subject: Rome about your home [print this page] Rome about your home Rome about your home
Decorating a house can be an adventure, with visual cues guiding the imagination to distant times and places. Roaming from the front yard, throughout the house, and into the back yard, a wrought iron railing can compliment, or hint at, a Roman or British motif. Whether your abode is unified by one theme, or different parts of the globe are represented, some memory will be stirred by this familiar feature.
Early Roman attempts at creating steel from ore resulted in irregular textures, depending on the level of heat, and amount of slag, or impurities, removed. Their blacksmiths hardened ore by introducing carbon through the use of charcoal, and this procedure was carried into Britain. Alexander the Great considered iron to be a precious metal, and commanded that it be seized during his excursions. It was highly prized initially for lapidary applications, embedded with diamond dust to polish stones and gems. Still standing today at the Coliseum in Rome is more than one wrought iron railing, evidence of the evolution of their craftsmanship. Small beams of the material have been found in ruins of ancient bathhouses. Stylistically, many elements were originally borrowed from, and crafted by, the Greeks. The Roman Empire adopted themes and ideas from the countries conquered, eventually elaborating and modifying original designs.
Today's wrought iron products are valued as an expression of art and craftsmanship. Heating and hammering, or forging, are no longer the province of large factories. The last establishment in the United States closed in 1969, and the last plant in the world, located in Great Britain, closed in 1973. Blacksmiths, welders, designers, and artists pool talents to produce one-of-a-kind custom creations. Laser and water jets are commonly used when fashioning a wrought iron railing. Bending the metal requires a thorough understanding of tempering on order to bring forth intricate and alluring patterns. Foresight requires smoothly finishing welded joints, and sealing exterior join points to prevent water damage. Priming before and after you weld is an additional precaution against rust. Even seaside homes can display beautiful and lasting works when prepared with such attention to detail.
A tourist examining a wrought iron railing in England's Westminster Abbey is viewing work created in the 13th century. The country's pinnacle of ornamental workmanship in this medium was reached between the 1700's and the 1800's. Because wrought iron is one of the earliest known products of extracting ore, there are historical artifacts found the world over. Over time, large scale applications were replaced by cast iron, which, as the name implies, uses molds. Steel is now produced at a much lower cost than hand-forged items. Yet the sound of a hammer striking an anvil evokes a timeless image. Modern tools such as acetylene torches and pneumatic hammers are not uncommon in fashioning custom iron furnishings. Whether your fashion sensibilities include French, Spanish, British, Indian, or ancient Roman and Grecian tastes, there is no greater medium to express the qualities of strength and delicacy entwined.
