Hey there! That’s a great question, and the short answer is: yes, we absolutely help folks track down individual parts like legs, bolts, and other hardware for vintage street benches. It’s one of those projects that sounds tricky but is totally doable with a little guidance.
First, let’s talk legs. If you’re dealing with a classic cast iron street bench, the end supports and legs are often the most durable part. We keep a rotating inventory of salvaged cast iron bench ends—sometimes with original patina, other times freshly cleaned and painted. Think those ornate Victorian-style sides you see in parks. Even if we don’t have an exact match in stock at the moment, we can source them through our network of architectural salvage yards and metal fabrication partners. Custom recasting is also an option for rare patterns, though it’s pricier.
Now, bolts and fasteners—this is where people often get stuck. Those chunky carriage bolts with the smooth domed heads and square shoulders under the neck? We stock them in various lengths and diameters, typically zinc-plated or stainless steel to handle the weather. If your bench uses special tamper-proof bolts or the old square-head bolts that look like they belong on a wooden ship, we can get those too. Just bring an original sample or give us the thread pitch and length. A lot of times, the trick is that the wood slats have shrunk over the years and the bolts are now too long, so we’ll walk you through measuring correctly so you don’t end up with something that pokes through.
Beyond legs and bolts, we also supply hardwood slats (ipe, teak, or white oak pre-drilled to match your frame), brass tags for memorial benches, and those little cast iron connectors or tie rod assemblies that run beneath the seat for stability. If your bench is missing a whole leg assembly on one side, that’s a bigger job, but we can often pair you with a matching salvaged end.
My best advice: snap a few photos and measure the critical dimensions—height of the leg from the ground to the armrest, center-to-center distance of the bolt holes on the slats, and the diameter of the bolts. Shoot them over to us and we’ll have a look. It’s like a puzzle, and we love helping make old street benches solid again. Don’t give up on that bench—it’s probably got another century in it with the right hardware.