Eager to respect the values ​​of our profession, Forge de Rohane undertakes to respect the foundations and techniques defined by the French Federation of Ironworkers and Blacksmiths.

Ironworker’s charter

A document which was created, written and validated by the French Federation of Ironworkers and Blacksmiths

A worthy heir of ancestral traditions, wrought ironwork is now evolving its profession by using new technologies. It must do so in total harmony and in perfect complementarity with the traditional forge work.
Here are some precepts which establish the foundation stone of a charter which will be the common denominator to all those who are dedicated to this noble profession.

The profession

The ironworker’s work is no longer subject to the exclusive use of iron in all its components. The blacksmith can happily combine other materials while working on his art. However, he is obliged to inform his client about the nature and quality of the raw materials used.

The art of geometry

The ironwork must subtly reflect the personality of its sponsor and that of the craftsman who created it, while placing it in context with the architecture that surrounds it. As a result, the drawing, the sketch, or the outline inevitably contribute to the making of each creation and ensure its uniqueness. Concurrently with the use of modern graphic methods, the art of geometry must be highlighted, preserved, and transmitted.

Fashion and style

Each production and each work are created within their context, place, and reference, which contributes to the identification and attribution of a style. The ironwork does not evade this, and the craftsman must undertake to respect the style imposed on his work with the greatest possible precision.

Production and Assembling

The execution and assembly techniques specific to the traditional practice of the profession, remain long and tedious to apply. However, they undeniably guarantee the authenticity and nobility of the work thus produced. The assembly methods using tenons, mortises, recesses, riveting, screwing, shoulders, hot swelling holes, half-iron notches, and forge welding, have been dictated by centuries of tradition. The skilled ironworker has the duty to perpetuate them and deliver them. Other methods are, however, conceivable. The craftsman can implement them subject to having previously notified his client and requested his approval. In addition, the skilled ironworker must clearly explain the physical, aesthetic, and descriptive results induced by the use of these modern or innovative techniques in the creation of the work.

From the necessity of the forge…

It is essential to distinguish the cold “working iron”, even though it conforms to proper rules, from the imperatively hot-worked “forged” iron. Iron and fire must be combined by hand and spirit so that it truly is in line with skilled ironwork. The forge, therefore, remains the vital tool without which the craft cannot subsist and remain noble. The blacksmith cannot avoid any technical innovations that could be used in complementarity and to serve his art.