| |
|
| |
|
| |
The
Design and Craftsmanship of Ironwork |
| |
|
| |
Photo
by Janet Koenig Picnich |
As
an iron craftsman, artist and designer Carl Close Jr. has made it
a life long passion to thoroughly research the ancient forgotten
skills of the master blacksmiths of past ages, out of this he created
a style which is entirely his own.
Carl started this study of antique ironwork at the age of ten years old
in his fathers timber frame forge. Twenty seven years have past and Carl’s
skills have earned him not only the ability to look inside the head of
the craftsman that made the historic wrought iron, but also he gained the
experience to design and execute ironwork with the same spirit and vocabulary
as the original metalwork of the early twentieth century. |
| |
Photo
by Janet Koenig Picnich
|
Because of his efforts of study he is creating true works of art in
metal that are as beautiful as the works of past periods, with
the same message for future generations.
|
| |
|
| |
History |
| |
|
| |
The
craft of the blacksmith is rich in traditions that reach back to
the dawn of mankind. These metalworking skills are just as vital
today as they were in those early times when hardware stores & home
improvement centers didn’t exist. The fire, hammer & anvil
are still the essential tools for creating INVESTMENT
QUALITY IRONWORK! In the Middle Ages and later in the
renaissance fine craftsmanship was much more appreciated. Artists
were people of distinction and importance to every person, especially
to nobility and the affluent. The need for talented ironworkers to
forge their wrought iron gates and balustrades for their distinguished
homes is proof of the blacksmiths social stature and power.
Much later in the arts and crafts period from 1897 to the 1920’s
the appreciation for handicraft skills was reborn. The decorative arts
or “lesser arts“ as they were called then became highly fashionable
to the upper class ,thanks to the efforts of the Society of Arts and Crafts
Boston. Such crafts as pottery, wood carving, book making, stained glass
and tile making were all popular, as a result Hand forged wrought ironwork
made a well deserved return to decorative and architectural applications.
Newly emigrated European master blacksmiths such as Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia,
Fredrick Krasser and Frank Koralewsky of
Boston as well as Cyril
Colnik of Milwaukee
and Martin Rose of Cleveland convinced the architects of the day that masterful
wrought iron could again
be forged with the same finesse and detail as the masters of antiquity.
Architects such as Ralph Adams Cram, Bertram Goodhue, Wilson Eyre, Mellor
and Meigs and the great firm
of
Mckim, Mead and White all specified hand forged wrought ironwork on their
landmark buildings. |
| |
Samuel Yellin
|
The great ironwork master Samuel Yellin was once quoted as saying:
” Hand forged Ironwork is the Salt &Pepper of Architecture”!
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Definitions
of Traditional Blacksmithing Techniques |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Forge
Weld |
| |
Forge welding
is an ancient way of joining two pieces of iron together by heating
the iron bars together to a white heat in a coal fired forge. After
welding heat is reached the bars are removed quickly from the fire
and hammered together with light and fast blows. It takes many years
of practice to perform this process effectively. Flux is a borax
based compound which is sometimes used to seal the heated surface
of the iron from oxygen and iron oxide scale which could prevent
a weld from being successful. |
| |
|
| |
Collars |
| |
The
collar is not only an integral part of ironwork but it is also a
decorative part as well. Collars are bands of iron used to grip two
or more members together and are held together by pressure. Some
collars are extremely ornate made in the shape of moldings and some
with decorative chisel work incised on the surface. Other collars
are made of triangle, oval and half oval cross sections. |
| |
|
| |
Twist |
| |
Twisting
is a method of ornamenting a square cross sectioned bar by heating
a measured length of material and turning the free end evenly until
the tightness of the spiral is reached. Many different decorative
effects can be achieved by incising the surface with a number of
lines or patterns which can add detail and interest to the overall
feel of the finished piece. |
| |
|
| |
Scrolls |
| |
Scroll
work in traditional ironwork is used more often than any other
component. The beauty of a scroll depends upon its proportions.
Scrolls are
long bars of metal that have been hammered into many different
styles of terminations, and then curled into spirals
with "S" or "C" configurations.
The best scroll is made by hand with precision hammering and
superior eye & hand coordination.
|
| |
|
| |
Chamfering & Piercing |
| |
The
chamfering process can be achieved with a hammer by using overlapping
blows on the corner of any stock with an angle not exceeding 30 degrees.
