Straight Line Iron Beds

Many people feel as though it’s necessary to select antique iron beds that are all scrolled and fancy. Well if that’s were your taste falls and the setting delegates such a design…… that’s fine. But the collectability of an iron beds isn’t  totally determined by curves, scrolls and “fancy”. As can be seen from this…

Iron Bed Casting Old Man Winter

When I got the bed I had really inspected it until a few days later I was moving some of the iron beds from that particular shipment and I happened to notice it. The casting is of a mythical character I was able to pull up on the web called “Old Man Winter” the drawing…

Decorating Your Bed for The Holidays

This happens to be a bed we converted to a king size for a client a number of years ago. I’d received photo’s of it after it was set in their home and just saw this picture of it “on-line”. When you think about things to decorate during the holidays, few things are more suited…

Iron Bed as a Tombstone

Shoshone Indian cemetery, Wind River Reservation, Fort Washakie, Wyoming. Most remarkable among the graves in this high plains cemetery are those made of old iron bed frames. Many believe that Sacajawea is buried here, though another grave claimed to be hers exists at Fort Manuel in South Dakota. Throughout history, iron beds have used in…

Fall Buying Trips…….for Iron Beds

When I lived back east I’d make a point of trying to coordinate one of my buying trips up North with the week the leaves were changing colors. There was a window of about a week when the leaves would change to beautiful  burnt orange and yellow coloring…….. then they would drop for the winter.…

Iron Bed Finishing

The absolute most important thing after finally finding great old iron beds you’re happy with, is to select a custom antique faux’ finish that is really going to bring your  bed to life. One of the more attractive elements to owning an antique  bed is their flexibility in being able to be painted and refinishied…

The Demographics of Iron Beds

“Where do you get your iron beds ?” ……… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked that question and how many ridiculous answers I’ve come up with over the past 40 years. My favorite is…….. “there’s a small town close to Three Mile Island that is a toxic waste dump. Over the…

Antique Iron Bed Sizes

Many people aren’t aware that iron beds that were being made back in the 1800’s were never larger than today’s double/full size. There were no queen or king sizes. But  people were much smaller then and the luxury of space wasn’t a strong necessity. Although 90% of the bed market was made up with full…

Iron Bed Casters Really Worthless

Most antique iron bed casters, are worthless. Why you ask? Because they were made back in the 1800’s with no ball bearings. Iron beds are traditionally very solid and heavy, due to the poured cast iron castings and thick wall tubing that most all beds were being made with. The casters that were being made…