| Wrought iron furniture is an antique form of | | | | enough to melt the iron completely, so a spongy |
| furniture design that has never gone out of style. | | | | mass is produced containing iron and silicates from |
| There is a wide range of products available such | | | | the ore, called iron bloom, which is how the |
| as beds, chairs and tables, patio furniture, and | | | | technique gets its name. The bloom is then |
| small accent items such as pot racks, towel bars, | | | | manually worked to remove the slag and |
| shelf brackets, fireplace accents, hat and coat | | | | impurities, giving rise to the term "wrought", as |
| racks, and more. It is possible to decorate with | | | | the iron was pounded, twisted, and folded. |
| the elegance of wrought iron design everywhere | | | | Hammering a piece of wrought iron compacts the |
| in your home. | | | | fibers, increasing the strength of the product, |
| There are many styles of iron bed frames | | | | though it lacks the carbon content necessary for |
| available, such as American and European antique | | | | heat-tempering. During this process, many thin |
| reproductions, modern and custom designs, as | | | | layers of slag are mixed into the metal, producing |
| well as cribs and cradles, childrens' beds and | | | | a distinct "grain", and a fibrous appearance when |
| daybeds. | | | | broken or bent. Old, rusted pieces of wrought iron |
| Some companies specialize in restoring real | | | | have a very distinct grain and resemble |
| antique cast iron furniture, since items made of | | | | reddish-brown wood. |
| this durable material exist dating back to the | | | | Producing iron by hand in a bloomery was a slow, |
| 1700s and 1800s. Since bed sizes used to be | | | | small-scale and labor-intensive process. Iron |
| smaller, original twin and full size beds can be | | | | production began on a much larger scale with the |
| converted to king and queen sizes. Many of these | | | | introduction of blast furnaces, which date back to |
| antiques are canopy beds, exotic and stylish, | | | | approximately 1100 to 1300 in Europe. These |
| especially if draped in fabrics to match the decor | | | | furnaces produce bars of pig iron, a brittle |
| of the bedroom. | | | | compound with a high carbon content. By the |
| The term ?wrought? is the archaic past tense of | | | | 1750s, a number of oxides had been discovered |
| the verb to work. As the English language | | | | to remove the carbon as carbon dioxide, similar |
| changed over time, the word has been changed | | | | to the process in a bloomery. Because blast |
| to "worked". Therefore, wrought iron literally | | | | furnaces completely melt the iron, the metal can |
| means "worked iron". The process of making | | | | be molded into cast iron products at this stage. |
| these products is quite precise and complicated. | | | | However, cast iron is too brittle to be worked |
| Some mass-produced, light-weight ornamental | | | | into shapes as is possible with wrought iron. |
| metal work is not made of iron, but is actually | | | | Wrought iron would be further processed by |
| milled steel. | | | | faggoting, a method whereby the iron bars would |
| True wrought iron is a very pure form of | | | | be bundled together like sticks of firewood and |
| commercial iron with a low carbon content. It is | | | | hammered into one piece, just as iron was |
| tough, bendable and easy to weld. It is too soft | | | | worked by hand in medieval times. Each time the |
| to be made into high-quality knives or swords, | | | | iron was folded and stretched, it became a bit |
| and rusts easily. For the purpose of | | | | stronger. Wrought iron which had been faggoted |
| weapon-making, societies which discovered how | | | | twice was referred to as "Best", and had a tensile |
| to carbonize iron and mix it with other metals to | | | | strength of 23 tons per square inch; if faggoted |
| make steel had a great advantage in warfare | | | | again it would become "Best Best", then "Treble |
| over their more primitive neighbors. Because | | | | best" with a strength of 28 tons per square inch. |
| wrought iron is a more basic and universal | | | | With each processing, impurities would form as |
| product, it is the "iron" referred to throughout | | | | long thin inclusions, just as with hammering. |
| history. | | | | Due to the unique grain of wrought iron, it is |
| Archeologists find evidence of iron smelting as far | | | | difficult to work with; like wood, if stressed too |
| back as 3000 BC in China. Wrought iron was | | | | much, it will split along the grain. Working with |
| originally made by a method called bloomery. | | | | wrought iron is an art form that can take years |
| Bloomeries employed small charcoal smelters, | | | | to perfect. Unlike mass-produced milled steel |
| often pots or ladles, into which iron ore (iron | | | | items, a wrought iron product is a piece of art. |
| oxide, or rusted iron) was placed and covered | | | | Wrought iron can be painted in any color, and |
| with a thin layer of charcoal. The charcoal was lit | | | | many manufacturers do custom painting and |
| and air was blown onto it with a bellows, causing | | | | design. Cast iron can be formed into any shape, |
| the ore to melt partially. During this process, the | | | | so if you have a design or picture you want |
| oxygen atoms would be released from the iron | | | | replicated, bring it to a cast iron shop and they will |
| to bind with the carbon in the charcoal, releasing | | | | work the image into your furniture. Buying |
| carbon dioxide which would bubble away. | | | | wrought iron will give you a unique piece of |
| Therefor, little of the carbon entered the melted | | | | furniture, and helps support local artisans and |
| iron. | | | | industries. |
| Using this old method, the fire does not get hot | | | | |