Decorative Hardware

The techniques of blacksmithing can be divided into 4 separate categories.  These categories are forging, welding, heat treating, and finishing.  Although we can look at these as separate categories, a combination of these processes are required to create any one product. Some examples include wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative hardware, religious items, cooking utensils, horse shoes and weapons.

Forging, also known as Sculpting, is the process of using heat to make metal more pliable so that it can be hammered or shaped into the desired specifications.  During this process it is important to attain the required temperature before beginning to shape your metal.  The correct forging temperature is usually characterized by a yellow-orange glow from the metal to be worked. A number of different methods can be used to sculpt the metal, some of them are drawing, shrinking, bending, upsetting, and punching.

Welding is the process of Joining two separate pieces of metal.  Forge welding is a very difficult technique to master and should only be attempted by master blacksmiths.  Modern welding techniques are much easier to use and can be much stronger is done properly.

 Heat Treating is a process used to infuse the iron with carbon molecules to strengthen the iron. Steel is a form of heat treated iron. The slower the iron is cooled the more carbon is allowed to be absorbed and the more brittle the steel will be.  High carbon steel is much more brittle than low carbon steel.  High carbon steel is commonly used for tools and heavy equipment because it will not bend easily allowing for sharp edges to remain sharp longer and heavy loads to be moved without distorting the shape of your tools.  Low carbon steels are more commonly used for things that need to be more flexible and not break such as steel cables.

Finishing is a general term used to describe the final stage of creation.  In this process abrasive files, papers, and stones are used to remove rough edges, wire brushes and wheels are used to polish surfaces, and finally paints, oils, waxes, and heat is applied to achieve the desired look and protect the metal from corrosion.

The city of St. Paul Mn. had purchased an old Queen Anne home 5 years ago that was about ready to be condemned, but luckily for all involved with trying to save it from the wrecking ball, a large group of concerned citizens raised enough money so that the whole house could be renovated from top to bottom.  It was a part of history dating back over 200 years ago,  and tearing it down was not an option.

Can you imagine taking on a project like that from start to finish?  Every little detail was done over or rebuilt with precise care.  If something was too damaged to be restored, it was replaced.  We were even able to find a blacksmithing company that specialized in restoration hardware that was used for the old door knobs and hinges.  After it was all said and done, the old house stood out like a queens castle so beautiful and strong.  The city allowed tours of the old place to show part of its heritage from days gone by and in the near future received an award taking first place from the states historical society.  Maybe now she’ll live on for another 200 years.

 I followed the directions on the old tattered map precisely for 7 years now.  I’ve been trying to locate this particular treasure without much luck, but today was different, for I’m quite sure that I finally mastered decoding the text which was written in an effort to confuse anyone that happened to find it.  A Spanish ship carrying gold and silver bullion was sent to the New World by orders of the King about the middle of the 16th century, but was suddenly pirated and sunk when it neared the Virgin islands.  The murdering thieves managed to extract some of the ships precious cargo taking it to a nearby island before they were brought to justice and executed on the same island.

Because the island was so flat, it didn’t take me long to figure out that the pirates would have hidden the treasure as high up as possible, thus protecting it from high tides and ocean storms.  Hidden in a thick jungle on a small knob I found a very crude and worn out structure that looked like had been made of old planks from possibly a ships deck.  The exterior door had a rusty old but strong surface bolt that I managed to break after several tries.  There it was, the pirates ill-gotten treasure!  The chests were marked with a forbidding skull that was used as a warning of the consequenses to anyone that would even think of taking them.  Warning or not, they were now mine!

Blacksmithing is arguably the single most influential proffession in history.  Ancient man used primitive methods to shape the first iron tools, thus bringing mankind to a new era, The Bronze Age.  Since that time, most major inventions have been built upon our ability to shape and change metals.  Throughout history metal has been the number one choice for creating everyday things that we use. 

