Feature Story : Wendell August
Master craftsmen at work
Wendell August Forge is America's oldest and largest forge of its kind, producing hand-wrought decorative accessories, elegant giftware, and architectural elements in aluminum and other metals since 1923. The company's heirloom gifts, designed in hundreds of treasured patterns like Dogwood, Tracery, Iris, and Christmas Quilt, are passed from one generation to the next beautiful examples of the die engraver's art, preserved in this fashion by Wendell August.
Founded in Brockway, Pennsylvania by Wendell McMinn August was inspired to start a decorative metals business, Wendell August Forge began producing one-of-a-kind fireplace andirons, candlesticks, lighting standards, doorknockers, latches, railings, and grilles for windows and doors. In 1930, Wendell August Forge pioneered the handcrafting of decorative aluminum and won a commission to fabricate entry gates and elevator doors for the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). Heralding a new era of design innovation, the company expanded in a new location in Grove City, Pennsylvania this forge is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
As sales of Wendell August giftware soared, the company's product line grew to include trays, bowls, and vases; gifts and commemoratives; home furnishings, Christmas ornaments and Collector's Plates; gifts for personalization; and jewelry but the fabrication process remained the same: each one still individually made by hand. The company's artisans, who use the original process to produce every piece in aluminum, bronze, copper, pewter, and more, preserve the heritage art of Wendell August Forge. This process includes Die Engraving by a master engraver, Repousse (Hammering), Surface Anvilling, Edging, Buffing, Coloring, and Forming. Craftsmen may work individually or collectively on a single piece, leaving a signature hallmark on each piece to indicate their artistry.
Visitors to Wendell August's three stores and working forges will find a lovely array of traditional and contemporary decorative accessories, from affordable gifts to elegant designs and furnishings. More than 1,000 gift items are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and designs, at prices ranging from under $10 to more than $4,000. Free workshop tours are available during production hours. Group tours are welcome; advance reservations are requested.
