When
heated until nearly white hot, steel becomes soft enough to be shaped and moved
by hammering it on an anvil;
the forging process. Careful use of different shaped hammers and well
aimed blows allow the smith to control the direction and extent the metal
moves. This gives forged steel a rich natural texture
and a three dimensional, sculpture like quality. Some stages in this process are
shown below
This
is the shape that will be forged; an organic form often seen in Art Nouveau work
such as stained glass.
Forging
starts with heating a flat wide strip of steel which is tapered to a blunt point
using a power hammer,
this results in a series of steps as the taper is formed.
Soft
blows with a hand hammer
smooth out the steps and also move the taper off to one side
A
notch is formed just behind the evolving shape. This helps to isolate and preserve
the previous work as the stem of the shape is forged
Heavy
blow on the power hammer
quickly thin the bar to start forming the stem. By now the embryonic shape can
be seen on the bar end.
Not
only is the stem narrowed but it is also widened sideways. Note also the jagged
steps as the the stem meets the "shape". This can be seen better when
the mouse is rolled over the image.
Careful
hammering blends the stem into, and helps define, the "shape"
The
stem is hammered so the it has more of a D section, matching the hand rail it
will eventually join to. The rollover image shows this
Now
the "shape" is refined by careful hand hammering. Note the texture,
sometimes this will be left as is, however for this work it will be smoothed out
by rapid soft blows. A process known as planishing
This
images shows the almost completed shape. Note the ducks bill ending shown in the
rollover image.
The
finished shape is now welded onto the handrail. Electric welds are rather ugly
but very strong. The bar is then reheated and the lumpy weld hammered smooth so
the join is almost indistinguishable.
The
bar is then bent round to give the desired form
