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Traditional craft of Mallorca

Ferro forjat (wrought iron)

At a glance

The ferrer heats the iron in the forge and shapes it with a hammer blow on the anvil. Pieces: reixes (bars), railings, portals, lanterns, knockers, eines del…

Crafts
Traditional craft of Mallorca
Artisans in the register
40 · Palma, Llucmajor, Campos, Manacor, Inca
Words
barana, calda, enclusa, ferrador, ferrer, fornal
Palma Consulate of Mar James Ferrer
Palma Consulate of Mar James Ferrer — Jacint Mateu Sureda, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

What it is and technique

The ferrer heats the iron in the forge and shapes it with a hammer blow on the anvil. Pieces: reixes (bars), railings, portals, lanterns, knockers, eines del camp. Historically it specialized in ferrer, forger, sawmill and ferrador.

Short story

Iron present in all the historical architecture of Palma and the towns. The Museum of Mallorca keeps an inventory of irons (BSAL, 1986), which warns that many ancient forges from Palma have already been lost.

Chronology (framework):

  • Middle Ages: the ferrers are grouped into a guild in Palma (please verify the date of the guild).
  • 16th-18th centuries: bars, balconies and knockers in stately homes in Palma.
  • 19th century and early 20th century: foundry and wrought iron balconies in the expansion; modernism uses decorative iron (per verify examples with author).
  • 1986: BSAL publishes an inventory of irons from the Museum of Mallorca.
  • Since the 60s-70s: electric welding and the industrial profile replaced forging.

Where and who today

  • Some 198 metalworking companies in Mallorca (mallorca.com directory), concentrated in industrial estates (Son Castelló, Manacor, Inca). Most are industrial locksmithing, not hand forging.
  • Examples: Ferros Artà (Artà), Ferreria Sastre (Selva). Not verified how many forge by hand.

State

Context / at risk as an artisanal forge; I live as a locksmith industry.

Contemporary Updates

No verified cases.

Process step by step

1. Light the fornal (forge) with charcoal and fan it with the manxa (bellows).

2. Heat the bar to red (color = temperature).

3. Forge on the incus (anvil) with martell or mall: stretch, emphasize (thicken), bend, twist, fendre (open).

4. Join: traditionally with reblons (rivets), clamps or hot welding (fusion in the forge). Today, electric welding.

5. Finish: brushed, oil, paint.

  • Tools: fornal, manxa, enclusa, martell, mall, tenalles, chopping block, templates.

Forms and objects

  • Reixes de finestra (flat or buc, domed).
  • Balconies and balconies, also patio stairs.
  • Portals i portells, garden gates.
  • Knockers / door handles: ring, hand or knocker.
  • Panys, claus, forrellats, buckets (locksmith).
  • Frontisses and gulfs (hinges and hinges).
  • Fanals, lamp hooks, wrought iron creus.
  • Eines del camp: plowshares, aixades, falçs, horseshoes (ferrador).

Vocabulary

  • ferrer: blacksmith.
  • ferrador: horse farrier.
  • serraller: locksmith.
  • fornal: forge.
  • manxa: bellows.
  • enclusa: anvil.
  • mall: large hammer.
  • tenalles: tongs.
  • calda: heat welding point.
  • rebló: rivet.
  • reixa: fence.
  • barana: railing.
  • llamador: knocker.
  • forrellat: bolt.
  • golfo: door hinge.

Geography

  • Palma: patios, balconies and bars of the old town.
  • Towns: blacksmith shops linked to the countryside (tools and horseshoes).
  • Today: workshops in industrial estates (Son Castelló, Manacor, Inca) and in towns.
  • The iron came from outside: there is no relevant iron mining on the island (to verify).

Xifres

  • Some 198 metalworking companies in Mallorca (commercial directory); the majority, industrial locksmithing.
  • Workshops in town: Ferros Artà (Artà), Ferreria Sastre (Selva), Es Foraster Ferrer (Petra: railings, doors). There is no hand forging in any of them (please verify during your visit).
  • No official number of forging ferrers. Search the Government's Cercador d'artesans.

Why is it design

  • Security that allows light and air to pass through: the grille solves three functions at the same time.
  • Repairable: the forged part is overheated and remade.
  • Pattern: repetition of bars, scrolls and knots = graphic system.
  • The village workshop was proximity design: a tool tailored to the field next door.

For the project

  • Possible piece: catalog of reixes and historical callers for the atlas (graphic patterns); piece of furniture with a ferrer that I still forge by hand.
  • Contact: Museu de Mallorca (iron inventory); look for ferrers in the Cercador d'artesans of the Government.
  • Background question: the fence as the first "interface" between house and street.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ferro forjat (wrought iron)?

The ferrer heats the iron in the forge and shapes it with a hammer blow on the anvil. Pieces: reixes (bars), railings, portals, lanterns, knockers, eines del…

Who practises Ferro forjat (wrought iron) in Mallorca today?

The Balearic Islands Crafts Register lists 40 artisans linked to this craft, in Palma, Llucmajor, Campos, Manacor, Inca.

What are the traditional words for Ferro forjat (wrought iron)?

Some words: barana, calda, enclusa, ferrador, ferrer, fornal, forrellat, golfo.

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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