Blog
Derbyshire barn ironwork
The Derbyshire farm barn is a good place to find simple handforged ironwork made by rural blacksmiths. although sometimes quite crude in its execution the door ironwork is bespoke to each job and uniquely solves the problems they encountered while creating bespoke work.
Forging Section
Darren Ainsworth • June 4, 2019 This is a drop down bar is made from oak and die forged mild steel, the technique was very popular in the early 13th century and is refered to as stamped ornament, in this process the metal is beaten into shaped dies to produce a...
Medieval Ironwork Techniques
Darren Ainsworth • June 4, 2019 This grille was made by repeating a process over and over and then joining all the elements together to make a pattern called quadtrafoil. The image above shows the process where each bar was joggled,punched,split,joggled and punched...
Graveyard Ironwork
Darren Ainsworth • July 20, 2018 An excellent place to search for historic blacksmith made ironworks are old graveyards, one can be lucky enough to stumble over a handmade grave surround amongst the broken factory produced victorian cast iron examples, this particular...
Metal Doors
Darren Ainsworth • April 14, 2018 Sheet iron doors were very popular in the glan valley of carinthia southern Austria, they were made from recycled plowshares which were flattened out and riveted together to make these patch work doors, iron was a very expensive...
Decorative Door Hinges-Medieval Style
Darren Ainsworth • February 12, 2018 The C hinge with the split curl orginated in the roman empire and was very popular in the twelfth century,this design formed a strong fixing to the wooden door, the examples above have about 18 clenched nails attaching the hinge to...
Ironwork For Wheelwrights
Darren Ainsworth • December 14, 2017 Ive had the pleasure of making some ironwork for a beautifull unique baby carriage that is being restored by a wheelwright in somerset. This buggy dates from 1780 and the workmanship is very detailed and skillfully made, it is very...
Church Work
Darren Ainsworth • August 31, 2017 Churches are usually a good place to find handforged ironwork, the medieval ones can quite often have original hinges, door hardware and sometimes an oak chest covered with elaborate metalwork, some of the work is very inspiring and...
Cut Out Hinges
Darren Ainsworth • July 11, 2017 Cut out hinges came in to fashion around 1300 Ad, this technique uses sheet iron on which the required pattern is drawn and then cut out using a variety of shaped chisels and punches while the metal was hot, the hinge was then hammered...
Typical Rural Blacksmiths Work
Darren Ainsworth • May 7, 2017 Years ago when the blacksmiths forge was the hub of the community a huge variety of work would have been brought to the door, there was horses to shoe, farm equipment to make and mend, tools to sharpen and replace for local craftsmen,...
Decorative Handrails
Darren Ainsworth • March 5, 2017 Handrails can quite often be dull and municipal looking, but with a little consideration and experimentation a handrail can become a feature to the architecture of the building and not just a safety rail. A well made set of stone steps...
Blacksmith Made Casement Windows
Darren Ainsworth • September 26, 2016 Blacksmith made casement windows can be found on tudor to mid Victoria buidings and where made of wrought iron, the windows where either a fixed casement, which consisted of an iron surround with the leaded glass tinned to the...
Working With Other Craftsmen
Darren Ainsworth • June 28, 2016 Working with other craftsmen is a very interesting and engaging experience, learning new skills and ideas and different perspectives , one has to keep an open mind, everyone has there own way of working to get to the end result. Lately...
Victorian Style Lamp Restoration
Darren Ainsworth • April 16, 2016 The main reason for this victorian style lamp restoration was the 1/4″ iron rods that were designed to strengthen the corners of the lamp cage its self, had ironically caused the demise of the lamp, the mixing of the ferrous and non...
Wordsmith Meets Blacksmith
Darren Ainsworth • March 24, 2016 On the bitterly cold morning of february 16th journalist penelope baddeley came to the georgian forge to interview me For a feature in the derbyshire life magazine. We talked for a couple of hours about all aspects of the craft of...
Fixing Modern Locks To Period Properties
Darren Ainsworth • February 28, 2016 Today insurers require 5 lever mortice locks to be fitted to your property, otherwise they will not insure your home against burglary, which is fair enough, the modern 5 lever mortice lock is very hard to pick, whereas the old...
Animal Heads
Darren Ainsworth • December 13, 2015 Some of the earliest use of animal heads in blacksmithing date back to the late iron age, one particular example is the Capel Garmen firedogs which have decorated stylised horse heads with damatically forged manes , they date form...
Patina
Darren Ainsworth • October 22, 2015 The painting of exterior ironwork, always, from my perspective seems to spoil the effect of the forged metal and masks the texture of the iron too, we go to great pains to design and execute a unique piece of work, which is both...
Norfolk Latch
Darren Ainsworth • September 2, 2015 The invention of the Norfolk latch during the early industrial revolution was seen as a nail in the coffin for the village blacksmith, the suffolk latch was in decline , and with it the masterful creative manifestations of the...
Horseshoes As Charms
Darren Ainsworth • July 29, 2015 Horseshoes have been used as charms and protection against evil spirits from very early times, iron nails were driven in to house doors to keep away the plague and pestilence , the custom of nailing horseshoes above the door for good...
Blacksmith Made Standard Lamp
Darren Ainsworth • June 16, 2015 It is important when designing a standard lamp to take into consideration of how to conceal the wiring, nothing looks more awkward than a nicely handforged lamp , light or chandelier to then have electric cable visible on the job , its...
Pierced Ornament
April 2, 2015 In the fifteenth century a new fashion emerged requiring new techniques, no longer were scrollwork and plant forms designed and executed, the inspiration was now wood and stone carvings. Forged elements were attached to sawn, chiseled and filed sheet...
