BATH FINISHING
More background information
- Video
- Video of cast iron bath manufacturing
- Video of lost wax casting
- Video of chinaware manufacturing
- Bathroom design
- Victorian bathroom design
- Create an art deco bathroom suite
- How to restore your bathroom
- Nine Reasons not to restore your bathroom
- Door furniture
- The secrets behind buying traditional door knobs
- The lost wax process
- Bathroom techniques
- Bath casting
- Bath enamelling
- Bath finishing
- External links
Polished, painted and metallic paint finishes
for cast iron baths
An enamelled bath, once it has been inspected and passed, is immediately transferred to the finishing department to have the feet fitted and the exterior treated by either polishing or painting.
Foot fitting
A bath is inverted on a cradle and the foot lugs drilled and tapped. Feet are then fitted, grinding as necessary to obtain a comfortable fit. Each foot is then numbered with the corresponding lug number. This is to ensure that they are put back in the right location after painting or polishing.
Bath polishing
If a bath is to be polished, it is transferred to the polishing shop where its feet are removed and lightly shotblasted before being machine polished. The bath itself is machine sanded with very coarse emery before the polishing process starts. Bath polishing is a very laborious process consisting of sanding with finer and finer grits to give an even surface.
Once it has been sanded to about 1,000 grit, the bath is polished using a textile buffing wheel to a high shine finish. When a satisfactory shine has been achieved, the bath is cleaned and degreased prior to lacquering.
Two coats of lacquer are sprayed on and baked at a low temperature to ensure a strong bath finish.
The feet are treated with the same lacquer and the bath with its feet is boxed for dispatch.
Bath painting
If a bath is to be painted, it is transferred to the paint shop where it is machine sanded before the first priming coat is applied. Following the first primer, any blemishes are filled and sanded before a brushed on filler is applied and sanded to give a smooth finish.
As Drummonds supplies baths primed and not fully painted, a further coat of primer is applied ready to accept the clients' final painting.
The feet are treated similarly and the bath is then boxed with its feet ready for dispatch.
Metallic paint finish
If a bath is to have a metallic paint finish, it is treated as a normal paint finish up to and including the final primer. After the final primer, it is lightly sanded and then sprayed with a metallic paint. After a second coat, the paint is baked dry and two coats of lacquer are applied and similarly baked on.
If a bath is being supplied primed and not fully painted, a further coat of primer is applied ready to accept the clients' final painting.
The feet are treated similarily and the bath is then boxed with its feet ready for dispatch.
The feet are treated similarily and the bath is then boxed with its feet ready for dispatch.
Bath repainting
Drummonds' also undertakes bath repainting and polishing (as well as bath re-enamelling). Repairing cast iron baths is not a trivial process, but when properly undertaken, a restored bath will last a life time. Please contact us for more information.
See roll top baths for examples of finished baths.
del.icio.us