Manuel Ruiz de Viana Rodríguez – Ferros Viana

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

In his activity related to locksmithing and artistic forging he carries out works oriented to the fields of construction, furniture and ornamentation, as well as sculpture, restoration and the design of different pieces. 

He manufactures fences, gates, handrails for spiral staircases, wrought iron grilles, balconies, portholes, cupolas and parapets for wells. He also carries out the restoration of deteriorated pieces. He pays great attention to each piece, respecting the client’s ideas and advising on the work.

Process:

• Design of the initial draft of the piece on paper. Right after that, the drawing is carried out at a real-size scale in paper or metallic sheets, depending on the specific piece of work and the material to be used. For works where the material used is a sheet of iron, brass or copper, the design is drafted directly on top of that same material – with the aid of a wax crayon or scribe. For repetitive works a template is first carried out.
• The next step is to cut the material. This can be done – depending on the material – with the aid of a pair of scissors, chisel, electric scissors, saw or with a hand press, carrying out first – in this case – a special cut die. 
• After this step, it is time to shape the material. Once again, depending on the material, it might have to be heated prior to its possible transformation by means of embossment, carving (using chisels), or deep drawing and stamping. When this is the case, a stamping mould has to be created previously. 
• For the union between different pieces one may use: rivets, oxy-acetylene welding, or forge welding (heating the pieces in the forge until they reach their melting point and then joining them with the aid of the hammer, hitting them quickly at the precise moment). The weld can then be polished using a file or a mill.
• The finishing and protection of the piece may be carried out naturally, leaving the pieces outdoors. Also using oil coating, some varnishes or enamels, or another kind of oxidation which is not chemical but by applying plaster dust on the piece, which is then dampened to right after wrap it up in plaster to let the moisture and calcium act on the piece for a couple of days. After these days, water is sprayed over the piece and the oxide created during that time is spread by means of a scouring sponge and once again wrapped up in plastic. This process is repeated once and over again for as long as one wishes, until one obtains the desired tone. Once the tone is reached, the piece is then protected with the sort of wax which is used for parquet flooring, to avoid its progressive corrosion. 
• After the process of cutting the material, it is then taken to the forge, where it will be heated until it reaches the optimum point for it to be worked on, carved, stretched, embossed or forged. The tools which are used for that purpose will depend on the work to be carried out. Among these we can find: anvils, hammers, drop hammers, pressing implements, prints, screws to hold the piece, chisels, drift punches, forks, cudgels, mouldings to give shape to the elements, different types of pliers, etc. The unions are carried out by tongue-and-groove joint systems, rivets, collars, dowels, forge or electric welding.