The mild steel commonly used by blacksmiths today is not as corrosion resistant as the purer iron of yesteryear. Powder coating provides an attractive and durable corrosion resistant finish, a good alternative if you’re not particularly in favour of the naturally weathered look. The base metal doesn’t usually require priming either, although some producers do galvanise external pieces prior to powder coating as a double protection against corrosion.

Powder coating can last for a good 15 & 20 years so it’s an excellent low maintenance option for exterior ironmongery applications, especially in locations where there’s limited access. Common hand-forged items to be powder coated include exterior door and window furniture, hinges, nails and decorative door studs. Even though powder coating affords greater protection against the elements some suppliers still advocate applying the traditional beeswax finish over the powder coating for even greater protection and enhanced aesthetic appeal.

It’s available in a wide range of colours too, a great boon to your designer aspirations! Traditional ironmongery already has a great appeal due to its rustic look and feel and is well suited to a large number of applications. These, though, tend to be of a certain style evoking or recreating past times. With the wider range of colours powder coating affords, the opportunities for new and unusual or rather less traditional uses is increased.

Some powder coatings even contain silver-based anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents, ideal for applications where infection control is important. The market for hand-forged items in these areas would appear to be limited but there’s no reason why hand-forged handles or door kickplates could not be used in a rurally themed health or veterinary centre for instance. Yet another potential opportunity for traditional craftsmen provided by mixing old and new technologies!

The Georgian style most people are familiar with is the elegant terraces of yellow-bricked town houses in which the architects were more concerned with clean lines, pleasing proportions and symmetry than over-elaboration. Double sash windows, stucco, door fanlights and roofs hidden behind parapets are all typical external features of Georgian town houses. Inside, the Georgians favoured painting rather than bare wood but there was a dearth of colourful pigments so interior colours tended towards drab greens and browns.

Door furniture and other fixtures were invariably black-painted cast iron, today’s Georgian rope-edged designs being a modern interpretation featuring certain design elements of the era rather than authentic period copies. In contrast to other internal detailing, interior plasterwork could be very ornate indeed and was often an expression of the wealth and influence of the householder.

T hinges are the classic hand-forged hinge, familiar to most from the backs of farmhouse doors or barns. Shaped like a horizontal letter T, with their variable length tapered fixing plate, or strap, and excellent load capacity they are ideal for use on internal doors or external doors or gates with the correct anti-corrosion finish. They come in various decorative designs such as penny, bean or arrow-head end.

H hinges are, as the names suggests, shaped like the letter H. They are ideal carpentry hinges for cabinets, shutters or for doors where there’s limited space for fixing. There is some superstition attached to them whereby using them on doors would protect against witchcraft, the H representing “Holy Lord”.

HL hinges are similar to H hinges but with one strap shaped like the letter L. Used in similar applications to the H hinges or where the door is maybe a bit heavier or has undergone a repair.

Butterfly hinges are again decorative carpentry hinges although with “wings” resembling those of a butterfly. They are also known as dovetail hinges, for the same reason. They range in size and application, from large for use on heavy doors or desk lids to small enough for jewellery or trinket boxes.

Half butterfly hinges are similar in design and usage to butterfly ones but with one wing replaced with a half-butt hinge, making it easier to mount in restricted spaces.

Shutter hinges are designed with an angled offset on which the shutter is mounted so that when the shutter is opened it is thrown clear of the window, flat against the surrounding wall.

Ornate hinges can be any of the above hinge patterns but, as the name suggests, they are of far more decorative designs with extensive scroll work and punching. In this respect they are usually based on the T or butterfly pattern as these would have enough area to allow for the scrolling without compromising the loading capacity.

Due to its low carbon content, wrought iron does not corrode easily but the beating it undergoes during the forging process increases its density thereby making it more water resistant and even less prone to corrosion. Traditional wrought iron is now difficult to obtain so modern day blacksmiths use mild steel, which has a higher carbon content. However there is a wide variety of coatings and finishes available providing not only a pleasing visual alternative to traditional iron nails but also allows them to be used in a wide range of applications both inside and more importantly, outside in the elements.

Hand-forged rosehead nails provide a decorative yet, because of the superior holding power they afford, totally functional alternative to mass-produced wire nails. In many cases they are better than the modern alternative as hand-forging allows a limitless number of bespoke designs to be produced so there’s no need to restrict their use to restoration work or architectural decoration.

