by adding magnesium to the alloy. Then the strength is doubled and the iron also becomes ductile. SG iron can be repaired by welding and is therefore an important parameter if damage should occur.

At VELAMP, we cast in both SG iron (ductile iron) and grey iron. Around 80% of our cast iron production is in SG iron. 

Both types of iron are easy to work with and are resistant to rust.