Hand-Forging and Wrought-Iron Ornamental Work
5/5
()
About this ebook
Read more from Thomas F. Googerty
Practical Forging and Art Smithing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDecorative Wrought Ironwork Projects for Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDrop-Forgings - Tenth Edition - July 1901 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Hand-Forging and Wrought-Iron Ornamental Work
Related ebooks
Wrought Ironwork - A Manual of Instruction for Rural Craftsmen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Blacksmith's Craft - An Introduction To Smithing For Apprentices And Craftsmen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPractical Blacksmithing - A Collection of Articles Contributed at Different Times by Skilled Workmen to the Columns of "The Blacksmith and Wheelwright": Covering Nearly the Whole Range of Blacksmithing from the Simplest Job of Work to Some of the Most Complex Forgings - Volume I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDrop-Forging Dies and Die-Sinking Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blacksmith Shop Practice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForge-Practice - Elementary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forging of Iron and Steel - A Text Book for the Use of Students in Colleges, Secondary Schools and the Shop Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlacksmithing: Blacksmithing For Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPractical Metal Plate Work - With Numerous Engravings and Diagrams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Notes for Forge Shop Practice - A Course for High Schools Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Theory and Practice of Art-Enamelling Upon Metals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHigh-Speed and Carbon Tool Steels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForging - Instruction Paper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlacksmithing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPractical Blacksmithing - A Collection of Articles Contributed at Different Times by Skilled Workmen to the Columns of "The Blacksmith and Wheelwright": Covering Nearly the Whole Range of Blacksmithing from the Simplest Job of Work to Some of the Most Complex Forgings - Volume III Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFarm Blacksmithing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMachine Blacksmithing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Sculpture Welding: From Concept to Creation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHardening and Tempering Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIronwork - Part I - From the Earliest Times to the End of the Mediaeval Period Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Metalwork and Enamelling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Home Improvement For You
World's Best Life Hacks: 200 Ingenious Ways to Use Everyday Objects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Feng Shui Modern Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elements of Style: Designing a Home & a Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story to Spark Joy in Life, Work and Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love at First: A fun and heartwarming romance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hygge Home Habits: The Art of Nordic Simplicity and Coziness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Guide to Nautical Knots Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrder from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daily Minimalism: 21 Life-Changing Meditations on Simplicity and Clutter-Free Living: The Daily Learner, #4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Car Basics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Affordable Interior Design: High-End Tips for Any Budget Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Small Apartment Hacks: 101 Ingenious DIY Solutions for Living, Organizing and Entertaining Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Live Beautiful Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Messy Minimalism: Realistic Strategies for the Rest of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All You Need Is Less: The Eco-friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pure and Simple: How to Simplify Your Life, Do Less, and Get More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sustainable Minimalism: Zero Waste Living. Habits, Decluttering and Design for a Simpler and Authentic Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Book of Clean: Tips & Techniques for Your Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Upholstery Bible: Complete Step-by-Step Techniques for Professional Results Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDecluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mindful Art of Space Making Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related categories
Reviews for Hand-Forging and Wrought-Iron Ornamental Work
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Hand-Forging and Wrought-Iron Ornamental Work - Thomas F. Googerty
Hand-Wrought Andirons
HAND FORGING
And Wrought-Iron
Ornamental Work
By
THOMAS F. GOOGERTY
With Numerous Illustrations from
Photographs and Drawings
by the Author
Copyright © 2013 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be
reproduced or copied in any way without
the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library
Metal Work
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large-scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewellery. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills, processes, and tools. The oldest archaeological evidence of copper mining and working was the discovery of a copper pendant in northern Iraq from 8,700 BC, and the oldest gold artefacts in the world come from the Bulgarian Varna Necropolis and date from 4450BC. As time progressed, metal objects became more common, and ever more complex. The need to further acquire and work metals grew in importance. Fates and economies of entire civilizations were greatly affected by the availability of metals and metalsmiths. The metalworker depends on the extraction of precious metals to make jewellery, buildings, electronics and industrial applications, such as shipping containers, rail, and air transport. Without metals, goods and services would cease to move around the globe with the speed and scale we know today.
One of the more common types of metal worker, is an iron worker – who erect (or even dismantle) the structural steel framework of pre-engineered metal buildings. This can even stretch to gigantic stadiums and arenas, hospitals, towers, wind turbines and bridges. Historically ironworkers mainly worked with wrought iron, but today they utilize many different materials including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, glass, concrete and composites. Ironworkers also unload, place and tie reinforcing steel bars (rebar) as well as install post-tensioning systems, both of which give strength to the concrete used in piers, footings, slabs, buildings and bridges. Such labourers are also likely to finish buildings by erecting curtain wall and window wall systems, precast concrete and stone, stairs and handrails, metal doors, sheeting and elevator fronts – performing any maintenance necessary.
