It takes far more than a knuckle dragging welder to convert an antique iron bed to accommodate a modern king size mattress. The easier conversions are straight line Austere iron beds that don’t require any subtle bends to be welded into the width,and only have straight tubing.
But the beds that require finesse in the welding and conversion process are those that have subtle curves that require equally subtle, yet perfectly bent tubing to be welded into the width in such a manner that the transition between the antique section and the new section is seamless.
The trick is cutting the double size apart in the correct place, positioning the pieces to a king width and then cutting and bending the pieces that are going to be welded in so no one can tell where the addition was added.
Making a converted king look like it would have been intended to be, if there were such things as king size beds back in the 1800’s is what we strive to do with every conversion we do.
Almost always when a double size bed is converted to a king size, additional castings are required, because additional verticals or interior curves need to be added. When additional castings are needed on our conversions, molds need to be taken of the original ones that are already on the bed. That way we can pour new castings that will look exactly like the ones already there. Welding in odd castings that are from another bed would only draw attention to them and make them stand out and look inappropriate and different.
Pouring exact castings is what has always set us apart from the few people who have attempted to convert antique beds. Some of them wouldn’t even use castings on the additional vertical rods. Others would cut off the castings on the headboard that were below the mattress level, and weld them in place where they would be seen. But it always looked “piece meal”.
We strive to make our conversions look as natural as conceivably possible.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
I also invite you to take a look at our company Face Book page for multiple photo albums on Custom Finishes, Canopy Conversions and a comprehensive “Before & After” King Conversions album.
