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