Living craft of forging

Anna Bondarenko What is usually an association with the words "wrought-iron fence", "window bars," "wrought-iron garden furniture? Someone will rise before the eyes of a pile of black metal, and someone - graceful openwork design, striking in its beauty and poetry. The discharge of a master of forged products - is a work of art. They are elegant, refined and dignified look, emphasizing great taste and prestige of their owner. Forged products are always in fashion and, therefore, good for investment: over the years, the price will only increase. In addition, metal organic - it is perfectly combined with stone, glass, wood and even textiles. All this provides immense opportunities for creativity and realization of the most daring ideas. In addition to the decorative metal is protective. Window bars, fences, fencing, not only to decorate the house, but will protect it from unwanted visitors. And yet another compelling argument in favor of forged products. In this age of the kingdom of technologies and machines blacksmith remained one of the last "living" craft. Wrought Iron - is not only grating, stairs and furniture. It is also the balcony railings, fireplace accessories, wrought iron lamps, candlesticks, greenhouses, barbecues, delicate arches, stylish bookcases, vases, hanging cornices, balcony brackets and much, much more. Every metal his place Forged bearing basic landscape "load" - a wall section, barred windows, stairs and garden furniture. What requirements they must meet? Enclosing structure should be in harmony with the house and its surrounding landscape - on the subject competent consultation will give the specialist who can determine the optimal height of the fence, on the basis of land area and houses. Optimum height of the outer forged fence is 1,5-2,5 m. In this case, it is important to calculate the strength of the foundation, because the metal products is hard enough. Requirements for the grating on the windows are practically the same - the lattice should be soaked in the same style as the building itself, and be in close artistic relationship with the figure fences, gates, balcony railings, and elements of landscape design. For the main staircase - its strength characteristics, and therefore, experts recommend steps to make steel or cast iron. And finally, forged furniture. Since it is usually made from low carbon steel, it has a lot of weight, and, accordingly, the legs will push for floor covering. In this regard, the legs of chairs and tables should be set stepbearing. In the creation of forged products plays an important role stuff. For forging generally use steel - an alloy of iron and carbon. On the fraction of carbon steel is divided into low-carbon (up to 0,25%), medium-(0,25-0,6%) and high carbon (0,6-2%). With the increase of this share increases the hardness and hardenability, but decreases ductility and toughness. In order to improve various properties of the alloy additives are introduced: nickel, arsenic, copper, phosphorus, sulfur, etc. Ideal for forging papers are steel with a carbon content in them 0,1-0,3%. They are characterized by the highest ductility and flexibility at least the same thermal conditions, can withstand repeated heating, are not deformed and do not let the plastic strain. Quite often used by high-carbon steel, but they are often used to make nizkonapryazhennyh designs where there is no shock and vibration loads. But how can use other metals? Produce all kinds of cast iron parts (for example, the peaks for fencing), spiral staircases. Brass is used for the manufacture of small knobs, switch or other hardware for furniture and architectural details - columns, railings or fences. Copper is often made of the roof and hood over the fireplace or stove. As a masterpiece is born before you decorate the wrought product is a home design or landscape the surrounding space, it passes several preparatory steps. At the meeting, customers and service providers are determined by the shape and size of future products. In addition, the master must examine the place of the future installation of the product to determine whether it will suit the interior (exterior) survive if a product bearing structures. Also look in the directory are drawn plans and sketches. At this stage the selected type of metal, and (if necessary) created a cardboard model of the future product. The next step - producing products that can operate over a blacksmith or a few professionals. The metal can be processed using a hot or cold forging method. After harvesting enough heated in the furnace (in the hot method), it is taken out and begin to hammer out on the anvil. The main instruments which today enjoys the blacksmith to create forged products, like hundreds of years ago, remain the same time-tested tools - hammers, towels, punches, trowel, pliers, vices. All activities that occur under the artistic blacksmithing, divided into bending, twisting, hood, rassekanie, etc. Once all details are executed, they were additionally treated - all irregularities are removed, attached great elegance. And only after that individual products are welded into one whole (fencing, grating, ladder, etc.) and applied a protective coating. The final stage - assembling the finished product and the calculation with the customer. Yes, the cost of labor would be very rather big: the work is really very time consuming, often - an exclusive, expensive and requires great skill. The price of the product greatly affects the complexity of its production - the more complex the pattern, the more expensive. But this beauty, which will add special charm to the whole interior (exterior), will please more than one generation. Hot or cold? Forging - metal working pressure at which the instrument has multiple effects on intermittent harvesting, resulting in it being deformed, gradually acquires a specified shape and dimensions. By