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Metal and ironwork:
Metal si fierarie
An Old Forge

An Old Forge

The Open-air Museum in Pstrazna consists of wooden folk architecture buildings of the Sudeten Foothills.
 
Among them there is an antique forge from 1856 where the master Kazimierz Kowalski shows the equipment of the forge and his work while making the horseshoes.

  Country:  Poland, Sudety


Artistic metalwork

Artistic metalwork

A short video film showing the performance of forged products finely finished at the Iron-Art an artistic iron workshop.

The film shows the performance of a piece of balustrade made of smelting steel.

It shows the whole process of performance, starting from the design through bending steel rod, which is sandblasted and painted with a special paint to protect the balustrade from corrosion.

The master performs unique products modeled on old patterns, hand-forged and finely finished, decorated and created in the Art Nouveau style.

  Country:  Poland


Berti knives manufacturing

Berti knives manufacturing

The video shows the technique used by artisans to produce a handmade knife. The artisans work the metal when is still hot and then they give the shape; finally, they work the wood in order to make the handle and they assemble them.  

  Country:  Florence, Italy


Copper and brass metalcraft

Copper and brass metalcraft

Copper is one of the first metals to be used by humans since Ancient Age. It is a metal laminable and suitable for forging and machining, so it has had a great artisanal using, both pure and in alloy with other metals, such as brass or bronze. Thanks to the excellent thermal conductivity it is used to manufacture stills, boilers, coils, etc.

Boilermaker is the ancient trade of the artisan who made cauldrons and other metal pots, to be distributed throughout the region. The process in the copperwork starts from the extraction of the ore and its washing to the fusion and ironing with tools, such as chisels and hammers, and alloy and casting at the appropriate temperature. It also includes the task of designing engravings through embossing, polishing and the techniques to add handles or picks, to weld their joints, and so on.

Copper is the most used material, as well as brass, bronze, iron, and more recently, aluminium.

  Country:  Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain


Crafts and damascene processing

Crafts and damascene processing

The item represented in the image is a Damascene art work.
The technique which has been used is the unique technique of creating this Damascene steel art.
The materials used are steel, gold, silver and many others.
The name comes from Damascus city, even though the origin of this art is located in China and Japan and of course in Persia. However in Spain and mainly in Toledo this fine steel art became in old times one of the most popular in the entire Europe.

This video shows the technique of a master crafter of this metal art and the steps taken to achieve it.

  Country:  Spain


Cutlery from Taramundi

Cutlery from Taramundi

Cutlery is one of the most important artisan activities in Taramundi since the 18th Century. The knives have three fundamental parts, namely the blade, the handle and the ring. The main material used to make the blades is stainless steel, resistant to oxidation and wear, but more difficult to mould than carbon steel, the traditionally used material.

The artisan works the taming of the metal and carves the wood to make the handle, decorated in coloured geometrics.

The blade is made from sweet iron, brass, stainless steel and alpaca, and even silver. The handle is made with wood from the area -box and heather, as well as oak, olive, ebony, etc., or no-wooden materials such as silver, antlers of deer or cow.

The production of knives and pocket knives in Taramundi was originated as a result of the territory's own geophysical conditions, with iron deposits, abundance of water and forest wealth, which led to the installation of mallets and forges and the development of iron crafts.

  Country:  Asturias, Spain


Damascus steel knife

Damascus steel knife

Damascus steel knives occupy an exceptional position among the knives. The knife blade is formed by knocking at least two different types of steel. This ensures its nice drawing and that the knife is hard and not fragile at the same time. The right temperature is especially important for the steel smelting. Thus, up to 400 layers are formed by gradual cutting, folding and forging welding. The final shape is cooled in ash and subsequently quenched. Then the blade is grounded, sanded and polished on the felt. Finally, the polished surface of the material is etched to show a mosaic with a fine and regular structure. The handle is grinded to fit the hand well. The handle could be from mammoth tusks, fossil bones, antlers or exotic woods. Finally, the knife is sharpened, and the smith tries its sharpness.
 
When forging damascus steel, the blacksmith does not know until the last moment how the resulting product will look like and this is interesting on his work.

  Country:  Czech republic


Damascus sword technique - A Damascus steel sword

Damascus sword technique - A Damascus steel sword

- The item represented in the image is a finished Damascus steel sword.
- The technique used is the Damascus forging technique.
- The main material forged is mixed Damascus steel.
- As the name indicates, the origin of this steel is from Damascus city in Syria. In 1400, however there was a big tradition of Damascus steel forging in Toledo called Toledo’s steel, which spread through entire Europe.
 
In this video all the steps in welding the steel together and forging the sword are shown, illustrating the unique style and technique of this fine and rare blakcsmith art.
 

  Country:  Toledo, Spain


Forging handmade front horse shoe Belgian style

Forging handmade front horse shoe Belgian style

The video shows the realisation of a handmade horseshoe. The artisans work the iron when it is still hot, with hammer and other tools, giving the shape of the horseshoe.

  Country:  Belgium


Handcrafted aluminium pot - traditional metal melting technique

Handcrafted aluminium pot - traditional metal melting technique

In the video a craftsman show how it's made the traditional roma handcrafted aluminium pot (ceaun).

