01
304 stainless
It holds one season against the spray. Two, if the house sits sheltered. Then it pits, and the stains never come out.
Fer & Sel
ENFR
Art ironwork · Gustavia, St Barths
Salt eats everything.Not our work
Railings, gates, steel-framed glass and outdoor furniture in 316L stainless and forged iron. Drawn, welded and installed on St Barths, for houses a hundred meters from the water.
What we work in
Shop open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zone artisanale de Public, St Barthélemy
Salt
Here the air is corrosive twelve months a year.
304 stainless is a fine steel. In Paris. A hundred meters from the shore, spray leaves chlorides that break through its passive film. First small brown pits. Then corrosion working under the surface, where nobody sees it until the part gives way.
316L carries molybdenum. Two to three percent, no more, and that is the whole difference: the film heals instead of breaking. It is the only grade we put outdoors, anywhere on this island.
02
316L stainless
Molybdenum blocks the chlorides. Rinsed with fresh water twice a year, it stays clean for twenty years.
03
Forged iron
It has no passive film at all: hot-dip galvanizing, primer, paint, patina. Four coats, not three.
04
What we will not do
304 stainless outdoors. Zinc-plated fasteners in a seaside fixing. A weld ground flat and painted over to hide poor penetration.
What the shoreline does to each material
Materials
Four materials, and nothing else.
None of them are farmed out. What leaves this shop was drawn, cut, welded and finished by the same hands.
01
Marine 316L stainless
Railings, handrails, pool gates
Brushed to a 240 grit or mirror-polished. TIG welds under gas, pickled and then passivated: the step everybody skips.
02
Patinated forged iron
Gates, grilles, signs, interior railings
Forged hot on the anvil. Galvanizing, epoxy primer, then a wax or walnut-stain patina.
03
Brass & bronze
Hardware, handles, sconces, light fixtures
Brass ages instead of rusting. We let it turn, or lacquer it if you would rather keep it bright.
04
Steel-framed glass
Glass partitions, verandas, entrance canopies
20 mm steel profiles, laminated glass, installation included. Counted in weeks, not months.
The work
The craft shows up close.
Four jobs delivered between 2021 and 2025. The photographs were taken after installation, not before.
01
Creole house balcony
Gustavia, rue du Roi Oscar II
Galvanized forged iron, lacquered, ornate panels remade to match the original
02
Garden gate
Lorient
Hot-forged scrollwork, twisted balusters, white lacquer over galvanizing
03
Kitchen glass partition
Saint-Jean
20 mm steel in black lacquer, 44.2 laminated glass, two pivoting doors
04
Weld made good
The Public shop
Bead rerun under gas, pickled then passivated before finishing
The shop
Twenty-two years, the same hands.
Fer & Sel is four people in the Public industrial zone. The drawing, the welding and the installation are done by the same people. Nobody discovers the job on installation day.
We work with the island architect when there is one, and straight with the owner when there isn't. Either way, we come and measure before we price.
How a piece gets made
01
The drawing
Site survey, dimensioned plan, layout. You see the piece before it exists.
02
The shop
Cutting, welding, finishing. Nothing leaves until the bead is clean.
03
The install
Stainless chemical anchors, shimming, sealing made good. We come back at six months.
- Where we work
- The whole island: Gustavia, Public, Corossol, Colombier, Flamands, Anse des Cayes, Saint-Jean, Lorient, Marigot, Grand Cul-de-Sac, Toiny, Saline, Gouverneur, Vitet. St Martin by quote, freight included.
- Shop hours
- Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
What holds
Proof is measured in years.
- 10 years
- warranty on welds and fixings
- 316L
- the only stainless grade we install outdoors
- 48 h
- to come and measure, once the appointment is set
Railing installed in 2019, due east, facing open water. Rinsed twice a year, it still looks new. The quoted price was the price we paid.
They refused to patch up the neighbor's 304 gate and told me exactly why. In ten minutes I understood what three other companies never explained.
Quote
We measure first, then we price.
No ballpark over the phone. We come by, we survey, and you get a firm price with the drawing.
01
You call or you write
Two lines are enough: what you want, and where.
02
We come by within 48 h
On-site survey, half an hour as a rule.
03
Quote within 5 business days
Dimensioned drawing, stainless grade, build time, firm price.
Request a quote
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