What is black iron hardware? It sounds simple, but the term can be misleading. Wrought iron, black iron hardware, hand wrought iron, and hand forged iron are used interchangeably by some and as a marketing technique by others. But there are big differences. Let’s go over what they are and what they mean
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Wrought simply means a metal that has been beaten out or shaped by hammering. This does not mean it was done by a blacksmith and many manufacturers will advertise machine-made goods as being wrought iron.
A step better is hand wrought iron-which would seem redundant-but in the modern world wrought no longer means by hand. It does not mean that a working blacksmith made the piece with a hammer and fire. Black iron may be the most misleading term there is-you can make black iron in any number of ways. Technically, all you need to do is paint some steel and there you have it.
The best ironwork is always hand-forged iron. Each piece of iron should be shaped with a hammer, an anvil, and a fire following a tradition that dates back to about 1500 BC. The texture and color come from the heat and the oil finish-our smiths use some combination of linseed oil and beeswax to create an authentic finish on each piece. All of our ironwork, with the exception of the knobs, is fully hand forged iron. It isn’t “cheap”, but it is museum quality work that is made to last generations.