The Victorians imitated and borrowed heavily from other styles but there are still two that would immediately be thought of as Victorian and they are at opposite ends of the design spectrum. The first is the new Gothic, based loosely on medieval ecclesiastical architecture and many public and private buildings were given the Gothic treatment. Interiors featured extensive panelling and ornamentation, reflecting the exterior design. Elsewhere, Victorian furniture could be bulky and heavily upholstered and often featured clumsily ornate oriental or empire influences.

Reacting against the prevailing dark, sombre and industrial designs, the Arts and Crafts Movement founded in the 1860s by William Morris, sought a return to traditional artisan crafts and values. They favoured hand-made items with less ornamentation and they valued utility over form. For instance they would use functional black iron door furniture over ornate brass. Unfortunately the items proved well beyond the pocket of the common man but the movement left a lasting design legacy.

Application of the powder is by spray gun. There are two major methods of powder coating but they both work along the same principles. As the fine powder, usually epoxy or polyester, leaves the gun it becomes electrostatically charged and sticks to the item being sprayed, giving a very even covering. It is then cured in an oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for around 10 minutes causing the powder to melt and form an even coating.

Probably the most familiar example of all the Regency influences combining in one place is The Royal Pavilion at Brighton. It was originally a modest farmhouse but was subsequently remodelled into a palace by the prince of Regency architects, John Nash. As well as the more common Georgian characteristics of symmetry and proportion, its eastern influences are plain to see with the domes and minarets redolent of the Taj Mahal. Inside, the lavish decoration on almost all the furniture whether decorative or functional incorporated further Indian, Oriental and Islamic motifs. It was at once a counter to the more restrained Regency style but also the best example of the excesses typical of its most famous sponsor.

They believed in simplicity in all things and that if something was well made it was in itself, an act of worship. One of their popular sayings was “beauty rests on utility”. They eschewed ostentation and Shaker buildings, furniture and tools are all characterised by clean lines and lack of decoration. They didn’t believe in clutter in any form; a typical Shaker room would feature a peg rail running around it just above head height. Upon this, anything that could be hung, would be including cupboards and chairs - keeping it out of the way and making the floor easy to keep clean. Again avoiding clutter, all door handles in the room would be expected to line up.

Their industry was legendary and they are responsible for inventing some commonplace every-day items such as the rotary harrow, the screw propeller and the circular saw. The Shaker influence can be seen in many contemporary designs where graceful, uncluttered elegance complements the pure functional quality of the item.

In the Norfolk latch, the pull is mounted on a backplate and is independent of the thumb piece. The latch bar is usually mounted on the opening side of the door, the end of the thumb piece on that side invariably having a downward curve so as to act as a basic handle or else the latch bar has a knob to lift it by. To restrict the travel of the latch bar and to prevent it being levered off the door by accident, a staple is fixed across it, the points of which are driven straight through the door and clenched over to secure it fast.

Traditionally, rosehead nails would have been used to mount both the staple and the pull; they still are today but screws are also often used. Even though the Suffolk latch is more often than not an internal latch, most come with a locking pin that prevents the latch bar from moving for a bit of extra privacy. The Suffolk latch is commonly positioned at about two-thirds the height of the door.

Suffolk latches were first introduced around the end of the 16th century and were popular until well into the 19th century. Then, mass-production, ever the curse of the traditional artisan, brought cheaper, less complicated and more secure methods of closing and securing a door within the budget of the average household.

There were many different styles available and as always, the variations were only limited by the ingenuity and skill of the local smith. Most styles centred upon the designs for the cusps which are the mounting plates at the end of the pull and the mount for the latch bar. The shapes are easy to guess from the names they were given: penny, broad bean, heart, arrow, tear-drop, tulip, gothic etc. The thumb piece was invariably heart-shaped and slightly convex, as this was the most efficient and comfortable design for repeated use an early example of ergonomic engineering!

Hand forged Suffolk latches are one of the most evocative period pieces available to you if you are after recreating an authentic feel and atmosphere with your restoration project. There is a uniquely satisfying clanking sound as the thumb plate is depressed or the latch bar clicks into the notch of the keep. Moreover, the door acts as a soundboard, amplifying the noise around the room. Each door has its own unique sound, too, depending on its method of construction and quality of the timber used. Over the years you’l eventually get to know each one as it’s opened “and by whom“ almost as if each room has been given its own voice!

Most hinges feature plate bent around a mandrel to form loops. The plate can be split and drawn out to form two or three loops that will interlock with another set of loops around a pin, one or both ends of which can be flattened. In Europe, the backs of the loops aren’t normally welded together as the thickness of the hand-forged metal is generally enough to cope with the anticipated load. The plates can be shaped or filed into various shapes with different load-bearing characteristics or decorative qualities. The plates are then punched with holes for the mounting nails or screws.