Authentic steel doors and true wrought iron stair work: come find out what wrought iron is.
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- There are a lot of misunderstandings about Ironwork today. We must learn from the past to build better today. This video reveals how ironwork was made 200 years ago and helps you understand what great ironwork looks like. Also, learn about great steel windows and doors from the 1920s.
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Brent Hull
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Beautiful work. I didn't realized that finding rod iron fence was going to be difficult and yes I heard the big box stores saying that no one does that work any more. Brent , thank so much for bringing to us information were we can find quality and beautiful work.
Glad to help.
Another extremely interesting video. Once more, my friends, a perspective from England. We can’t buy wrought iron at all now over here - at least - newly made wrought iron. If you ask for wrought iron, you will get mild steel. I’ve no doubt that, if you have a large enough order, somewhere might make some of it but it would be incredibly expensive. Maybe one of the historic re-creation villages (that show people how lives were loved in past times) might be able to but I don’t know. I’m actually surprised that your expert said that you could still get true wrought iron as recent as a century ago. Perhaps you could in the UK also but certainly all the major mills were now producing the higher quality (less impurity) and more versatile, mild steel.
Iron making was developed (from a small village industry) really by the Romans here. They found areas where the materials required (iron ore, charcoal and flowing water) could be found near each other. This was very largely in the Weald of southern England which a large area of forest stretching from West Sussex through southern Kent. The Weald consists of the lower Weald (a valley) and the high Weald (high ground). There, they found quite large quantities of low-ish grade iron ore, huge forests for charcoal making and small rivers which could be damned and power a water mill. All over the Weald of Kent, these small centres grew. To this day, we have many, many old roads called Forge Lane, Furnace Lane or Mill Lane - all indicating the existence of iron making. In fact, the very centre of iron making in England in the Middle Ages was around Horsmonden in Kent. There, cannon for the navy of Henry VIII were cast with some recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose. In the centre of Horsmonden (which is now partly agricultural and partly commuter) is a pub - The Gun and Spitroast. Walk from it to Furnace Lane and you will still find the original Furnace pond. So, from Roman to Middle Ages, these (incongruous to the current eye as they are in rural Kent and Sussex) centres of industrial iron making thrived. And they did make exactly that - iron. Forests of hard woods were cut down with the timber made into charcoal by Colliers. It must have been a wondrous site to see these itinerant colliers maobpving from area to area producing charcoal under vast earthen mounds with others digging ore by following shallow seams of the dirty brown rock usually found within sandstone. The iron produced was reasonably impure due to the technology of the time and was either cast (for example for cannon) or wrought by local blacksmiths into everything from ploughs to kitchen pots.
The industry really declined quite quickly in the post-Medieval period. It was discovered that coal made into coke was a far better energy source than charcoal. It could be produced in far greater quantities and, crucially, heat the iron ore to a far higher temperature to burn off more and more impurities. The midlands of the England had the best resource of the right type of coal and, with better quality of iron ore, took over as the centre of iron making. Whilst the conversion of iron into steel had been practised for many, many years (for example in armour and swords) it was almost an alchemy, a secret, and the main production still was for cast and wrought iron. Cast iron has many qualities but it is brittle to a force sideways to it; under compression, it is very strong. The world’s first iron bridge (across a river gorge) was the 100 ft cast iron bridge near Telford in Shropshire. Built by Darby in 1779. It still stands today and can be both viewed and walked over.
As I said, I’m pretty sure that nobody makes wrought iron commercially now in the UK. However, I know of one mill - Bromford Iron and Steel - that still rolls mild steel into mainly architectural profiles. I visited the plant as a buyer back in 1976 and it was a thriving centre of production. If you want half round feather edge or half round square edge (both for hand rails) you can still get them from Bromford (or maybe a stockholder) to this day, together with many other profiles.
We still have a lot of blacksmiths both capable and experienced in producing the balustrades shown. Of course, they are very expensive because of the sheer amount of labour involved but there are blacksmiths who are true artists in steel and make original and reproduction pieces. I was lucky enough to have been bought a blacksmithing course by my wife and it was an inspiration. An old forge, albeit now powered by electric blower rather than bellows, in a building from the late Middle Ages. I wrought (after all, the word only means worked) mild steel through the use of hammers, chisels and anvil and I still have some wall lamps that I made. I have no doubt that my tutor could have easily made those harp balustrades and, perhaps with a lot more practice, so could I. So, the skill is there for people able to pay.
Of course, every village would have had a forge; towns would have many. However, the industrial revolution was the death knell for many of them because you could now buy the plough, the pot, the fire dogs, so much cheaper than from the local man. There was still a need for a forge in terms of farriers and local farmers but the demand was low. It went even lower with the widespread use of tractors and cars and, indeed, many forges went from horse- based to engine-based with several garages near me still named Forge Garage to remind us.
The last 30 (?) years seems to have seen a resurgence of blacksmithing because, I’m guessing, there are people who want something almost unique to them, handmade by an expert and that will last forever. Long may that continue - perhaps we are in the second Arts and Crafts movement!
That’s another wittering from me. It’s pouring with rain here but the dogs (both spaniels) are impatient for their walk. They love the rain and the mud on the fields just as much I despair of it. Have a good week to both my readers!
Hi Theo, thanks as always for the perspective. Stay dry.
Love your energy and love love love your content!
Thank you so much!!
Absolutely amazing!
Thanks!
Thx Brent!
Why is it that wrought iron is not available today?
I have a 1953 House w/ Hopes windows. If I had a dollar for everything I've been told they needed to be replaced...
Wrought iron is available but very expensive and hard to find.
Thanks for keeping your windows!
Commercial Production of Wrought Iron ended in the 1950's, replaced by modern steels which are less expensive to manufacture. Wrought Iron is available as reclaimed material. Two firms in England, The Real Wrought Iron Company and Special Steel Sections LTD, both produce and remanufacture genuine wrought iron metal. Because the supply is quite limited, wrought iron is much more costly per pound than bronze, brass or stainless steels so it is generally only used in very special restoration work by architectural blacksmiths.
Awesome!!! The expert weighs in!! Thanks Doug for clarifying.
Thanks Brent, another good one!
Glad you enjoyed it
I am surprised the owner can even remove the wrought iron in a historic home. In my city, a historic designation on a home means that any changes are very strict and needs approval from the city.
interesting. Thanks for sharing.
That staircase is so beautiful. I love the balusters, but also the wrap around risers and bullnose instead of an open outside skirt board. Can you tell me what that is called? or do you have any videos on that? Also, I was looking for the 2nd video in your stair series, the one that is suppose to be on Arts and Crafts stairs.
Never mind on the video, I just found it. But would still like more info on the wrap around risers if you have any.
It is an historic detail that was common in the Georgian era. Thanks.