blacksmithing
What makes “wrought iron” wrought? Do blacksmiths melt metal? Is a welder a blacksmith? These are questions we get all the time at Perakis Ironworks Group (PIG), so this is intended to remove the confusion and allow you to get onto choosing the design that works best for you!
A blacksmith is someone who, among other things, “forges” metal -a process that usually takes place at the anvil where solid metal is heated and hammered to move it like clay. A blacksmith rarely melts metal, instead it is sculpted as a solid and allowed to cool, retaining its shape. It’s from this process that “wrought iron” got its name. Originally the name of a type of iron material, the term most often refers to any forged iron or steel products. Due to the unique handmade and historical nature of the process, wrought articles are uniquely strong compared to fabricated or cast counterparts. Additionally, hand forging contributes to the gestalt of a piece; the nature of the forging process is something that results in a distinction in the work that can’t be replicated by other processes.
In a foundry, castings can be made by melting metal completely and pouring it into a form. While we don’t produce our own castings on site, we contract with foundries around the United States to produce custom castings with patterns owned by PIG. Finally, a welder is someone who joins metal together by welding to construct a larger object. Welding is typically done with an electric arc and joins metal by melting it locally, joining parts into a single structure.
At PIG, we take advantage of forging, casting, and welding/fabrication techniques to provide custom solutions to our clients’ architectural ironwork needs. Oftentimes, a combination of processes is the best way to produce a quality product at an affordable price.