way of forging process is a "hot" and "cold." A distinctive feature of the first method is that to shape the material is heated. At high temperatures, the metal becomes pliable, allowing the making of his true masterpieces - are obtained by such designs and patterns, which can not be done at any place, even in the modern, machine. Among all the known technologies for processing metal hot forging is classified as the most time-consuming and expensive. The temperature range of forging depends on the chemical composition and structure of the processed metal, as well as the type of transaction or transfer. For steel, the temperature range of 800-1100 ° C, for aluminum alloys - 420-480 ° C, to soften the copper - 500-600 ° C. Ideal material for forging - mild steel, which heated state almost flowing. Depending on the chemical composition of steels, forgings and size requirements for the finished part may use different types of heat treatment of steels. Annealing. Steel is heated to a certain temperature, is maintained and then slowly cooled (usually with a mountain or a furnace). Vacation. Hardened steel is heated, maintained at this temperature for a while, and then cooled quickly or slowly, usually in air. Hardening. Item rapidly heated to high temperatures, withstand up to a full warm-up and just as quickly cooled in a flow of cooling medium. For cooling can be used in different environments. For rapid temperature reduction water is used for moderate - oil, and most moderate - air. Carbon steel (with carbon content from 0,3 to 0,6%) is cooled, usually in water-doped - in oil, and high-alloy - in the air stream. Heating the metal to the desired temperature, a blacksmith sends it on the anvil - a support which is made of metal forging. Forging of metal without heating billets called "cold". Plus this method - the convenience of processing and a significant depreciation of the process. But on the other hand, the cold forging of metal requires a high degree of toughness - the aggregate of a certain degree of viscosity, plasticity and fluidity. In modern conditions cold forging is used mainly in jewelry - for processing of gold, silver, copper and platinum. Since the forging is done without heating the metal, then we must make serious efforts to bend the metal. In this case, may be formed of the crack and serious fractures. Get rid of this problem can be due to the timely annealed products. The result is a strong and committed forged long-lasting. If necessary, annealing is repeated several times. Integral part of the cold forging - bend. Bars, metal sheets, decorative items, carved by hand or machine, bend, giving them the required shape and then solder all the parts together. At the present time so going to fences, gates, balcony and stair railings, fireplace accessories, etc. The most common cold to create products using less manual labor, as labor is pressing machine, automatic hammer and a sledgehammer. Another of the varieties of cold forging - forging, ie, metal forming presses on with form-building tool (punch). With the help of stamping can be fast enough to get a variety of small parts, which are then pressure welded with the major elements of the product, such as flower petals or the wings of a cock-vane. The principle in both cases the same: blank is placed in some form, from which the leaves have a finished product. Railway Protection Hardware, located on the street, in need of protection. Because their surface is constantly exposed to the influence of the environment: acid rain, salt on the roads, the atmosphere saturated with sulfur dioxide, a constant temperature changes, vibration, etc. For many years the product does not lose its appearance and pleasing owners for its originality and freshness of the aesthetic, it must be subjected to special treatment. For rust protection is used the most expensive and most effective method - hot dip galvanizing. The metal layer of a zinc, aluminum, magnesium, lead, tin plated or isothermal evaporation method. If the product is complex and it is impossible to paint over the internal and hidden cavities, it is immersed in a bath of molten zinc. Zinc numb everywhere, including the smallest cavities and cracks in the metal. This coating prevents the product from rust even in hostile environments for at least 10-15 years. Less expensive way - the use of oil. The heated product is lowered into the melted animal fat or vegetable oil, and after drying colored varnish. One of the most popular metal protection today - it paints, varnishes and primers. Varnishes and paints - a lot, but the best proven materials for alkyd paint, epoxy, pentaphthalic, acrylic and polyurethane. They protect the product from water, ultraviolet radiation, mechanical damage, but mostly serve decorative functions. In general, choose a paint color is not difficult. But the great popularity today enjoys painting, which artificially ages the metal. This effect is achieved through "dry" coloration, when the gold dipped paint brush, and then give it a little dry out, and then paint the surface of wrought products. This achieves the effect of "aging of" forged thing seems old. There are paints that combine just three properties: rust converter, corrosion-resistant soil and covering the enamel. Thanks to a special recipe, which can include synthetic resin with the addition of styrene, and silicone particles of tempered glass, they are applied directly to rust, closing the metal color "armor." Coating materials are applied most often with a brush, but also apply methods dipping and powder coating (using a pneumatic gun or an electrostatic field). Separately, it must be said about metal products, which are exposed to high temperatures (fender, pipes). To cover them using special heat-resistant paints to withstand up to 600-700 ° C. Subject to all safety practices forged products will please their owners for many years.