Cast Iron Fence: We Can Rebuild It
Here’s a fun guest post from a Clinton Hill brownstone owner… The story: Our 130-year old iron fence was in terrible shape, barely standing at all—the last of the five identical houses in our row to have even pieces of the original. I had Vinnie from Italian Art Iron Works on Bergen Street out to…
Here’s a fun guest post from a Clinton Hill brownstone owner…
The story: Our 130-year old iron fence was in terrible shape, barely standing at all—the last of the five identical houses in our row to have even pieces of the original. I had Vinnie from Italian Art Iron Works on Bergen Street out to look at it, and was still skeptical that it could be saved. It was missing 17 arrows and five of the seven post-end caps. Fortunately, previous owners saved 16 arrows, so at least we had those. Vinnie says to me, “You gotta spend-a the money.” So I did. Here’s a photo of Vinnie’s guy putting the pieces together along with one of what it looks like now. But that spikey finial you see below was one of only two that we had. I scoured the salvage places, emailed photos to Olde Good Things and all the rest—nada. Vinnie ballparked that it could cost us $4,000 to have new ones cast—yikes!
And then…
…my architect found these guys: Tomahawk Foundry in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, of all places. I sent them a picture and described what I needed. They said they’d do it for $150 apiece. I sent them one of the remaining finials. Three weeks later, they sent me the parts—gray iron, cast in sand. Original on the left, replica on the right. Perfect.
So if you’re looking to bring your iron fence back to life and can’t find all the pieces, there ya go. Fence should be complete again within a couple of weeks. And Bob’s yer uncle.
Only someone with truly poor reading comprehension or extreme paranoia would construe this as an insult to Vinnie.
Posted by: bxgrl at September 16, 2009 1:37 PM
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Unfortunately there is nothing more you can say that will make you look good. You were exposed, you crumb.
lalena- before you and crescent hill posted, it was quite a nice, informative thread.You two decided to make it into something else and now you complain.
And if crescent hill bothered to learn to read, he would have noted I did no insulting at all. This was my first post, which crescent hill decided to take issue with :
“And honestly- I don’t see how anything was insulting. If anything it seemed more an affectionate nod to Vinny- who sounds like quite a character and cash only is old-fashioned (which sounds like Vinny again.)He seems to be one of those old world craftsmen. It’s a little over the top to associate that with a reference to the mafia.”
Only someone with truly poor reading comprehension or extreme paranoia would construe this as an insult to Vinnie.
& bxgrl has a lot of congenial, like-minded company.
Posted by: Arkady at September 16, 2009 1:26 PM
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I’m well aware of that.
Well, Dave, if you’d like a little sexual innuendo and immaturity, here—and who doesn’t?—a friend of mine who saw the finial replicas replied, “Finials? Hmmm. Mine are made of nice, soft latex.” Discuss.
It’s more like Plato’s cave not a cavern & bxgrl has a lot of congenial, like-minded company.
Brooklyn is a beautiful, mythic place. Over the last decades, some of it has become, unfortunately, a battleground of narcissistic nightmares. Deep pockets and lust for antique architecture do not equal “love thy neighbor.” From some of the ire and insults expressed here, it looks like “good fences make good neighbors.” But why does it have to be so in such a beautiful place as Brooklyn?
Well, I am making myself a liar here for the moment but that had to be the funniest statement on b’stoner today.
It’s amazing how self-delusional crescent hill has become- giving full credence to the idea that ignorance is bliss.
crescent hill- ths my last comment to you
Posted by: bxgrl at September 16, 2009 1:09 PM
Thankfully,
Exposed & insulted -you now retreat into your cavern of self imposed shame.
In reality, only the members of Vinnie’s ethnic group can accurately opine as to whether or not the comments were insulting.