My husband, Simon, is a Master Artist Blacksmith; he began learning the craft in England from his father, and later, during the 1980s, went through a traditional Journeyman
formation, which brought him to Germany and what was then Czechoslovakia. In Germany and Czechoslovakia, he worked under the tutelage of several great masters. Having finished his training, Simon returned to England to collaborate with his father, Antony, and over the next two decades, they developed a reputation as the world’s leading smiths in forged stainless steel. The Royal Wedding Gates, made by Simon and Antony, standing at twenty feet high in the great hall of Winchester Castle are the first monumental gates to be forged in stainless steel. In 2008, when Antony retired, Simon opened Forge Robinson, his own shop in Normandy.
The great variety of work that emerges from our workshop is mind-boggling. Sometimes we make pieces that involve such complicated engineering and require such precise
mathematical calculations that they defy the comprehension of our physics and math-teacher friends. For instance, there is the Armillary Sphere we made for a garden in South
Wales. It is three meters in diameter and keeps time to within four to five seconds. There is also a set of self-locking funerary urns and a body for a 1920s French motor car, in addition to any number of gates, railings, home furnishings, and of course sculptures.
When possible, I like to send clients photographs of their pieces coming into being.
In a world where objects are mass-manufactured, there is a lack of understanding of what it means to make something by hand. Many people assume that the metal we use must be already melted and poured into a mold.
Samuel Yellin, that great master of forged ironwork, who came to America from Ukraine in 1906, felt that the master was called not only to make but to educate. In this series of
images, taken mostly in our workshop, I have tried to convey the processes that are gone through to make these pieces — processes that, in spite of my best efforts, retain an
element of mystery.
1. Our Forge
The forge behind our house, built in 1903, was once the office of the director of the textile mill that used to be opposite our house. The house and workshop are unusual in that they were built completely in brick. This was to show off the director’s wealth. Virtually all houses in this region are built of stone; brick was used only around the doors and windows as it was an expensive commodity.
2.Inside the forge
Some days see me at the anvil too!
3.The master at work
To make the steel malleable, one has to heat it in the fire until it is a bright yellow. The blow of the hammer is what gives the metal its shape. There is about 20 seconds to a minute before the metal cools, so you have to strike while the iron is hot!
4.Fire
The coal-forge fire has an adjustable fan to bring the metal up to the temperature required for forging.
5.Forging a scallop shell
Through a method known as repoussé (raising and dishing plate metal), a scallop shell starts to gain its three dimensionality; a bottom tool is used to hammer into the metal. Different hammers and bottom tools or stakes are used for various shapes.
6.Armillary sphere
This giant armillary sphere under construction, made entirely of stainless steel, takes up a lot of floor space. Compared with normal steel, it takes longer to heat and has a shorter working time. It also requires three times the force to form it. This piece has a portion of Psalm Eight chiseled around the horizon.
7.Stainless bowls
Nine of these bowls will have tops that look like oil lamps. They will house lightbulb holders for a spiral chandelier. After heating, the stainless steel turns dark with oxidization and needs polishing.
8.Spiral rope chandelier taking shape
Seeming to defy gravity, this spiraled rope made by heating three round bars and twisting is suspended to accept the shaped tubes that hold the electric wires and keep the spiral all together. The nine bowls will be placed equidistant around the center to complete the chandelier.
9.Demo
Simon and I give a public demonstration in the local town, a special day highlighting the “Savoir Faire and Patrimoine” of crafts or métiers (trades) used in the reconstruction after the Allied Bombings of World War II.
10.Air hammer work
When the going gets tough, the power hammer gets going! This air hammer gives a 150-pound hit, making light work on the heavier bars.
11.Stainless stair balustrades
Stainless balustrades for five staircases clutter the shop before going out for installation.
12.Forge dog
Toby loves coming in the forge but has to share space with wrens and the summer swallows who make the forge their home.
