Sources for wrought iron -- myArmoury.com

Scott Woodruff · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 3:26 am Post subject: Sources for wrought iron

I am in desperate search for a source for real wrought iron. Does anyone have a tip for me on how to go about finding some? Google searches yield millions of hits that are all about decorative mild steel stuff. I am really hoping to find an easier alternative to smelting my own iron ( not that wouldn't be a great thing to do, I just don't have the capability right now.) Any tips on where to find vendors would be appreciated, and anyone who has some, please PM me about a sale or trade.

David Lewis Smith · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 3:50 am Post subject:

antique stores and lawn and garden stores that sell hinges for garden gates.

Dan Howard · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 3:50 am Post subject:

When most suppliers say "wrought iron" they really mean "puddled iron". What you should be looking for is "bloomery iron"

Sa'ar Nudel · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 6:40 am Post subject:

As far as I know, true wrought iron has not been offered to the retail market in decades. I had discussions on that subject with several blacksmiths over here, and they all pointed out single source: disfunctioned or broken 19th century iron architetural pieces, such as railings, gates, decorative finials etc.

Josh Maxwell · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 9:33 am Post subject:

Maybe try looking for any blacksmiths local to your area. I know around where I'm at now one of the better off artist blacksmiths keeps a stockpile of the stuff he sometimes sells to local art students.

Christopher Treichel · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 10:57 am Post subject:

Easiest place to find wraught iron is to look for swap meets and barn sales out in the countryside. Or go down into harbour areas and look for junk and antique shops or metal salvage yards in these kind of areas. Stuff your looking for is old hinges, chains, anchors etc key word is old and an item that needed to have flexibility to it. If your out in the country side and you see a collapsed barn might be possible to ask the owner if they mind you getting parts out of it.

Here is an example of what I am talking about... I post on American Long Rifle Forum as well... and saw this

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=23116.0

Dan Howard · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 4:45 pm Post subject:

Pretty much everything described here is puddled iron. It makes pretty crappy swords and armour unless it is heavily refined.

Ed McV · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 8:02 pm Post subject:

You may get assistance from Glasgow Steel Nail Co. Ltd, Scotland. They can supply wrought Iron nails and studs.

Scott Woodruff · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 8:32 pm Post subject:

Sorry guys, I should have used the correct terminology. What I need is bloomery iron, the kind with a strandy texture full of silicates. I would have to find some REALLY old stuff for that. I am trying to get my metal detector up and running, the deserts of New Mexico are quite good for preserving old 16th-18th century iron. It would be worth some good money to me to avoid the hassle, especially as I want it as soon as possible. I know that a few makers who post here at myArmoury make their own bloomery iron, I'll contact them and see if they will sell.
Dan, I am working on some Hjortspring sword replicas and want to use as accurate a material as possible. Apparently the originals were made from wrought iron or possibly phosphoric iron with little or no carbon and were extensively cold worked.

Tim Harris · Industry Professional

Scott,

Not sure about the case where you are, but in Australia, a lot of cart/wagon tyres were iron.

If you're near the coast, keep an eye out for the bolts and ironwork from old wharf and dock timbers. A look at the structure should tell you the material. I've found quite a bit that has all the appearance and behaviour of iron.

Dustin R. Reagan · Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 10:56 pm Post subject:

I can recommend this supplier for historic wrought iron (not bloomery iron, though these two types can be indistinguishable from each other...in practice they are pretty much the same thing, just made through slightly different processes):

http://www.oldglobewood.com/real-wrought-iron-rods.html

G Ezell · Industry Professional

How much do you need, and where are you located? I've been collecting pre-industrial iron for over a decade, and likely have more than I'll ever use. I could supply a bar or two, if you would cover the shipping costs.

The area where I live has many old mill sites, and often pieces can be found downstream of these. Another good source is wagon rims, good stringy iron that can be a nightmare to forge without it unraveling. I've also found a few pieces used in old chimneys as a reinforcement to the masonry. Old anchor chain is a good source if you are located near the ocean/gulf/sea.

It is out there, but you have to look for it...

Addison C. de Lisle · Posted: Wed 29 Aug, 2012 4:12 pm Post subject:

If you're near New England, the New England School of Metalwork has approximately 15 tons available:

http://www.newenglandschoolofmetalwork.com/forsale.php

Good luck!

Scott Woodruff · Posted: Wed 29 Aug, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject:

Thank you everyone, your help is much appreciated.

Jojo Zerach · Posted: Wed 29 Aug, 2012 8:47 pm Post subject:

Keep in mind that the typical wrought Iron you will find is inappropriate for weapons/armour tests. The wrought iron used for fences and such is far less refined than that used in weapons and armour, and has considerably more slag.
I'm unfamiliar with the Hjortspring sword, but original weapons and armour also had wildly varying carbon contents, ranging from very little carbon to medium carbon steel.

Bart Jongsma · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2012 2:09 am Post subject:

There is a company in Britain that claims to be the only supplier in the world of what seems to be real bloomery iron:
http://www.realwroughtiron.com/charcoal_iron-202.html
Not sure what shipping would be though, or the price for that matter!

Scott Woodruff · Posted: Sat 01 Sep, 2012 5:43 am Post subject:

Jojo, Peter Johnsson has suggested that he believes that the Hjortspring swords may have been made from high-phosphorus wrought iron with work-hardened edges. You are correct, it may well be necessary to fold and refine the wrought iron to some degree to make it appropriate for the intended use. Here is a link to the thread on Hjortspring swords: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=254620#254620 I also want to use some for making mail. I will probably only use it for the solid links and use mild steel for the riveted wire links, but even so I imagine that considerable refinement will be necessary. Some of the wrought iron for sale has been described as so friable that it just falls apart into a stringy mess under the hammer if one is not careful!

Bart, thanks for the tip, it probably costs an arm and a leg, but may just be worth checking out.