Filing is another way of accomplishing this process especially on small
pieces such as locks and hardware. This process adds to the decorative
quality of the piece as well as softening any sharp edges and adds
light catching quality and interest. Piercing is basically the removal
of pieces of material to create negative space of a design in sheet
metal. This can be accomplished by use of chisel and hammer or with
a fine toothed jewelers saw and then filed to define the design. |
| |
|
| |
Upsetting |
| |
This
is an ancient technique that adds mass to bars. It is accomplished
by heating a cross section of a bar and hammering the end or bouncing
it off the anvil to create swelling in the area that has been heated
to a white heat. It is then finished either by hammering the surface
of or with the use of a rasp while the iron is hot. Right angle bends
with sharp 90 degree corners do not come natural to iron when bent.
There is a need to add mass to the rounded corner of the bend as
a result upsetting is the practical solution to help alleviate this
problem., |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Splitting |
| |
Dividing
iron into either even or uneven sections for scrolls or basket twists
can be achieved by splitting A very sharp broad chisel or hot cut
tool is used to sever the material while the metal is hot. A hot
cut is a tool that has a handle and looks similar to a thin axe and
is used to cut into the hot metal by striking the top part with a
hand hammer |
| |
|
| |
Fullering |
| |
Fullering
is a term that means , to create deep concave grooves in the surface
of iron either crossways or parallel to the stock. The tool that
is used to do this process is called a Fuller, the tool looks like
a blunt ax with a smooth rounded edge. This implement is used by
holding it on the iron and struck with a hammer to sink the blunt
edge into the hot metal. There is a companion tool that is used in
conjunction with the hand held tool, it is called a bottom Fuller,
It is held in a square hole in the anvil. Fullering tools can be
used to change the cross section and control spreading of the stock.
These tools together can also be used to neck down stock or create
deep concave grooves around the circumference of the stock. |
| |
|
| |
REPOUSSE |
| |
Repousse
is a process that is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The art
form dates back to the dawn of metalworking. Every known ethnic
group
of people has used this process to enhance sheet metal surfaces
with modeled and raised designs. The term REPOUSSE is derived
from the
French verb repousser literally "to push again;"Simply
put repousse is the art of raising a design in relief on sheet metal
by working from the back of the material with small punches that
are struck with light weight hammers.
CHASING
is a term that is Sometimes associated with and is often confused
as the process of repousse.
But chasing is the modeling and sculpting of the front surfaces
of sheet metal with the use of punches and hammers as well as
the use
of matting tools. These punches are used to create textured surfaces
on the metal. It is essential in repousse that the metal has
some form of backing material while the embossing is taking place
to prevent
it from caving in. Some types of backing material that can be
used include pitch which is a resin based substance that is held
in a
cast iron bowl and the metal is fixed to it while it is worked.
Pitch is a excellent backing for copper brass and thin steel
sheet. Lead
is another backing material that works especially well for work
in iron and steel sheet metal.
For
REPOUSSE to be done masterfully it
takes many years of training and practice. Sheet metal details
that adorn master piece locks and jewel chests are some of
the outstanding
examples of repousse in historical ironwork A very refined
raised decoration in a variety of forms comprising of acanthus
leaves,
husks, masks, festoons, were used in the masterful style of
the French baroque,
and in the English ironwork of the17th& 18th century and can still
be duplicated today using the same tools and techniques by experienced
master blacksmiths. |
| |
|
| |
LEAF
WORK |
| |
Decorative
iron uses many forms of ornament. The most beautiful and naturally
alluring are the organic forms of the forged leaf and embossed
sheet metal leafwork.The forged leaf is an ancient organic form
that is
forged directly from the bar of iron. It can be very simplistic
or highly ornate with chased and incised lines and details.
The
Water
leaf is another style of leaf that is used in English ironwork.
Its design may have come from Italy and went through a long
process of
development. Historically it was not sheet metal foliage but
a forged leaf formed and fire welded to a scroll or bar stock
in
the shape
of a single rippled leaf or double leaves sometimes called husks.TheEnglish
preferred these leaves because they suited the harsh wet climate
and were more stable than the repousse sheet metal acanthus leaves
of France which were formed of thin sheet iron.
Undoubtedly
the most beautiful and voluptuous of all leaf work are the embossed
sheet
metal acanthus leaves of the Baroque and Rococo period. To
execute
such Floral ornament takes great skill and dexterity. The process
involves the use of many different types of special hammers
called raising hammers and other tools that are held in a vice,
called
forming stakes. These tools resemble rounded blunt metal
chisels of different
widths and radiuses. The stakes are used to raise up ridges
and make the leaf blank take on a more life like appearance.
It
takes many
hours of precise hammering to produce just one of these types
of leaves.
The
final step is a process called PLANSHING. This process
involves smoothing out the surface by hammering the leaf with even
glancing hammer blows over a round ball shaped stake. After the
leaf is planished it is then riveted to the scroll or bar stock.
Most
often these leaves are finished with gold gilding to add a dramatic
effect, or they were painted with vivid polychrome or paint which
also added richness to the over all color scheme and elegance!
[Top] |
