Something as essential as the forge of our winery…
I recognize that when Alberto insisted that he wanted the wrought iron in the cellar to be done manually and following the same quality standards as in the past, I thought that it was not so necessary. Nowadays, after knowing more in depth the whole process and especially seeing the final results my idea has completely changed.
But if you want, we can start by asking ourselves, how is the manual process of iron forging?
The current process of manual forging has not varied much from its origins to the present day.
Basically it consists in heating the iron in the forge at a temperature of around 1500ºc, until it softens. Once it is softer, it is molded into the anvil by hammering. This whole hammer blow process helps the iron to release impurities and become purer. Once the molding is finished, it is allowed to cool.
When the iron is ready, it has enormous durability and can remain the same for centuries. This last point we have been able to verify it with the bars of our cellar that are from the 17th century and are in perfect conditions after so much time.
After this, you may ask, why is a manual wrought iron so important with respect to an industrial one?
In first place, from my point of view, because hand-forged iron achieves a fundamental final handmade finish in a building. This same finish is never achieved with a mechanized iron.
We could say that hand-wrought iron gives a building a lot of personality and this point is very important, especially if it is an old building like this.
Secondly, because in the manual way old iron is reused and it is reused completely. I explain myself, mechanically, when new iron is taken, many shavings are produced in the molding and these are lost. On the other hand, when it´s manually the old iron is taken and reused in its entirety.
Therefore, it is very much in line with our way of thinking: everything that can be reused should be done and only new things should be used when it is necessary.
When we met Rubén, we were fascinated by his way of working, he is a craftsman who is in love with his profession that he also performs with great care and detail. He is a true artist. He has his workshop in Sanchonuño (Segovia) and I invite you to get to know him so that you can see all what I have told you and also the large number of old irons that he has saved that are a true jewel.
I leave you some photos and videos and if you want you can make the comment you want in the box below that is enabled for that, I will be delighted to answer.
Thank you.
