Timeline on Iron Joining ?

Wanted to know approximately when the change from riveted or press clamp joining on wrought iron pieces to the use of welding to join parts of items like lamps, furniture, etc.

 

That sounds like a question @springfld.arsenal might be able to help with!! I believe that's more "his cup of tea" , but sure there are others too, given time!!

 

Good question... Do you have an item? @Hollyblue may be of help, as well...

 

Probably no one knows an exact date since gas welding has been around 100+years..... https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/article-library/the-history-of-welding

 

Wrought iron was traditionally joined by heating both pieces in the forge with flux then hammering to join them. Rivets or gas welding wasnt needed. Not sure what press clamp joining is.

 

When I use the term 'joining', meant more of what is seen as far as attaching two pieces of wrought iron together (non permanently). . . such as in a lamp - earlier ones used rivets and or bands clamped around two pieces to join them. Then at some point you started to see lamps with welded joints - 1930's ? Today I see mostly all done with welding... the use of forging or rivets seem to be only craftsman produced items today.

 

I think the confusion is because you’re saying wrought iron, and wrought iron is hand forged work done pre 20th century. But I think you’re talking not about wrought iron but about joining pieces of steel in 20th century factories, and I don’t think I’ve noticed such a change from rivets to welding. Maybe if you showed some examples of pieces where you’ve seen this it will make it clearer.

 

One example might be this 1940's lamp base. Ring joined to the four vertical pieces by what looks like welding. Many of the lamps I've seen from the 1900-20 era have rivets or forged together pieces as mentioned above. At the end of the day, I guess I wanted to know when welding became widely seen. . . looks like most likely the 1930's

 

So that example does look like joined steel bars, not hand wrought iron. I looked through some of my lamps from early 20th century, which are all brass and not steel. Nevertheless none are welded, all are joined either with screws, threaded rods, or in one or two cases pins. Don’t know if that helps.

 

I'm not sure those components are welded - I think the whole piece is cast... ICBW

 

Looks welded to me,photo is blurry but I can see the weld on the twisted rod where it was joined together.

 

Here? The top of that element to the base?

 

Twisted rod 7 o'clock position

 

Somewhere along here?

 

bottom right corner