Form beyond function

I've been picking away at my research topic, decorative iron work, or even the recent one of gold and steel. What I've come to realise is that there is a common thread through all my interests.

The need for unnecessary decoration.

I use 'unnecessary' in the sense that, once a clay pot is functional, why incise lines and glaze it?

I've looked to architectural iron work as I am interested in forging, yet that doesn't quite cover the essence of my question. When left to my own devices while making/designing jewellery, I tend to add a scroll, some millgrain or a little engraving. I do this because it pleases me when I see this in other work and I like to imagine the person viewing my work being pleasantly surprised by a little cut out underneath the pearl or whatever. Something akin to the azure method of cutting the underneath of settings.

Underneath of a mabe' setting

Beauty you have to look for

The Iron Brush

The metal artist Ford Hallam sparked an interest in traditional Japanese metal crafting within me. His work is at a master level and is recognised by the Japanese authorities as such. My first encounter was on Vimeo with this video. What impressed me is the absolutely traditional approach without power tools and modern abrasives absent.

Tsuba or sword guard

The subleties of patina

Delicate carving 

Casually amazing inlay technique

The underlying ethos in Japanese carving is to see the chisels as an Iron Brush. To replicate the delicacy of ink and paper drawings in metal.

Different metals and alloys are used for their patination properties. Inlays, overlays, glazes, amalgam gilding and careful control of patina are all used to create pieces which can be studied at length and continue to fascinate.

You can see more of Ford Hallam's work here.

A productive weekend

I managed to get all the elements needed to make my pitch bowl and chisels.

I attached a brake part to a cut off bowls wood and filled most of the cavity with lead. I then melted the pine rosin and added plaster of paris, vegetable oil and a little black colouring. I found the recipe on the Following the Iron Brush forum. It has formed something akin to setters shellac rather than the softer pitch for reppouse. This makes sense as it's job is to hold the piece of metal while both hands are occupied with the hammer and chisel.

I also made a sand bag, just an old pillow case filled with garnet sand I had left over from a different project. Garnet sand great as it is denser than normal sand and the particles are all the same size as it is used in sand blasting.


I also cut old bastard files into strips to make the chisels. I was in contact with another knife maker who does this kind of work and he said old files are the right kind of steel. I still have to anneal the pieces, then shape their faces, then harden and temper them.