When a top executive from Anderson Windows was building his new home in Minnesota a lot of thought went into the design, the cost, the long term maintenance and of course the aesthetics. Minnesota goes through some harsh weather changes throughout the year and these weather changes are very hard on outdoor structures such as decks, patios and railings. They wanted a beautiful home but did not want to spend their summers on maintenance. When it came time to design the railing around their front patio they turned to Mike Route from Red Iron Studios in Frederic Wisconsin to design and fabricate the custom railing. 

Mike is an award winning artist blacksmith and creates some incredible, gorgeous pieces of art and has created some amazing railings for other large homes and cabins in the area. When Mike was approached on this project he talked with the home owners and listened to what they wanted and their concerns. After talking with the home owners Mike, who has galvanizing experience, knew there was only one way to go with this project. 

Mike came up with the design and presented it to the home owners and told them he would galvanize the railing. Mike informed them not only would they have a beautiful one of a kind railing but it would be maintenance free for many years saving the homeowners money and time compared to other materials or coatings.

Mike worked with the galvanizer to ensure proper design of the ornate handrail, Mike used solid rod for much of the project to eliminate the need for drain/vent holes. After galvanizing Mike treated the railing with copper sulfate and heat to create an aged, blackened, non-industrial look to the railing. This is a technique that Mike has used before on other projects.