Plastic finials found, awesome for fences

[darryl]

Hope I'm posting this in the right place, if not please move to the correct one.
Found these, can't wait to get to my fence this year these should make quite the difference.
http://www.decorativeiron.com/?a11=PLASTIC%20PRODUCTS&a10=SPEARS%2C%20FINIALS%2C%20CAPS&page=plastic_products_spears__finials__caps

[krypt]

i hope you have not just found that link.....its on this forum........im not trying to be a jerk or anything ....but yeah its a great place for those pieces! oh yeah just one more thing ive worked in plastic factory and hade lungs burned from pvc gives off chloride (sp) gas well i have been told that so... if you melt with heat gun like some people do be very careful look into it before doing anything that might be dangerous.

[Bone Dancer]

I just 100 plastic finials on ebay for $24 , plus $8 shipping and hanlding, from a place in Utah.
mcfrugal.com brad@metalmart.biz
the place in Texas wanted $37 for shipping 50 at .44ea

[Bone Dancer]

I just bought 100 plastic finials for $24 plus $8 s/h from a place in Utah.
mcfrugal.com brad@metalmart.biz
The place in Texas wanted .44 for 50 with $37 s/h
thanks again for the tip Lotus

[Bone Dancer]

sorry about that, so much for trying to edit something.

[Lotus]

thanks again for the tip Lotus

I didn't give you that Tip I think FE did

[Bone Dancer]

FE gave me the one in Texas,

[darryl]

Sorry. :( I actually found it on a How-to site where the guy bought metal finials. Scrolled through the site and found the plastic ones.

[krypt]

Sorry. :( I actually found it on a How-to site where the guy bought metal finials. Scrolled through the site and found the plastic ones.

well if you found the ones you like .....i guess you could buy 1 make a mold and make lots im not sure which way would be cheaper buying them all or making them all just a thought might save ya some cash in the long run

[darryl]

$27.00 plus shipping for 100. Hard to justify molding them for that.

[Bone Dancer]

Just got mine yesterday. 100 metal finials for $24 and $8 shiping
brad@metalmart.biz
mcfrugal.com

[sgtdrpepper]

Had to ask one question. Has this been a problem... "This item cannot be painted – use them as they are – Easy Easy!" taken from mcfrugals site. I see that they are black in color but since I will be going for a more rusted look I had plans on ageing these. Has anyone tried this or is everyone planning on just using them as is?

Sgt

[darryl]

Spear (#217) 1/2" x 1/2" Square With Ball
01007 $0.29




Larger picture
Weldable Wrought Iron Fence Pickets. Fits 1/2" x 1/2" square tubing. Plain mill finish. Yes you can paint them. This is the most popular picket sold! Put some class on your fence project!
<<
Saw these there. $8.00 is great. they must be heavy which is why I was going with plastic.

[Daphne]

I realize this is an ancient thread but its worth a shot...

I need finials for a fence. Mcfrugals seems to be a popular site to get them. Since I want to age the fence (and finials), it appears I can't use the plastic ones since painting is not an option according to the site.

For those of you that went wrought iron, how heavy are they? I am planning to use 1/2 PVC verticals with 1x2 lumber so it isn't a terribly stout structure.

Thanks!

[Frighteners Entertainment]

They will make your fence top heavy. Been there, done that....
On a good note, they rust.

[Daphne]

Shoot, I was afraid someone was going to say that. So what did you do FE?

I assume I can't paint plastic finials since they would crack in the sun? Wonder if that is a big issue since the fence would only be out in the elements for a month at most.

[Dark Star]

Are you planning on painting the whole thing or just "rusting" it a bit?

[Daphne]

I was going to paint the PVC and wood black, stick the finials on and then sponge greens/browns/etc on everything to make it look old/rusty/mossy. The finials wouldn't be completely painted, just some sponging. I have been oscillating on whether I could get away with paint since it wouldn't be full coverage or exposed to the elements for more than 3-4 weeks each year. (assuming the elements are what create the issue)

My front door has a huge glass oval with a plastic ridge that holds it in. There was a warning on the door not to paint it (when we replaced the first one that was stolen). The painters painted it anyway. It now has some beautiful and huge cracks from side to side in a couple places on it. Granted, we never remove it from the house so it is exposed to the elements constantly.

I was just going to just get the wrought iron ones but FE indicated a problem with exactly what worried me about them, weight.

