I began blacksmithing in Newport, RI in 1970, forging architectural hardware for the Newport Restoration Foundation, ultimately furnishing hardware and ironwork for more than sixty-five 18th and 19th Century buildings in the Newport area. In 1977, I moved the shop to its present location in Westport, Massachusetts. Over the past 40 years, I have had the privilege of working for an extensive list of architects, designers, and private clients from across the US.

The iron hardware incorporated into the buildings of 17th, 18th, and 19th century America varied widely in design and construction, both regionally and locally. The hardware on this website was selected to include some of the most common design forms and more unusual examples of latches, hinges, slide bolts, and household iron items that I make.

Beyond the examples in this catalogue I can reproduce hardware by working from: clients' original examples; photographs; sketches; architectural drawings; or references to images in books such as: Early American Wrought Iron by Albert Sonn; Colonial Wrought Iron: The Sorber Collection by Don Plummer. I welcome custom work and I will provide estimates and delivery times upon request.

All of the hardware and utensils shown on this website are hand forged and hand finished. Careful forging combined with hand filing, fitting, and finishing are necessary to reproduce the details, finish, and feel of early wrought hardware.

Newton Millham