Why Purchase a Wood Carriage From Steen Cannons?
Specifications: All of our carriages are constructed from hand
picked clear Kiln-dried Red or White oak. Our beams are laminated from eight-quarter
material using a biscuit jointing system along with waterproof glue and high
pressure at a constant temperature. In gluing up the beams we reverse the
grains to make our beams actually sturdier than an original with the grain
all going in the same direction. Some companies use air-dried lumber that
has cracks & checks that they have to fill with fiberglass or wood filler.
Finishing: We first treat all wood parts with a copper naphthenate solution
as was done on original carriages of the period. Second, we apply two coats
of boiled linseed oil. Next, we use a 100% acrylic bonding primer specially
formulated by the Porter Paint Co. of Louisville, Ky. that contains mild acids
along with rust inhibitors and bonding agents that makes a superior intermediate
coat between the copper naphthenate and the boiled linseed oil solution and
the finish coats. Porter Paints is the only company in the paint industry
to have this special primer available. We then use an industrial grade 100%
acrylic paint finish that is guaranteed to out last any oil base paint two-to-one
against chipping, peeling, color retention, and years of service before repainting
is required. I'm a former paint company owner and according to all major paint
companies and the National Paint Institute that does most of the independent
testing of all paints agrees that 100% acrylic paint finishes are the superior
way to treat outside surfaces. Hardware: All of our hardware that is cast
is made from ductile iron with a sixty five thousand pound tensile strength.
Other companies use gray iron (Cast Iron) that is brittle and only has strength
of about twenty thousand pounds tensile strength. Other hardware that is not
cast is hand fabricated from cold rolled steel. All hardware is ground and
sanded smooth with the removal of all parting lines and imperfections due
to the casting process. All hardware receives two coats of rust inhibitive
primer and two coat of gloss black enamel.