This is the garden bench in it's sad and sorry state. Cast iron ends and teak slats that have rotted in many places. First thing we did was to give all the rusted bolts and screws a good dose of WD40.
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| Both sides given a good squirt of WD40 |
We left the bench for 24 hours to let it work before attempting to remove the nuts. Unfortunately the nuts and bolts were in such a state they would not separate.
Luckily the centre support bracket came off with a bit of effort, (remember to keep the screws so identical replacements can be obtained) The bracket will be put to one side to be cleaned up and repainted.
There was no way these bolts would budge despite chipping away old paint and rust. Looks as though they will have to be removed with a saw.
We had to saw the slats off (those that didn't fall off of their own accord) so we can get the ends on a work bench . Remember to either keep one for the length or take measurements. On this bench all but two are the same width.
Next thing on the list is a saw with the capability of going through metal.
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| Roughneck - helps get the rust and old paint off |
A
Roughneck Wire Brush comes in handy for getting rid of the flaking paint and getting the surface ready for rescue.
Will let you know how the Garden Bench Rescue goes on in Part 2.
Please note : This poor bench looks fated to not be completed due to the fact it's renovator is planning to retire! Needless to say she (yes she!) is going to paint the cast iron in black Hammerite, purchase teak struts for it and new bolts and put it all back together again. Whether this makes the Blog we will have to wait and see. Thanks for reading.
