Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-12
WORK In BLOCK IRON
AN ARTIST BLACKSMITH'S TALK
ABOUT HIS TRADE.
Why the Best Work Cannot Be Done
in These Days.

| DllCh eHOp uOWn III w OOsJeT blfetl,
New York City, where you will find a
tall, gray, earnest Frenchman, whose
business it is to make those beautiful
articles in old-fashioned block iron
that became so popular ten years ago.
His blacksmiths are at work out in one
of the New Jersey towns, and he
busies himself here in making designs
and receiving the orders of his GUS
toners. He is an enthusiast in his
art, and is keenly alive TO the dangers
that threaten it from cheapening pro-
cesses.
The shop floor was half covered with
various examples of the blacksmith's
art, and the walls bristled with block
iron work in curious and intricate de-
signs. A gigantic pair of andirons,
four and half feet high, and joined
by a cuIiously wrought iron beam,
four feet long, occupied the most con-
spicuous place in the room. An intri-
cate chain swung above the connecting
bar, and the tall posts ended in large
open-work wires of wrought iron.
The whole must have weighed two
hundred and fifty pounds. The old
man looked at it with pleasure, and
discussed its beauties.
"After all, though" said he, "'this
stuff of ours isn't equal to the simple
old work of the earlier blacksmiths.
Look at this" he continued, dragging
forth a rusty old andiron, and holding
ii up to the light. "That piece is
eighty-five years old. 1t is small, you
see, ond simple; merely fiat, upright
piece of iron, ending in an oval knob
bent downward. But look at the
work; there are hammer marks all
over it. That was drawn out under
the sledge by good honest blows. See
how it splits here to form the legs.
The holes for the joints were punched
with sledge and spike. Now look at
the new work.
at is made of bars from a rolling
mill; the bar is of equal diameter
throughout, and there is no sign of
hammering because no hammer was
used. These bits of ornament were
hammered, of course, but people now
adays are not willing TO pay for the
labor of hammering bars when they can
be rolled for a fourth of the price. The
rage of block iron has been growing
all the time, but the price has fallen.
Once we could have got S25 for
lamp stand like that tall one; now it
sells for SIC. 1t is the same way with
everything else. Candlesticks of block
iron are now sold as low as rs cents
apiece.
"One thing helps u.s." admitted the
old man, ''and that is the growing taste
for having all sorts of small articles
made of wrought iron instead of cast
iron. We make dozens of coat hooks
now. They look vastly better and are
much stronger than cast-iron hooks,
but they cost ten times as much.
Here" said he, taking down a flat
piece of hammered iron wrought into
graceful open-work scrolls, sis a bit
for which you wouldn't guess the use.
This big screw with broad wrought
hook, instead of a head, goes through
the hole in the centre of plate. Three
of those plates and hooked screws
were used to hang $25 900 picture.
They cost about SIS, and were worthy
of the painting. A rod rested on the
hooks, and to that the picture was
hung"
Then turning to another part of the
shops he took down simple iron plate,
three inches wide and a foot long,
ending in ornamental curves at top
and bottom. This was part of door
knocker. They are made in a great
variety of designs and of various sizes,
running up to two or three feet in
length. The best of them cost from
S25 to 800. Black iron hinges, too,
are popular. They are cheap enough |
when merely cut into fanciful outlines,
but when wrought so as to show the
hammer marks they come high. DIR. |
Webb of the Vanderbilt connection
paid 5000 for set of hinges to his
Fifth avenue doors. All sorts of peo-
pie now indulge the fancy for wrought
iron gas and candle brackets. They |
may be had at almost any price, from
80 to 5000.
Sometimes a mere block iron chain
is trained from the wall TO the end of
the gas jet. Candlesticks and Candida
bra of block iron, five O'Clock tea
stands, aud andirons are perhaps the
more familiar, from the modern orna-
mental blacksmithing. The andirons
give the best opportunity for rich and
intricate designs. They run in price
from 81 to $1,000. Charles Osborne
Of Mamaroneck had pair of andirons
made to order after designs copied in
part from an antique pair, of Italian
workmanship, sold in Paris some time
since for nearly 81 600. Mr.. Osborne
paid $1,000 less for his new ones, but
he ironworker was sad because he was
not permitted to initiate all the costly
beauty of the original.
Turning to a book of plates, the
pointed out various an
ique designs, many of them marvels
If richness and beauty. They must
10 cr1or-iuorIt- r1ead IN tho r,,odo,.,, blool-