The everyday things that we use may have changed, but the medium has not.  We no longer need swords or arrowheads, sheilds of spears,  but there are a number of things that we do need: Automobiles, silverware, factory equipment.  True, these more modern metal objects are not made by traditional blacksmithing methods, however the modern pocesses were inspired by these traditional methods. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anything that is made with traditional methods, however, the artistic appeal of this long streching history is not entirely lost.  One of the most commonly forged items today is decorative hardware for your home.  One can find everything from forged cabinet knobs and pulls to forged iron door hardware online. We dont need to lose touch with our primitive past.  Bring this artistic beauty back in to your home and dont forget where we came from.

My cousin lives on a huge cattle ranch located in eastern Wyoming.  He invites me to come visit him every year, along with some other relatives for a couple of weeks each summer.  I always enjoy this visit because it gets me away from city life and is very stress free and relaxing.  It usually takes me a long day to make the drive, but is worth every minute.  My visit this time would include horseback riding, nature walks, a little bit of stream fishing and maybe a card game in the evening over a cold beer.

This ranch of his, if you can believe it is 6 square miles of flat to gently rolling terrain mostly covered with sagebrush and willows near the creek bottoms.  The wildlife here abounds with deer, elk moose, coyote, fox, different species of songbirds and many other animals too numerous to mention.  After a long walk of taking pictures all day, I was fairly tired and finished unpacking my belongings in the room that was so gratefully provided for me.  Every thing about my cousins place had a special sentimental kind of feel, including the drawer pulls used to pull open my dresser.  Having the window to my room slightly opened, I could hear the coyotes off in the near distance serenading the ranch as I slowly fell asleep that night dreaming wonderful thoughts about the days end.  I could hardly wait for tomorrow.

I decided that maybe it was time to do something a little different this week and made plans to go on a tour of an old long forgotten ghost town.  It was about a 2 hour drive from my home in Montana, but well worth the beautiful scenery along the way.  Our tour bus brought us right to the front entrance of this historic place, where an old weathered log gate welcomed any visitor that happened by.

As we all got off the bus, I couldn’t help but notice the old rustic iron strap hinge that was attached to the gate itself, hand crafted from some hardworking blacksmith who had lived here long ago.  Our tour guide took us past many little shops and homes where folks lived a simple and hardworking lifestyle.  On our ride home, I reflected how nice it would be to be able to live in some respects like those folks did long ago.

Ever been down and out with nothing but the negative side of life hitting you over and over from day to day?  Boy, do I know the feeling!  I’ve been laid off for a 6 months now with a family to support and with the never ending bills that never seem to quit piling up,  I just could’t handle it anymore.  Last week while I was at the local convenience store buying some groceries, I decided that maybe I should try purchasing a state lottery ticket  just for the heck of it.   Returning to the store a couple of days later, the cashier informed me that there had been a winner and maybe that I should check out my ticket.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when all the numbers on my ticket matched the winning draw!  The amount won was $110,000.00 before Uncle Sam’s take!

Wow, my life had just taken a positive swing upwards, a break that was very much needed.  After paying off all our outstanding bills, we actually had some spending money left over.  My wife being the good woman that she is, got the rest of the winnings and went shopping the next couple of days for some new furniture and bathroom accessories.  What got delivered the next day was one of the most beautiful vintage style bathtubs I had ever seen!  I guess maybe life can make one of those 90 degree turns.  Hopefully it can happen for you too!

I guess my curiosity was getting the better of me.  For about a year now I had been walking to the university every day since parking there was always a problem.  I would always walk by this one area of town that was a good part industrialized, and so I could hear all sorts of different sounds coming from the machines that made them.  But there was this one particular sound that was different than all the rest, for it had sort of a beat to it.

It came from a large metal type pole barn that had the business name of “Iron Man” written in big black letters displayed above the front door.  This time instead of walking by like I always had done, I decided to check out just what was making that rythmatic pound.  I walked straight to the front of the building and after knocking on a heavy metal front door, was soon greeted by a large bald-headed man wearing a thick leather apron that covered half his body.

After greeting each other, he proceeded to tell me that he was a professional blacksmith that had been taught by his father years ago.  I couldn’t believe the beautiful pieces of handcrafted iron that came from the blows of his hammer.  Each piece was so unique.  His bench was filled with wrought iron cabinet hardware that would make any door or set of drawers stand out above all others.  His display also included exterior gate hinges and rugged cane bolts.  He was truly a gifted craftsman in a forgotten trade.