TELEPHONE:
ADDRESS:
Pla de Onil 12 Apartado de correos 273 – 03430 Onil
ACTIVITY
This workshop produces all sorts of metalwork with iron, brass and stainless steel, all wrought by hand. Steel and brass are special cases, as wrought stainless steel develops black patches which, once polished, leave silvery and dark areas, creating interesting chiaroscuros, and with wrought brass… one can craft pieces that cannot be made by casting, or at least not as quickly as in a forge. The difficulty with brass is its limited working temperature range (from 400º to 600º, scarcely apparent in the colour), as it breaks if struck below 400º and decomposes if struck above 600º. Yet if this range is respected, it is a soft and malleable metal that yields fantastic results.
The objects produced in the forge range from railings and stairs of any shape to grillwork (punched, riveted, tongue-and-groove, clamped, forge-welded, woven with “devil” jointing, French or Castilian railings, etc.), vehicle and pedestrian gates, hot and cold iron-carving, chandeliers and Castilian lamps, embossed plates (iron, brass, copper, silver or gold), benches and other furnishings, or bespoke traditionally tempered wrought hand and anvil tools (as each job requires certain tools and not all of these are supplied industrially, especially for more specific tasks).
A notable example of Alejandro’s research and innovation is his technique when embossing iron sheets of increasing the volume after initial hammering by means of layering and air-blowing (as is done with glass). The result is a controlled increase in volume with a considerable saving of time and effort.
TRAINING
At 17 Alejandro joined the Air Force and was posted after a time to a workshop where he learnt about the malleability and handling of iron, in machining and welding and also in forging and casting. In the evenings he studied Castilian ironwork. Thus, as… an automotive mechanic in an airbase and concurrently with various master artisans, he learnt the trade of working iron in Andalusian style.
His contact with nature about then aroused in him the wish to be able to craft birds out of iron, so he set out in search of knowledge that could be acquired neither in the trade of grillwork nor in universities, researching the field in a self-taught way.
Three years later he was posted to the Airforce Logistics and Test Centre (CLAEX) in Torrejón de Ardoz, in the ordnance workshop. Here he met an American with a view of wrought iron akin to his own and who introduced him to various techniques, books, websites and competitions in the field of iron sculpture in Europe and further afield.
In 1999 he left the military to focus on learning the craft of French, Italian, English, German and other master blacksmiths around Europe, visiting their workshops. One enriching experience was with an Italian artisan in Veneto who introduced him to techniques suited to crafting wrought-iron birds. He has also taken part in competitions and meetings of blacksmithing artists such as those of Stia (Italy), Arles (France) or Taramundi (Spain).
TEACHING
Currently he is participating in a European outreach project with Unesco, the Miguel Hernández University and the culture department of Castalla Town Hall aimed at allowing as many people as possible to learn this craft. In October 2016 the 1st National Meeting of Blacksmiths, intended… to be biennial, was held in Castalla (Valencia province), with blacksmiths from all over the country as well as international masters such as Pippo Contarino from Sicily or Hiroshi Tanaka from Japan, along with Santiago Martínez Otero, responsible for the restoration of ironwork at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and other seasoned blacksmiths such as Rafel Artigas or Berto Leis as well as sculptors, professionals and amateurs in the field.
SELECTED WORK
In 2016 Alejandro took part in the restoration of railings in the Portico of Glory and the Holy Gate of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, involving the fixing of iron parts to the cathedral stonework using lead joints.
