Nothing here was cast in a mould.
Hooks, brackets, fire irons and door furniture, drawn out of solid bar over a coke fire and waxed while they are still warm. Made in ones and twos, to the length you ask for.
On the rack this week
For the wall
- S-hook, 120 mmfrom €9.00Twisted in the middle, hooked both ends. Hangs a pan, a coat or a basket off a rail.
- Wall hook, rivetedfrom €16.00Two screw holes punched hot, so the plate sits flat on a plastered wall. Takes a wet winter coat.
- Hook rail, four hooksfrom €54.00One length of flat bar with the hooks riveted through it. Say how many and how far apart.
- Shelf bracket, 200 mmfrom €34.00Scrolled stay under the arm. Sold singly, so an odd shelf is not a problem.
For the fire
- Poker, 700 mmfrom €42.00Twisted grip, hooked end for turning a log without losing it into the grate.
- Companion set, fourfrom €180.00Poker, tongs, brush and shovel on a forged stand. Made as one run so the four match.
- Trivet, 180 mmfrom €28.00Three legs, flat top. Takes a pan straight off the stove without marking the table.
For the door
- Thumb latchfrom €68.00Latch, keep and handle, waxed black. For a plank door up to 45 mm thick.
- Strap hinge, 300 mmfrom €46.00Sold in pairs, drilled to your screw size. Say the thickness of the door.
Drawn out, not poured in
A cast hook is poured into a mould and comes out brittle: drop one on a stone floor and it snaps at the bend. Everything here starts as a length of solid bar, goes into the fire until it is orange, and is drawn, bent and punched on the anvil while it is soft. The steel keeps its grain, so it gives before it breaks.
Nothing is painted. A piece comes off the anvil black from the fire, is wire-brushed and waxed hot, which leaves the dark grey-brown you can see on the hook in the photograph. It darkens further with handling, which is the whole pleasure of it.
Say the length and it is made to it
Most of what is on the list is bar and a fire, so the size is yours: the reach of a bracket, the drop of a hook, how many hooks on a rail. Choose as you go and the price follows. It goes in the fire once you have decided.
Before you order
Is this wrought iron?
No, and anybody selling you new wrought iron is selling you something else: the last of it was puddled in Europe in the 1970s. This is mild steel bar, forged the way wrought iron was forged, on the same anvil.
Will it rust?
Indoors, waxed steel stays as it left the fire for years -- wipe it with a dry cloth now and then and keep it out of a steamy bathroom. Outdoors it will rust, so say where a piece is going and it goes out oiled or galvanised instead of waxed.
Can you match what is on my door already?
Usually. Send a photograph with a tape measure lying in it and you get a price back, or an honest no if it was machine-made and cannot be matched by hand.
How long does it take?
What is on the list above is on the rack and goes out within a few days. Anything made to a size is about two weeks, and a set of four is longer than one of anything.
“Steel does not wear out. If a weld of mine opens or a hook of mine straightens under a load it should have held, post it back and it goes in the fire again, free, however long ago you bought it.”
— The guarantee