During the early twentieth century, steel buildings really gained in popularity. Their use became more widespread during the Second World War and significantly expanded after the war when steel became more available. This construction method has been widely accepted, in part due to cost efficiency, yet also because of the vast range of application – expanded with improved materials and computer-aided design. The main advantages of steel over wood, are that steel is a ‘green’ product, structurally sound and manufactured to strict specifications and tolerances, and 100% recyclable. Steel also does not warp, buckle, twist or bend, and is therefore easy to modify and maintain, as well as offering design flexibility. Whilst these advantages are substantial, from aesthetic as well as financial points of view, there are some down-sides to steel construction. It conducts heat 310 times more efficiently than wood, and faulty aspects of the design process can lead to the corrosion of the iron and steel components – a costly problem.
Sheet metal, often used to cover buildings in such processes, is metal formed by an industrial process into thin, flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed with sheet metal, including bikes, lampshades, kitchen utensils, car and aeroplane bodies and all manner of industrial / architectural items. The thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional, non-linear measure known as its gauge; the larger the gauge number, the thinner the metal. Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 8 gauge. There are many different metals that can be made into sheet metal, such as aluminium, brass, copper, steel, tin, nickel and titanium, with silver, gold and platinum retaining their importance for decorative uses. Historically, an important use of sheet metal was in plate armour worn by cavalry, and sheet metal continues to have many ornamental uses, including in horse tack. Sheet metal workers are also known as ‘tin bashers’ (or ‘tin knockers’), a name derived from the hammering of panel seams when installing tin roofs.
There are many different forming processes for this type of metal, including ‘bending’ (a manufacturing process that produces a V-shape, U-shape, or channel shape along a straight axis in ductile materials), ‘decambering’ (a process of removing camber, or horizontal bend, from strip shaped materials), ‘spinning’ (where a disc or tube of metal is rotated at high speed and formed into an axially symmetric part) and ‘hydroforming.’ This latter technique is one of the most commonly used industrial methods; a cost-effective method of shaping metals into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces. One of the largest applications of hydroforming is in the automotive industry, which makes use of the complex shapes possible, to produce stronger, lighter, and more rigid body-work, especially with regards to the high-end sports car industry.
One of the most important, and widely incorporating roles in metalwork, comes with the welding of all this steel, iron and sheet metal together. ‘Welders’ have a range of options to accomplish such welds, including forge welding (where the metals are heated to an intense yellow or white colour) or more modern methods such as arc welding (which uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point). Any foreign material in the weld, such as the oxides or ‘scale’ that typically form in the fire, can weaken it and potentially cause it to fail. Thus the mating surfaces to be joined must be kept clean. To this end a welder will make sure the fire is a reducing fire: a fire where at the heart there is a great deal of heat and very little oxygen. The expert will also carefully shape the mating faces so that as they are brought together foreign material is squeezed out as the metal is joined. Without the proper precautions, welding and metalwork more generally can be a dangerous and unhealthy practice, and therefore only the most skilled practitioners are usually employed.
As is evident from this incredibly brief introduction, metalwork, and metalworkers more broadly, have been, and still are – integral to society as we know it. Most of our modern buildings are constructed using metal. The boats, aeroplanes, ships, trains and bikes that we travel on are constructed via metalwork, and mining, metal forming and welding have provided jobs for thousands of workers. It is a tough, often dangerous, but incredibly important field. We hope the reader enjoys this book.
Preface
REALIZING a demand for an inexpensive text-book on the subject of hand-wrought ornamental ironwork, this volume is offered to instructors in manual training, students, professional workers and others interested in this fascinating handicraft. While it deals largely with interior ironwork, it shows also the constructive principles of ornamental hand-forging and points out the guiding principles and methods which underlie all forge work.
That the amateur may more readily understand the principles involved, a number of designs and drawings, made by the author while teaching decorative ironwork, with instructions for working them out, have been incorporated in the text. These, it is hoped, will prove of value in stimulating original work. Most of the photographic reproductions contained in this volume represent specimens executed by pupils under the direction of
THE AUTHOR.
Pontiac, Illinois.
Table of Contents
Chapter I
Introductory. The Spirit of Decorating. History of Ornamental Ironwork. Beauty, Strength and Pliability Combined. Correct Principles in Designing. Mere Ornament not Decoration. Decorative Value of Curves and Lines. The Inspiration of Art and Nature
Chapter II
Equipment. The Forge. Fuel. The Fire. Heating. Materials Used in Forging: Wrought Iron. Mild Steel. Tool Steel. Tools and How to Make Them. Hammers and the Anvil. How to Draw the Iron
Chapter III
Working at the Forge. Various Processes Described. Upsetting. Ramming. Punching. Bending. Solid Forgings. Shrinking Bands
Chapter IV
Various Forms of Welding. Scarf Welding. Lap Welding. T Welding with Round Iron. T, Corner and Cross Welding with Flat or Square Stock
Chapter V
Welding (Concluded). Jump Welding. Butt Welding. Welding Rings. Chains. Brazing
Chapter VI
Twisting, etc. Various Forms of Twist. Spirals. The Bulb. Balls and Cubes. Banding. Riveting
Chapter VII
Scrollwork. Various Methods of Shaping and Working Scrolls. How the Drawings are Made. Grilles. Welded Scrollwork
Chapter VIII
Box Forging. Two Methods Explained. Various Styles of Bases Illustrated
Chapter IX
Embossing. Forms in Relief. Leaf and Other Ornamental Forms. Special Tools.