First the metal  is melting then he fill a empty form (the mold) with sand and press it. He take the molten material out of the oven and he pour in to mold. He put hot charcoals all around the mold. After some time raise the pot from the pattern and polishing it, wash it and decorate it.

Roma handcrafted aluminium pots has more than two hundred years has been passed down from generation to generation

  Country:  Romania/Muntenia


Horseshoe –  metal melting traditional technique

Horseshoe – metal melting traditional technique

The video shows how it is made a horseshoe and how it is place on the horse's foot.

First, the blacksmith takes a piece of iron  and put it into the fire. He is waiting for the temperature to get to 1200 degrees, to be able to work it. The piece of iron is removed from the fire and the blacksmith begins to beat it. He putting it inside the fire once more and he beat the metal again and bend it until  takes the form of a horseshoe. After that, he makes holes for the studs.

The blacksmith puts the metal into the fire again, to make the 2 ends, wich are curled up.  He bending it a bit and the horseshoe it’s done. Now he need to shape it according to the horse’s foot. The horseshoe cannot be bigger or smaller than the horse's foot.

  Country:  Romania/Muntenia


Household silverware

Household silverware

Foe Several household items such as vases and containers a special methos of silver smithy was used in several areas of Cyprus. The traditional decoration is a delicate craft that twists fine silver wire into beautiful hand-made decoration for most of the household items. The items were used on special occations and were sympolizing the status and wealth of the owners.

  Country:  Cyprus


Knifemaking and iron forging

Knifemaking and iron forging

All parts of the knife are handcrafted: the blade is forged  from a piece of an old wagon wheel, the steel is differential heat treated and the final result is etched in chloridric acid  for revealing the beautiful silica pattern in the steel; the handle is carved to shape from a tree branch.

  Country:  Trento, Italy


Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis

The video shows the technique used by a Belgian artisan to produce a handmade copy of the Manneken Pis.

The artisan works the iron, reproducing a perfect copy of the icon statue.

  Country:  Belgium


Manufacturing in wrought-iron

Manufacturing in wrought-iron

The video shows the manufacturing of the iron from the initial phase. The artisans work the iron when it is still hot, after firing inside the oven. They give the shape to the iron using the hammer and other specific instruments. Finally, the pieces are put together in order to create different shapes and items. 

  Country:  Emilia-Romagna, Italy


Metal Shepperd Knife

Metal Shepperd Knife

The knives, knownl as the tsakoudi, are handmade constructions consisting of two basic parts, the metal part, the blade, which is mainly made of steel, and the handle made of wood, ox bone. or ram horn, depending.
 
For both types of knife and chicory, the same manufacturing process is followed and the same materials are used, but there is one major and significant difference. The knife is a full-size knife, while the tsakoudi is a knife or folding knife, ideal and safe to carry in the pocket and bag.
 
The handle materials are of domestic origin, while the steel is manufactured and imported from abroad. It can also be secured by steel parts of old machinery and cars. The handle on the tsakoudi is made exclusively from the horn of the ram, due to its greater flexibility during material handling.

  Country:  Cyprus


Sculptures from Granada modeled with character

Sculptures from Granada modeled with character

Miguel Moreno is a sculptor from Granada whose work has traveled around the United States and Europe. This artist has developed an outstanding work with metal plate, and is also the author of several monuments located in different Spanish cities. In his workshop, which is opened to the public, students from European universities receive classes.

Forging and welding made with oil and bellows candle and silver welding.

  Country:  Spain/Andalusia/Granada


The power of forging

The power of forging

A family business specialized in forge and blacksmithing located in Úbeda, Jaén. Their works have been awarded in the last two editions of the Spanish Unicaja Crafts Prize in the forge modality. They have also been finalists in the last edition of the Spanish Crafts Awards granted by the Ministry of Industry. Their work is linked to the recovery of the historical legacy, that’s why they have had some interventions in the national chain of traditional ‘Paradores’.

  Country:  


Tinker craft

Tinker craft

Tinker craft production is registered as an intangible cultural heritage of Slovak republic. The tinkers symbolized the Slovaks in the 19th century. Originally tinkers repaired holes in metal vessels such as pots or pans, later they produced practical household things and kitchenware. The “mobile” tinkers journeyed from village to village with tinkers’ backpacks, where they had everything they needed. Later they spread from Slovakia abroad, even to distant countries, like Russia, USA, Argentina or Australia. Able wireworkers later founded professional workshops and guilds, later even manufactories. Although this craft was gradually replaced by manufacturing at the beginning of the 20th century, it has been preserved in its artistic – craft form until now.

In the video preview is the profile of the master of folk-art production Ladislav Jurovaty. The basic material of the tinker is the wire and the basic form is the string, which is produced by winding on a needle. Subsequently, various shapes are formed from the wire, for which are used several types of tools, particularly the pliers. The artistic tinker can work according to the graphic design or according to his own imagination. His work requires a lot of time and patience, diligence and humility. The wire products are naturally ornamental.

  Country:  originally northwestern Slovakia, later the whole Slovakia