Gates - again!

[blanchie14c]

Hi all
Well after buying my 160T from mr weldquip (Thanks again Steve!), I've put it to use and as promised here are the results!
Total cost for the three gates was £450.00 thats including the primer, paint, wire and gas! not bad eh?
The main frames are 25mm box, once these frames were tacked up, I temp fitted them to mark out hinges and do the adustments etc. The hinges are secured with heavy duty sleave bolts.
Once happy with the fit the rest of the construction happened in limited spare time.
The gates are made completly from scratch, only the cages being bought ready-made.
All steel bought from North Vally Forge.
They are painted up with 2 coats of red oxide primer and 2 coats of high build vynil black paint. All coats were sprayed using a basic HVLP gun. The gold was applied with a sponge to give a mottled effect.
The basic tools for the build as follows:
Clarke 160T
Sealey 2 hp, 50L compressor
El Cheapo HVLP gun
4.5 inch angle grinder and 'skinny' cutting disks
Decent hacksaw, loads of clamps, B&D Workmate, drill, scribe and square. Thats basically it! proves you don't need a fully equiped workshop for a one off eh? Had to make a jig for getting the cages square but other than that no special techniques used at all!
Shilding gas was CO2, that I get for a tenner a fill with no retal requied!
Incidently, the Pier caps with the ball design were bought off fleabay - 60 quid each + 40 delivery - bargain or what!

 

[Welderpaul]

Nice job mate. Can i copy your image for my website?!

 

[blanchie14c]

Most welcome to mate! I can take some better ones 2moz if you want, these were a little hurried!

 

[Welderpaul]

Most welcome to mate! I can take some better ones 2moz if you want, these were a little hurried!

Great stuff!

 

[irondarren]

you after images paul? can always sort out the drawing i have and email them

 

[Welderpaul]

you after images paul? can always sort out the drawing i have and email them

Mate, you would make my day if you could do that. I have been looking at the ones you have on here but didnt want to pinch them!

 

[irondarren]

let me sort them out, its a good start. to print them out stuff them in a folder and show potential clients, gives them ideas

 

[bawjaws]

i made 2 sets of gates for my maw and my grandad a couple of months back, they cost about 250 quid inc paint to make and i had millions left over,i got some ideas from gates id seen on my milk round and came up with these:

 

[bawjaws]

i first spayed them with red oxide and black high build viynl but you could scratch it off so i then painted it with brush for a nice thick coat an its fine now, anyway what do you think? -ps those are smart gates blanchie,how long did it take you to make---i took about a bloody week!!

 

[irondarren]

not over keen on the high build paints, unless they are of the 2k variety. problem is most take ages to dry and the thicker you put it on the worse it is. I use a nice 2k high build direct to metal stuff, which can be sprayed on at least 130 microns wet per coats, give it an hour between coats and spray over it again. not so clever this time of year because of the cold, but if you can heat the spray room its ok

 

[blanchie14c]

The gates actually took about two months to build but bear in mind, it was just a spare time project, and the bad weather of late! I was just getting an hour here, couple there etc
I first painted the small gate with machine enamel but it looked terrible! It was so thick i just couldn't avoid the paint runs. Had to Nitromors it and jet wash all the paint off and start again. The Vynil was recommended by North Valley Forge, and was thinned down with an 80/20 ratio. It went on really nice and was dry in an hour or so.
Another tip: i made 2 x 100mm spacer bars and used them to ensure the correct spacing of the pickets - the dog / cat rails at the bottom were 50mm spacers.

 

[Rail_Head]

how did you do the arch on the top? weas is bent free-hand?

 

[blanchie14c]

Not that clever! It was a ready curved gate arch, sold in pairs from NVF...

 

[irondarren]

buying pre-made curves thats cheating , but if it doesnt have to follow a specific profile, its nice and quick

 

[johnny7]

must say, superb jobbie there blanchie old bean (them big balls are fab too caf)


john

 

[blanchie14c]

Thanks Johnny!
The driveway was originally the two pillars on the right (small gate) then a wall about 3 feet high. Knocked the wall down and using the best of the bricks, the extra pillar on the left was built - I didn't do it, got a brickie to do it for me on a sat morning (cash job!) for £80.00, he did a good job, it just needs to weather.
The garden is on a slight slope and the hieght difference between the two end pillars is several inches - had to decide on the top of the gates being level, or the bottom. Went for the bottom as they are least noticable. (note the difference between the bottoms of the doubles and the single)
About a year ago, the water board came round and replaced everyone on the street's stopcock - they put in an access plate in the pavement in front of everones house, and rather than put it into the old paving slabs, they cut the shape out of a new slab, and simply replaced it. The workmen were real cowboys and not packed under the slab enough - now the slab has about 3 or 4 cracks in it and i'm waiting for the council to knock on the door with a bill - they are going to say that I broke it by driving over the pavement. Good job then i've a photo taken before the wall was knocked down, showing the slab broken....
Blackpool council - the worst!