Handforged Hinges
Darren Ainsworth • February 26, 2015 Up until one hundred and fifty years ago a large part of the blacksmiths work would have involved making hinges, the average residential home would have had at least half a dozen doors and also chests, cabinets, gates, outhouses...
Examples Of Door Ironwork From Madeira
Darren Ainsworth • January 20, 2015 Below are some beautiful examples of blacksmith made , handforged door ironwork from the convento de santa clara in funchal madeira, founded in 1476
Replica Coins
Darren Ainsworth • December 4, 2014 Below are 12 coins made for the queen elizabeth diamond jubilee wood project commissioned by the Woodland Trust. The coins are 8″ round and 1/4″ thick, they were made by forging away the background metal and leaving foreground metal...
Smoke Alarm Covers
Darren Ainsworth • October 19, 2014 One of the problems people face when renovating a period property is finding genuine authentic ironwork, especially if they are looking for bespoke handforged blacksmithery, the majority of “off the shelf” metalwork is flimsy and...
Geometric Door Hinges
Darren Ainsworth • September 29, 2014 Until about the year 1250 the majority of door hinges were the c hinge and strap design , we then begin to see the norman influence appear with the use of geometric motifs and wovern interlocking circles, one of the most striking...
Sliding Bolt And Swivel Catch
Darren Ainsworth • July 2, 2014 Above is a sliding bolt and swivel catch made for two different size and style loft hatches, both were designed so the dragons heads look down at you from the ceiling.
Suffolk Latch Fitting
Darren Ainsworth • June 12, 2014 If you have ever fitted a suffolk latch, then you will know that the handle can only open the door away from you, because the bar can not pass the frame, so what is the answer? if you want the handle opening towards you,say like on a...
Hoard Of Celtic Horseshoes
April 29, 2014 Recently ive found an interesting array of horseshoes dating from celtic through to saxon times , known as the wavy-rim shoe, due to the nail stamp bulging the outside border of the shoe during the making. The top left shoe in the photo is the oldest,...
Ancient Horseshoe to Iron spoon
Darren Ainsworth • April 8, 2014Whilst metal detecting one tends to find lots of iron, mainly in the form of horse and ox shoes,and also lots of broken shoes, like the example above, this style of shoe can be dated to the fourteenth century and is called a dove shoe (...
Hinges
Darren Ainsworth • March 31, 2014 Above is a pair of hinges made for a oak blanket box.
Locks and Keys
Darren Ainsworth • March 28, 2014 Over the past few years ive been studying a new facet of the blacksmiths craft which is locksmithing , the majority of the work is performed at vise and bench using filing, sawing and chiseling . The keys and lock parts are hot forged...
Door Ironmongery
Darren Ainsworth • February 27, 2014 Pictured above is more completed door ironmongery for the new showroom at Peak Oak, at the top is a ring twist handle , this can be used with a mortice lock instead of the usual lever handle, second down is a pair of leaf ended T...
T, Hinges
Darren Ainsworth • February 5, 2014 Here are two pairs of T hinges made recently for the new showroom at peak oak, the top ones terminate with dogs heads looking down and up at you , the second pair terminate with fleur de leys decoration. The brief was to make four...
Weather Vanes
Darren Ainsworth • February 5, 2014 Heres a couple of weathervanes i recently made, they come in all different shapes and sizes with various motifs ranging from animals to machinery and symbols, the cardinal arms can be very simple with just north and south , or...
Blacksmith Quotes
Darren Ainsworth • January 10, 2014 “The arc welder has contributed greatly to the mediocrity of ironwork” Francis whitaker.
Hybrid Chair
December 8, 2013 This chair consists of: the arms from a smokers bow, a horse draw implement seat and a three legged stool bottom, the woodwork was made by owen fletcher of arrow furniture peak forest, my job was to join these three...
Venetian Door Knockers
December 3, 2013 Venice is the place to go for examples of beautifull handforged blacksmithery, 90% of the buildings adorn well made ironwork being either door hardware or window grills, and its not only churches and public buildings its humble private residences too....
Recent Works
Darren Ainsworth • November 6, 2013 Handrail for spiral staircase, the section is 1″ round solid bar and was made in three parts which join within the first and third brackets on a locating pin , all made using traditional blacksmithing techniques.
Recent Works
Darren Ainsworth • November 6, 2013 Handrail made from convex section with 1″square solid legs and 1 1/4 x 1/4 diagonals, made to match existing estate railings, fitted in to the stone steps with lead.
Recent Works
Darren Ainsworth • November 6, 2013 Handrail balustrade made from 1 1/2″ convex and 5/8″ uprights decorated with twists and split diamonds. The entire surface of all the metal was worked by hand hammering so it was inkeeping with the date of the property, time...
Stamped Ornament
Darren Ainsworth • September 1, 2013 Here is the work of thomas de leghtone, made in 1294 for the tomb of queen eleanor wife of edward 1, The technique used is called stamped ornament, whereby the metal is beaten at welding heat into dies of various leaf and rose...
Ox Shoes
Darren Ainsworth • July 13, 2013 Here are a pair of ox shoes found near buxton derbyshire, oxen were one of the earliest animals to be used for farming in western europe, records dating from before the norman conquest mention the shoeing of oxen by rural farmers....
The Early Medieval Guildhall Shoe
Darren Ainsworth • June 28, 2013 This horseshoe was found whilst metal detecting near buxton in the peak district, it dates from around 1250 , the early shoes used a T shaped nail whereas the later ones used a spiked nail, which became know as a frosty nail, for use...
Horse Shoe Nails
Darren Ainsworth • June 26, 2013 This is a modern horseshoe nail on the left and a celtic/saxon replica on the right ,the modern nail sits almost flush in the fullering, where as the celtic nail sits proud to provide traction along with the calkins at the heels of the...
Latch
allowing the door to open without carching the jarm.