Why Wroght Iron

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
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why is wroght iron saught after for guards and pommels over mild steel, brass, ss, etc?

Can you use mild steel for these applications?
 
Nothing else looks like it.

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yeah it is just for the looks here are a twisted bar i made of it it was too easy forge it out twist it and forge flat and grind down fast then put in feric and get it up 1hour later..
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DC
 
It's not just wrought iron that's sought after for knife guard material, it's POOR QUALITY wrought iron =) or the lesser refined wrought iron with a lot of silicon and impurities in it still, such as was used for wagon wheels and anchor chains and the like. A lot of wrought iron is refined too much to have any real woodgrain like pattern and stringyniess to it.
 
It's cool and adds character to a knife just using older materials. I have made several knives that every material was at least 150 years old or more including the steel for the blade.

It's also a way to expand your forging skills since it's a wee bit tricky to work. It gives you an appreciation of the evolution of iron and steel. Just like all the people that have spent countless hours learning how to smelt crucible steel. It certainly broadens your view and understanding of the process.

You can read about something all day but nothing beats getting your hands dirty and seeing it up close.
 
I love wrought iron and use it very often in my work.Many folks refer to it as "poor man's damascus" because of the woodgrain look it has after being etched. The more slag and silicates in the wrought, the better it looks when etched, and the deeper the etch the better.I collect it in any form I can find, and I have everything from structural wrought in various sizes of round and flat bar, wagon tire,even square wrought iron nails! my most recent find was 1" square , and I just got the first 40lbs of a 400lb lot I made arrangments to purchase the other day. I plan on using this for hawk heads with forge welded bits.
 
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It is good stuff to work with. It takes a high heat to work it, but it is worth it on knives you make. Plus, they do not make it anymore. I have just collected a ton of old wagon rims and am always keeping an eye out over here in LA and MS. Just to give you guys a hint, look at old farmhouses with fireplaces(with permission), it was sometimes used to hold up the bricks right above the hearth. It really makes me feel good to use old materials like buggy/wagon springs for a blade, old wrought iron for a guard and some antler or horn for a handle. I am not that good at it, but the old materials just work for me.
Bryan
 
What are the working temps for wrought iron? Is there any carbon in wrought iron....does it harden at all or does it work harden? After shaping do you etch just like damascus or are there special instructions for wrought? Thanks
 
John L said:
What are the working temps for wrought iron? Is there any carbon in wrought iron....does it harden at all or does it work harden? After shaping do you etch just like damascus or are there special instructions for wrought? Thanks
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Wrought is rather fibrous and if not worked at a yellow heat can delaminate along the boundaries.
It won't harden even if there's a hooker in the room.
I take my pieces to a 2000 grit and then a full mirror polish prior to etch in the same ferric I use for Damascus.
The pieces you see above were ethced for about an hour.
 
People who forge, like wrought iron, because it is so versatile.
It can take on many different looks in its finished appearance.

It can be twisted, tilted; etched in different ways to give it different looks.

It is easy to machine. It works well under the hammer or press and is predictable in its results.

Old wrought iron, because of its origin in anchor chains and wagon wheels, also adds a since of age to knives adorned with it.

See Raymond Richards work along with Karl Andersen's beauties pictured above, for examples of what wrought iron adds to a fine fixed blade.

Fred

I had to read the hooker comment twice, before it sunk in. he he :confused:

If I had read it at noon, I would have gotten it right off.:D
 
are there any particular types of wagon wheels I should be on the look out for? What does WI look like in rusted, field/barn storage?
 
jawilder said:
are there any particular types of wagon wheels I should be on the look out for? What does WI look like in rusted, field/barn storage?
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The only sure way to tell if you are looking at wrought iron, is to saw it 80% through the cross section and bend it over; wrought iron looks like fibers or strands,inside.

Fred
 
Really dirty (ie, good) wrought only has to be ground to 120 grit and you will see the pattern just by rolling the light around it.
 
Wayne Goddard gave me my first piece of wagon wheel around 2001. I probably had it for at least a year before I tried it and I haven't used much of anything else since. I find it works perfectly for the style and look of my knives with little trouble trying to give it a more aged look. The biggest plus I find with it is it drills easy and I can make tang slots without breaking bits like copper, brass, and nickle silver. Its not gummy. Good stuff!
 
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