About Wrought Iron Doors

Wrought iron is simply iron that has been worked by hand.  Doors that are made of wrought iron are strong and durable, yet they’re also quite decorative as well.  You can see some great examples of this throughout history, dating as far back as Roman times.

Types

There are two types of wrought iron available.  “Charcoal” iron was made before the 18th century and requires blacksmiths to put the raw ore directly into charcoal fires before it is beaten against an anvil.  “Puddled” iron was introduced in 1850 and uses a coal-fired “reverbatory” furnace to melt the iron ore before it is wound up in different sized bar molds.

There are some misconceptions about what true wrought iron is.  This is because mild steel and cast iron are oftentimes advertised as wrought iron.  However, these decorative designs are mass-produced and thus the true artistry of wrought iron is not reflected within them.

Availability

Originally, only the wealthy were privileged enough to be able to own wrought iron for decorative and security reasons.  However, mass produced iron doors became popular with the middle class in the industrial age.  So, these doors went from opening up to long driveways leading up to mansions to being found on more commonplace homes.

Today there is a renewed interest in these wrought iron doors.  A lot of people are actually finding old ones (100+ years old) to restore.  They require a real blacksmith to repair these doors and return them to their original beauty.