In the year 1607, King Karl IX could at last implement his long held plans for a Swedish brass industry. He had a man sent off on the Crown's business to find a suitable location for a brass foundry. The choice fell on Skultuna, where the Svartån brook provided sufficient water power. Charcoal was available here as well, there was a harbor in Västerås and the copper mine at Falun was also close. Skultuna Messingsbruk was founded and the king's decision confirmed in a letter dated 11 February 1607. The work could proceed. The history of the brass foundry During the time of Gustav Wasa and Erik XIV, Sweden had become indebted to the Hanseatic League. Refining copper into brass would reduce imports of brass and increase income from exports. The work was divided up between different workshops, each one supervised by a master craftsman. The early products consisted mainly of brass plate, chandeliers and candlesticks. Some of these designs are still in production, like the Office Candlestick and Chandeliers. Near the end of the 19th century Skultuna worked closely with the Swedish designer Carl-Hjalmar Norrström who created a number of classic items for it, among these a baptismal font in brass, copper and silver that won the gold medal at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1897 and the Paris Exhibition in 1900.