The following is an attempt to clear up some of the confusion about wrought iron by breaking the term down into its most commonly accepted definitions.

In most cases, when your shop receives a "rod iron" call, you may have to play detective to find out what the customer is thinking about. You've probably had so many "rod iron" calls that you are used to them, but they are still a little frustrating.

Now could that customer actually want genuine wrought iron? Not likely. Does he want something hammered out at the forge or is he just looking for the silvery black finish characteristic of wrought iron?

When someone calls your shop and says he wants a "rod iron table," that person has something clear in mind. Chances are, he's thinking about an old piece of metal furniture that his grandfather made. The table he envisions is black, full of scrolls, and pretty.

Secondly, when the public talks about wrought iron, they could be referring to one of three things - actual wrought iron, hand forged items, or the "look" of wrought iron. Your challenge is to determine what the customer actually wants.

One of the most confusing terms in the ornamental metals business is the phrase "wrought iron." However, the confusion is understandable since even dictionaries cannot agree on a single definition The first thing to clear up is the spelling. Many consumers spell the metal "rod iron" or "rot iron."

Currently, the only way to get true wrought iron is to import it from Europe or find an old bridge, wagon wheel axle, or other antique item. The scarcity of the metal is unfortunate for the ornamental iron industry because wrought iron is an ideal metal to work with. The metal is corrosion resistant, handles stress well, and can accept a thicker finish.

The reason wrought iron was phased out is simple _ the process is very labor intensive and costly. In the old days, a laborer had to hold the metal with tongs and "work" it under a steam hammer. In addition, recycling of scrap added downward pressure on the price of steel. According to one estimate, production wrought iron cost nearly twice as much as steel.

One reason behind the confusion is that somewhere between the time that grandpa made his wrought iron table and today, the actual metal went out of production in the U.S. During the 1960s, one plant after another discontinued its wrought iron operations until the last plant ceased operations in 1969.