Making a Wrought Iron Garden Gate

This video shows how I made a wrought iron garden gate that consists of many different scrolls. I narrate most of the steps from constructing the initial frame to preparing the bar stock for the scrolling jig and then how to assemble it by MIG welding. As blacksmith, I also prepare each scroll on the anvil by tapering it before using the scrolling jig.
Gate fabricators:
Tony Pederson
Niels Provos
John West
A big thank you to the following Patreon patrons:
Ben Ferland
Andrew Hecker
George Marsack
Graham Bullard
Jeremy Letheule
László Várady
Nathan Webb
Ryan Hurst
StevenG
Support me: / nielsprovos
Subscribe: / mintwart
Follow me on Twitter: / nielsprovos
Like me on Facebook: / nielsprovos
Filmed on a Sony PXW‑FS7. Color grading in DaVinci Resolve.

[@popgrubbs]

Wasn't boring at all. I enjoyed learning your process.

[@jacquelinesowell9465]

Video was worth every minute you put into making it. Gorgeous gate. Thanks for showing the process.

[@marcgerges1380]

Brilliant workmanship, video was very good.

[@datguy4093]

Niels, wonderful work. I think that gate is fantastic.

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you.

[@fjudeajith]

I love your video. You have done a great job for everyone who interests in fabrication and metal work

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you!!

[@andreamonk3464]

beautiful to watch true craftsmen who clearly love their work and are super proud of it.10/10

[@stealthflower]

I like the length of your vids; you show enough to let us feel some of the work involved, and cut it short enough to not be boring.

[@AnEvolvingApe]

I think Niels needs a hug... dude is awesome but is clearly a sensitive artist. I've watched all his videos but if things are slow I speed them using the speed increase youtube option. Typically I watch build videos like this on higher speeds with the CC on and the sound muted while blasting music from one of my heavy metal itune playlists in my headphones.

[@traceyosterlind14]

Agreed!

[@jjefferyworboys8138]

Beautiful and so very tactile.

[@NielsProvos]

It's still holding up well in my garden.

[@starforged]

A very good video of showing great craftsmanship. Thank you for sharing. ❤️

[@NielsProvos]

Glad you liked it. We just put in a fence that matches this design.

[@SandraHertel-u3b]

Thank you for this. Fascinating and beautiful work.

[@app1eyes]

Very interesting. No problem watching . Well done.

[@NielsProvos]

Glad you liked it. How did you get here?

[@app1eyes]

Was looking for some ideas for some around the home projects . Great video.

[@EduardoSVA]

Really a beautiful gate! I am not a professional, just a hobbiest blacksmith, and I have many difficulties on volutes as well, it is a hard job to me...but also fun! I like the longest video! Thank you very much for sharing! Greetings from Brazil!

[@NielsProvos]

Glad you liked it. In the meantime, I made a double gate and a fence in this style too. Got much better at the process 😎

[@8fivezero]

Great video! Perfect length. I love the craftsmanship required to get the detail needed. I may watch this several times.

[@sydneylawrence2312]

Superb craftsmanship. Well done fellas

[@bighairyfoot1217]

Awesome Production!!..Hail Yeah!..

[@NielsProvos]

Glad you liked it

[@philgray4780]

I'm sure those of us who love your art, would want more not less so go slowly, take all the time you need . If we have to wait a while for the next one , we will enjoy it more for the waiting.

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you. Since this is just a hobby, it's going to be always a little bit slower.

[@jimmelnyk7506]

Welcome back. Thought you got lost on some Viking raid. The length and pace of these videos is just right. Don't change a thing.

[@NielsProvos]

+Jim Melnyk if work was a Viking raid you would be right :-)

[@jlermzgt9393]

Awesome video👍🏼

[@viking8781]

Great video and awesome job

[@charlietuna1355]

Outstanding work. Very inspiring. Keep the videos coming. Videos aren’t too long and definitely not boring. Thank you.

[@nadajohn]

Very interesting! I loved the detail. I like to watch the whole process.

[@echoloc8]

Glad to see you doing some architectural stuff as well as blades and the like. I thought the video length was fine, and it was great to see a combination of techniques.

