How is wrought iron made

This metal is valued for its strength under tensile pressure, resistance to corrosion, malleability, and how well it keeps a finish. Most metals, when corroding, exhibit ugly patches of discolored rust. This form of iron distributes the rust into a dappled coppery or brownish finish that often appeals to people's sense of age. Antique examples of this ironwork can still be seen on window grates, balconies, doors, and other architectural elements from as far back as the Romans.

The production of wrought iron or steel is a process containing two main stages. The first stage is to produce pig iron from iron ore in a blast furnace. Alternatively, it may be directly reduced. The second is to make wrought iron or steel from pig iron by puddling process a further process. Commercially available iron is classified based on purity and the abundance of additives. Pig iron has 3.

For centuries, craftsmen around the globe have treasured the durability and flexibility of iron. Almost as soon as the material was discovered, people set about attempting to make it as strong as possible. The result: wrought iron. This umbrella term refers to several types of structurally-enhanced iron. Over the years, wrought iron has been smelted with charcoal. Wrought iron composition consists primarily of iron. There is a small amount of aluminum oxide, sulfur, silicon, and phosphorous, which are by-products from smelting the iron.

The other 1 to 2 percent of materials are the by-products, with between 0. Wrought iron has been around for a long time. It was pounded, cooled, and reheated numerous times.

Before the Chinese invented a forge, another early process that was popular during the Iron Age, which was between BC and BC, is called the bloomery process. Once heated, the iron could be pounded, shaped, and formed. Just like the Chinese forging processes, the more the iron was worked, through heating, cooling, and reheating in the bloomery, the stronger it became. In the late 18th century, several new smelting processes were developed that did not require placing the iron ore directly into the heat source.

One of these processes is called puddling, which was the invention of Henry Cort in The iron ore is placed in a furnace without coming into contact with the heat source.