Bedrooms, Mattresses, Pilows, Antique Iron Bed, Iron Beds

Refinish Antique Iron Bed?

Lorrie C asks: I have an antique iron bed that I slept on as a child. I want to have it refinished and give it to my daugther for her next birthday. I am not sure how old it is, I only know that it was also my mother's as a child and she was born in the 50's.

Who should I be looking at to refinish this bed? How should I go about contacting them (ie..what should I google)?

Any suggestions appreciated. I want the end result to be a white bed.

Early thanks.

stretch answers: Lorrie,

you really didn't say much about the current condition of the bed. If it is rusty or if the paint is peeling, it may need to be sanded down, primed with a rust inhibitor paint, and then painted with a metal paint that's colored white.
I would use a spray paint to for ease of application. This sounds like a job that most folks could handle.
If the frame is in good condition, you may only need to lightly sand (if at all) then paint with a white paint approved for metal.

anybody have any info on an antique army quartermasters iron bed. any info at all..thanks?

mochairman asks: i am curious about when and where these beds were used and some of the particulars of the makeup of the bed...(ie) the brackets on both head and footboard that look as if they held some sort of rod or post up vertically above the bed itself? i have limited info about this bed ...i know the insignia is an army quartermaster symbol and that the beds were possibly made between 1901 and 1905...and used in some cases till the 1960s in VA hospitals. any other info would be great.

imadriana answers: Whew! I would suggest you try to contact a re-enactment group - there are several websites out there. Here's a link to some Military Museums, they, too will be a good source:

http://www.wfa-usa.org/new/centers.cfm
Here's some info about iron beds:
http://www.bed-ne.ws/
According to this article, iron beds weren't made during and after WWI because iron was needed for other things.