[@Boslandschap1]

Niels, as your videos may be a lot of work but they are a pleasure to watch. I really don't think you should make them any shorter and possibly wouldn't mind them longer as it is such a pleasure seeing the project progress, revealing the final result gradually. Also, I'd like to compliment you on the design; I particularly like that you combined the prevalent curly/organic style with the geometric details (straight line & circles). It really gives the gate a more modern and interesting appearance. Well done!

[@arnjhon]

I think it's nice you made a video of this, as it shows a bit more what kind of jobs you might also have to do when trying to live of of blacksmithing.

[@schluntzhouseanimals]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video and show your amazing skills! I had no idea how much work went into making these beautiful gates!

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you! We made a fence like that as well.

[@yeboscrebo4451]

Thx for sharing!

[@hernandezariel8622]

Saludos desde Argentina! Gracias por compartir.

[@RELOADINGandSHOOTING]

LOVE IT!!! Even if you made this video in standard speed, I’ll watch it from beginning to end... I love metal art, welding, building something, it is therapeutic for me...

[@NielsProvos]

Glad it worked for you :-)

[@Rocksolidhandyman]

Stunning!!!

[@Vic-fh9nl]

This is very beautiful, i am 16 since 31 december 2020 and live in belgium. I molded my first metal brick today. And want to start forging steel and making gates like this. You have very beautiful work done! Congratulations!

[@NielsProvos]

Good luck. I think you will enjoy the work and happy belated birthday 🎉

[@Vic-fh9nl]

@@NielsProvos Thanks!

[@me109g4zaku]

Worked at a fabrication shop over the summer, man we did alot of gates, but none with such nice scroll work, mostly simply bends. awesome work!

[@NielsProvos]

+me109g4zaku thanks. It's different when you don't have to do this kind of work all the time.

[@aoudaeialdarouesh265]

nice work!

[@alisanabadiaziz9875]

Great job. That was such a helpful video with awsome editing and length.

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@grumblesaurus]

I wouldn't mind if the videos were much longer. They are soothing to watch and I like a slow pace.

[@TimButterworth]

It's incredible to see metal transformed into something so delicate and whimsical. Excellent craftsmanship in both the gate and the video. Please don't shorten future videos!

[@martinjoseph7029]

That is some wonderful work. I want to get into making fences, gates and window bars with my everlast equipment and other metal working tools. Yours are truly artwork.

[@aidenallen4518]

Its sad that wrought iron is so hard to come by nowadays. I found an old piece of wrought iron scrap at my uncles farm and was so excited, I'm planning on using it to make some pendants and maybe mix some of it into a Damascus knife blade, but there's just not enough to do large iron work projects :(

[@NielsProvos]

Definitely. Wrought iron these days is mostly a misnomer. I still have some old wagon tires and some high phosphorus wrought iron from the Wisconsin grain elevator.

[@davidthompson5108]

Gates are good projects for me because I get to use my tools and weld with my everlast welder. I find metal working so relaxing.

[@humanbean123]

This video is GREAT!! Not at all boring! My preference would be to have even more process details included :) It's not boring at all. Thank you!! Looking forward to watching more of your channel!!

[@shamsiqadirli]

Completely piece of art! Really time consuming, but it is worth it !

[@annonameus]

Nice work! The length of the video is perfect to me. I also like the short pauses in your narrative. :)

[@bpa3697]

🙋‍♂️Love your work👍

[@JanEringa8k]

Awesome work! Keep it up. That gate is gorgeous.

[@Nuvrin]

Very cool. I don't mind the longer video length, especially if you are posting less frequently. Welcome back :)

[@illicit_nz8798]

Me dad was a boiler maker / fitter / fabricator, pro as.. He made my childhood home a gate similar to this.. They sold that house 20yrs ago.. I drove past for a geez the other month and the gate is still there, approximately 35yrd old..

[@NielsProvos]

I hope it will get to live for at least a hundred years.

[@anasimpson7045]

I thoroughly enjoyed your work! I want to learn so badly! Video not long at all. Thanks for sharing!

