Were radiators always cast iron?

Salvatorparadise

Hey folks - I'm taking a closer look at leaking radiators in a 1921 home I recently purchased. The leaks aren't coming from the valve, but may be coming from a split or crack. I'm having a plumber look more closely for me Monday. Anyway, when I was looking today, i swear it looked like some of the bottoms of the tubing seams had been welded. I know that cast iron doesn't really weld. Did they make radiators from steel during this period? If not, maybe someone made some welds that didn't really work. Here are a few photos of radiators in my home:

DanHolohan

Those are cast iron.

There were some pressed-steel radiators at that time, but they didn't look like yours. Here's a bit of radiator history for you, at least up until 1930. Open the PDF.



http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/158/Radiators/1257/A-History-of-the-Development-of-the-Radiator