I was recently asked to come up with some designs for 160 metres of railings for a cemetary wall in my local town. The drawings were done but the councillers needed something physical to touch and feel! so My friend Matthew Brown (another local blacksmith friend of mine) hepled me to make them today to get them to the meeting tomorrow. Matt will also share the job with me. We wanted to do something simple to forge, simple to jig up and something that will look effective on a long run.

My favorite is the first picture with the textured area at the bottom and the rivets at the top. I like the way it balances the plastic nature of the forgings; a little at the top, a little at the bottom and a pleasing span of undistorted bar between.

Where the hole is drifted through and the rivet set it looks like the rivet was just pushed into the bar by main strength. It accentuates the plastic nature of the medium and is very pleasing to my eye.

The textured end is also pleasing but of a different, rougher nature and while the two don't look bad together I prefer the separation of the straight bar in pic one.

Picture three is my least favorite as there is less deformation from the drifting for the rivet and the rivet head is less embedded in the bar. It has less of the plastic nature of hot iron I find so appealing.

All three are pleasing to the eye and well executed in any case. Thanks for the look.

Frosty

Great display, I like all three especially the first one. Similar reasons as Frosty. What protective coating will you be applying to this one?
With a fence that looks this good, you will have to be careful... People will be dying to get into the cemetary.

excellent, I like #1 as well, keep the pics comin as you do the job!!

thanks to all for the comments, NO1 is my fave also, but you never know where councillers will go in deciding?
Nice comment Chrispy! dying to get in! very good.
I will of course keep you all upto date with any progress.
thanks Again

I also like no. 1 best, but I hope whatever the council opt for, they give you the contract!

I vote number one as well! I like the diagonal bar of number 3 too but as frosty said, you loose the great pucker affect the rivet gives...Hmmm

I like no.1 also. Be sure to post pictures of the finished project.

i agree with everyone - number one is the most loveable - but i do like the way the corner of the rail on number three meets the forged top - thats pretty tactile which is what they wanted too yeah? really like all of the samples - am interested which one they pick...

The first one is very cool. It has a nice masculine look. Good or bad. I would love that look as a fence for my yard. If I was that talented. I like the third second best. On the diamond.

Good luck either way.