[@abdullahmdrajin6332]

I love ittt!

[@williamromine6277]

Excellent work

[@michaelboyle9512]

I appreciate the detail covered in the craftsmanship of the piece. A longer video with more technical skill shown is preferred to a shorter video that skips all the skill involved in the process. I'm a commercial structural ironworker. I like your videos to help guide me along the journey of artistic ironworks as a hobby at home.

[@leonbenfer4964]

Great Work, i already wondered if you have stopped making Videos. I hope for many more to come! Keep the wheel spinning!

[@NielsProvos]

+Leon Benfer there will be more videos but I got through my backlog and the frequency will be slower going forward.

[@shaun2049]

Nice job workmanship outstanding I’m started fabrication this video has some good advice

[@jpavlvs]

Glad to see another video. Great job.

[@JustinShaedo]

The video is longer than I like ... so I just skip forward a bit. I think it's better to have a long video, and people like me can skip, and others can watch the lot. Respect for your excellent work, both in metal crafting and video editing!

[@NielsProvos]

Glad it worked for you.

[@tcgrizz59]

Beautiful! It is so satisfying to watch you work and to see the end results.

[@andrewowens403]

Very good work thank you John from ireland

[@raghavendrab1925]

well done! excellent production.beautifully edited.

[@heykevwhatyouup2]

Good work

[@sepie]

that's a really nice gate

[@AntonioJesus32109]

Good job.

[@survivalboys1754]

Honestly man I forgot about you... I seen your video and was like woah!! awesome!

[@Kwakkaman]

Perfect timing, I'm about to attempt to make my first gate!

[@ednightingale]

Very nice work

[@anilramlogan8737]

Beautiful work.. I do this type of work also. And your videos are a good length..

[@IceDragon978]

Beautiful gate, Niels. Good work, I hope it stands the test of time and use. And the length was just fine with me. Merry Christmas.

[@glenralph5123]

Generally, the length of your videos are fine. If anything, I'd like to see longer vids. Great work on the gate, mate. It looks beautiful installed.

[@mada0zani]

Interesting video, nice job. Welcome back. Merry Christmas and have a happy new year.

[@NielsProvos]

+mada0zani Same to you. Thank you.

[@oneshotme]

Yes it was long overdue lol :) Glad to see you posting! Love it and beautiful work on the gate. The video is fine the way you did it and would have never thought it would have taken that that long to make it Thumbs Up for support as well

[@viking8781]

2 years after my comment and I've watched this video 2 times in the last week.

[@NielsProvos]

I hope it was still fun 🤩

[@diecaster1018]

No complaints from me, good video.

[@heykevwhatyouup2]

So good

[@brandonaustin7213]

Great work

[@tropifiori]

Lovely work. Thanks for the video

[@sato4kaiba]

Nice work

[@Jasoncohenour]

Excellent. I want to so similar for my home. TY for sharing

[@freddofrog_]

I think you have a good balance in length for most but personally I would like to see more.

[@viking8781]

I agree

[@aubreyaub]

Would you now. ...and who the farq are you again.....?

[@souzacellsouza5344]

Muito bom amigos sou fã de vocês estou inscrito sou do Brasil

[@ganeshkundkar7414]

Nice

[@1metiz]

Beautiful

[@menace965]

Where you been man? Been a while. Awesome video! You keep making them and I'll keep watching them.

[@marwanabutarieh1868]

Good job.👍

[@rafaelsantos5111]

Lindo 😍 dá um charme para o jardim.

[@michaelcerda5514]

Thanks for the content

[@rutherfordtaf619]

I LOVE YOUR VIDEO CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY FOR A DRIVEWAY SLIDING GATE HANDMADE SIMILAR TO YOUR QUALITY PLEASE?

[@stickermigtigger]

Can you share where you were able to purchase all that wrought iron? I understand they stopped making it in the US in the 70s.

[@DominicFawver]

I really enjoyed this video. I work in the automatic (vehicle) gate industry so this is very familiar to me. Excellent video.