[Ironman]

You should be able to paint the plastic spears, but you would need to prep them first. You can do this by simply scuffinf them with a coarse steel wool. In my other life I built ornamental iron, and even though I almost always use cast iron, or cast steel finials, I have used plastic on occasion when the customer requests them.

[Bone Dancer]

Ironman is right, you need to sand or steel wool your pvc tubes just to take the shine off them. After that I laid mine all together on a table and used spray enamel (flat black ) then rolled them a quarter turn and sprayed them again, and rolled them again and so on. It saved paint and if you let them dry a minute or two between rolls they do just fine.
I got my iron finials from McF's. He shipped them in a bulk rate box so shipping was about $8.50 for about 30lbs of iron. My quess is the finials weigh about 1/4 pound each and I made my fence in eight foot sections. It's a little top heavy, but not a big problem. I set up my fence using 24 inch steel rod ( one foot in ground ) and slid the pvc over the rod at each end of a section and it worked fine. Conecting the section in some manor would also help stabilize the fence. Making them look rusty is just a painting issue.

[Daphne]

Ironman, you have worked with this stuff obviously. Do you know why they would have stated not to paint the plastic? Was it because it would crack or just because it wouldn't take the paint without it being scuffed up?

Bone Dancer, that is a good tip on scuffing the PVC as well. I hadn't thought of that. Yikes! 1/4 pound per finial! I plan to have around 6' sections and drive rebar in the ground at the ends of each section where I have a larger post. That should be fun in this red clay!

I am just hopeful the finials will fit the PVC without my having to get a heat gun or doing something drastic to make it fit...

Thanks for all your help!

[pyro]

there is plastic paint-and it worked fine for me

[buckaneerbabe]

Daphne, just use the plastic spray paint, but spray some in a cup or bowl then dip your sponge into that. That should do the trick.

[Ironman]

Too late for that quick and witty insight, but Buckaneerbabe and Pyro have the answer. Make sure that the paint you use is formulated for plastic. Scuffing them first will take off the resin coating (why they feel sort of slick and slimy when you first get them) and make the surface just rough enough for the paint to adhere better.

[Daphne]

Perfect. Sorry for dragging half the forum on here to beat this particular topic to death ha, ha. Great suggestions, I'll measure, order and get that plastic paint!

Thanks everyone!

[Gory Corey]

I was just turned on to another source yesterday, good pricing, good shipping too.

http://www.kingmetals.com/Default.aspx?Page=Home

They have plastic too.

[Dark Lord]

I do airbrush & custom automotive painting & deal with the plastics thing.I scuff the plastic,wipe it down with a wax degreaser ( lacquer thinner or rubbing alchol will work fine,just don't soak the wipe rag & wipe off immediately with a clean paper towel) I use a clear spray can plastic primer (auto supply stores like Kragon's auto,etc) i dust on or with my props stuff like pvc I dust on a good semi cover coat of primer,let dry & spray paint with colors as needed. Leaving it outside for a long time in the direct sun/heat & the UV will slowly shrink & wear down the spray paint.I shoot an auto clearcoat with flattener in it for a bullet proof answer.Plastics just don't like being painted,but just need to give the paint a "tooth" to grip onto,scuff & primer coat helps.Hope that helps anyone. :)
P.S. I've noticed that they have taken that plastic paint off the market,or at least around here in my area / CA......they usually use us as guinea pigs & if it gets bad revues,complaints
or low product move,they pull & cancel it. I get that alot in the auto paint industry.... (sigh) I hate it when they do that & i have not had a prob with a product & love using it ! Oh well

[RookieSpooker]

Good call, Corey. I like these.

http://www.kingmetals.com/customer%2fkiarme%2fimages%2fitems%2f14-R204_L.jpg

[Daphne]

Thanks for the additional link Gory Corey!

That was extremely helpful Dark Lord. I will print that out for reference. I live in the Atlanta area and have no idea if we still have access to plastic paint or not but I'll look for it.

RookieSpooker, I really liked that one too!

[tharper]

Thanks Bone Dancer for the suggestions. I looked a round and ended up buying from Mcfrugal.com. (http://www.mcfrugal.com.) They shipped the same day, so I had everything in time for halloween.

[tharper]

Here is the actual link of what I bought.... Plastic Finials (http://www.mcfrugal.com/products/Plastic-Spear-Square-Style-215.html)

[pagan]

I really like some of mcfrugal's finials, but I worry about some dip$h!t skewering their hand on one of them. I think the skull finials have a few more years in them.. Or I could sell my old fence to my neighbor......