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I Forge Iron

Pentrene

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  1. Thanks everyone for your advice. I think there may be some clues in what you say. I'll look for WI in farm implements, rely more on firescale and so on. I think you are right in some of the original metal not being of the best quality, so there are pits etc even in new work. I haven't tried etching so any experience there might be useful. The reason I am being fussy is that I am sometimes faced with the problem of repairing something or making a replica of an exisiting strap hinge. Trying to produce something that doesn't look so obviously new or faked is the challenge. Just to be clear, I'm not in the business of trying to deceive for monetary gain - collecting very old furniture is one of my interests and I often get them with much of the ironwork either missing or replaced with very makeshift parts that just don't look right. Thanks Pentrene
  2. I have a particular interest in medieval decorative and domestic ironwork. Over the years I have acquired a number of samples, such as elborate strap hinges for lids of chests, lockplates, and have tried to replicate examples of these. I can get the shape and thickness about right on the anvil and with file, but the problem is always the finish and final appearance of the surface metal. Genuine medieval ironwork did not have that artificial appearance that was popularised some years ago using a ball pein hammer to emphasize the idea that this work was hand-made. On the genuine article marks of the hammer were few, and edges have a softened appearance - but not hammered. The surface often has irregular pittings that look like faults in the metal itself, and where there has been rusting, the pitting is very varied and sometimes deep. Does anyone have experience of trying to reproduce this appearance ? I have tried starting with mild steel and with wrought iron, but the surface always ends up looking either too even textured or too contrived. Do I really need to begin work with deeply rusted stock? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Pentrene
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