[@petecobus8336]

fascinating. you’re gifted. just curious, roughly how much would that type of of custom-made gate sell for?

[@NielsProvos]

That's not really a question that has an obvious answer. This is all labor cost. The steel is pretty inexpensive. Total time on this was probably 20 hours or so.

[@bobparnofiello1588]

bravo, well done.

[@godparticle314]

Absolutely gorgeous, nicely done! I'm surprised you didn't cool the tips of the scrolls when using the jig. Also, I have the same Harbor Freight welding helmet, it's actually not bad lol

[@NielsProvos]

Thank you. I like the welding helmet as well. The tips need to be hot to conform to the jig. I only shape them enough with the hammer to be able to insert them into the jig.

[@karstenvonfjellheim5321]

This is great. But have you heard of the large tool/machine/bender called "Money Maker".

[@davidthompson5108]

Awesome work. Can do this with a powerarc welder?

[@tjn2254]

Absolutely beautiful! Makes me wonder how the pearly gates of heaven will be like

[@timrobinson513]

But what about the serpent sword?????? Did it ever get finished? We just want to know.

[@alexromo9091]

Quick question, What are you spraying on the iron before you weld it? Very nice work.

[@NielsProvos]

It’s an anti weld spatter spray. Less cleanup.

[@ScH3DuL3MxCRoCkR3D]

How did you determine the length of flat bar needed to bend the scrolls to where they would fit within the width of the gate?

[@NielsProvos]

You eyeball it and the make a few example pieces. Increase or decrease length based on the example pieces.

[@Dragonvc27]

What kind of rock are you using to allow the metal to cool on after forging it?

[@NielsProvos]

That was probably the coke from the slide blast forge. Anything would have been fine. Putting it on the concrete floor would have worked, too. It was just to get them out of the way while we worked on more scrolls.

[@ernieduncan602]

Silly question, but can I ask what the spray you are using prior to welding the border scrolls on to frame?

[@ernieduncan602]

nevermind answered :)

[@NielsProvos]

:-)

[@jcs6347]

I like the video and the length is good for the subject. Did you design the gate itself?

[@NielsProvos]

Yes. I did a number of different designs and ended up picking this one.

[@gschimbeck]

How did you make the double scroll jig. The gate looked amazing. Is there a proper way to attach the scrolls without mig welding them?

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

With a big punch and a hole.

[@NielsProvos]

For the second jig, we first formed the scroll from thicker stock under the hammer and then cut it in two parts that we welded together at different heights. There is a lot of amazing joinery in blacksmithing. However, that would have easily doubled the time making the gate. Most of the scrolls would have been joined with collars.

[@Locahaskatexu]

First, I should say that the gate isn't my preferred style (I prefer heavier, more gothic inspired metalworking rather than the in my opinion more baroque inspired scrollwork in this gate :) ) that having been said, it's a beautiful piece of work! No matter the style, all creation is beautiful :) simply because someone is taking the time and effort to create it :) One thing puzzled me however, and I can't recall whether it was mentioned in your video. How did you calculate the size of the gate vs the size necessary for the scrolls? Are there special formulae to use? I find the length of your vids immaterial to be honest, even if you posted a 6 hour video, I think I'd still watch it, but that's mainly because I love seeing people post projects and the way they make things.

[@NielsProvos]

I knew the dimensions of the scrolls and then used a drawing program to iterate on the design. I came up with a number of completely different designs and then picked a style and improved on the layout. Initially, I had planned for the gate to be 5 1/2 foot tall but then changed it to 6 1/2 foot for the proportions to look right. I have a couple of books that also talk about design rules but I remain mostly ignorant of them and they did not drive the gate design here :-)

[@martinsteele3259]

I just found your channel! Very nice work! Video pace is great for me. I have a question, I am looking to bend 1/4" plate to 90 deg and I think that using heat to make the bend would cause less damage to the steel. But I have read online that it should be bent cold. This would be for frame rails on a car. Thank you!

[@NielsProvos]

You probably need a ginormous bending brake. That would allow you to get a 99 degree bend cold.

[@martinsteele3259]

@@NielsProvos Yes I agree.