Posted by Chris Ray on September 11, 1997 at 12:22:41:

Ever wonder how those old time craftsmen would get that special look on the hand rubbed finish which brings out the subtle and lively glow in forged ironwork? Well, they get it by hand rubbing and it's a very simple and unsophisticated proceedure.

This finish is sometimes called armour bright or it's called a half bright finish, depending on how far the work is taken. This has a very different feeling and look to it than one produced either by wire brushing with a power tool, or by sanding with a power tool. As far as I know, it can only be achieved by hand and it's such a tedious process that one has to be either a fool or a dedicated and devoted artisan to do it themselves rather than passing this work on to others. I usually do it my self and suspect that maybe I fall into the former rather than the latter catagory. Well, what the hell, someone has to do the job and if I want a particular finish then I guess I'm the one who has to do it.

Here is what I do: First, I might tear off some fresh strips of a #60 grit emery cloth and begin to rub down the toughest parts of the firescale on a finished piece. Going over the work, these strips become worn and I usually put them aside as I'm working and will reuse them a little later.

On some occasions the scale may be impossible to get at such as in deep groves and undercut pieces. Then I might use a hand wire brush to at least put a slight glaze over the rough firescale wherever I can reach it and ignore the rest of the areas.

Okay, now once I have gone over the piece with fresh emery cloth I will notice that I started to break out some of the highlights of bare metal and this is what I want. Next I might then switch to a #80 grit emery cloth and continue the process, opening up more highlights wherever I can. Once the bare metal starts to show through the thick firescale, it then becomes a little easier for the cloth to do it's job rather than skipping over the surface of the scale, because it begins to take a bite on the edges of the exposed scale instead. Also this is when the blending between bare metal and firescale begins.

Then next I go back and start reusing the older strips of cloth that I had put aside and these are the pieces that do the final rub down on the work. The reason for using the old strips? Because the sharp edges of the grit are already broken off and what is then produced is a finer polishing action rather than the deep scratches necessary for initially breaking through the tough firescale. Remember, you are trying to achieve a polished looking surface, not a scratched up one, so this blending is very important.

Because the #60 grits are larger, even though duller, this is actually better to use on iron with so many deep ridges and valleys because it holds up better than something like a #100 or #150 grit cloth, which simply wears away too quickly to be useful at this stage. For the final stage of polishing then I would want to use old strips of the finer grade of the emery cloth, almost never, the new portions. If for any reason I feel that selected highlights need to be even smoother then I might use something very fine like new strips of #260 emery cloth or whatever, but this is really not necessary generally.

During the process I generally use my forefinger and my thumb to wrap the cloth around and rub. Of course after a few hours your digits can become very sore so you simply put aside the work and continue the next day if it's too uncomfortable.

Not high tech stuff for certain, but in some situations, low tech is still the preferred method of choice for certain effects. I will then usually finish off the work with a standard oil and wax finish for interior work or if it is to be placed outdoors, first a coat of varnish then the oil and wax last. One note here. When sealing with a varnish, then the look of the work is different because the blackness of the firescale is much darker than if you used the oil and wax finish alone. The oil and wax finish is the one that leaves the most natural appearance of hand rubbed iron pretty much as you see it before applying this finish.

Chris Ray

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