Village Squire, 1979-12, Page 15You can tell if steel is bent cold by looking at the inside of the
bent area --it puckers slightly. The outside of the bent area looks
slightly stretched.
Jim's only objection to these companies is when they try to
make it look as if the product they are selling is hand forged
(using heat.) He said, "Look closely at the fireplace sets. There
are even marks on it to imitate a blacksmith's pounding."
Jim thinks his work is more valuable because it is hand made.
He explains, "I'm not building paper furniture or plastic chairs. I
want it to last forever. Everyone wants to be remembered by
something --for posterity. That is why blacksmiths bemoan the
fate of wrought iron."
Wrought iron is no longer made. The only way to get it is to dig
through a junk yard or go to one company in England which still
produces it. The only market for wrought iron is blacksmiths,
and the art of blacksmithing has almost disappeared. Wrought
iron is different from other metals because it does not rust. That
is why the wrought iron railings in England have withstood the
beatings of nature's elements.
Most people think wrought iron railings today are made out of
wrought iron. It is simply mild steel. Wrought iron means it has a
higher carbon content or that it has been worked over a forge by
hand. In 1920, wrought iron stopped being produced because
many other good quality steels replaced it.
Another type of metal often used in antique stoves is cast iron.
Cast iron is always poured into a mold and cooled. Jim does not
have molds for cast iron. He explains, "You cannot form cast
iron like you can steel."
Cast iron molds are expensive. Many products must come
from a mold to pay for itself. For example, if a grid is being
produced on a large scale, the price per grid is relatively low. It
takes many hours to make one grid by hand using a forge, which
makes the product very expensive.
But Jim is not trying to mass produce and he admits it. Jim's
products do not look mass produced. His clientele can tell the
difference between hand forged and machinery made products.
G • F
Visit
F
HANSEL & GRETEL
SIZES INFANT
TO 14.
You are invited
to come to the factory
and see the quality
for yourself.
FACTORY OPEN FOR INSPECTION
WEEKDAYS 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1-3 p.m.
OR BY APPOINTMENT.
A7‘m•
•
NORTHLANDER
A complete line of 12
and 14 wides now available.
Now also building
Commercial/Industrial Units.
An alternate form of
farm housing, custom
designed and built to
your requirements.
-Canada's tolest-
Manufactured in Canada by
Custom Trailers Ltd.,
165 Thames Rd. E.
Exeter, Ontario [Box 190]
15191235-1530 Telex 064-5815
December 1979, Village Squire 13