Forged and Filed
Seth Gould spent two years crafting an intricate puzzle box called Coffer.
The Coffer was made primarily through handwork at the forge and at the bench. The majority of pieces, including the bolts, levers, and staples, are made from wrought iron, a material I use primarily for its working properties (enjoyable to forge and file). Wrought iron is no longer manufactured, so each piece needed to be forged from salvaged material. The forging is done using a coal forge, hammer, anvil, and power hammer. Once the pieces are forged as close to their finished shape as possible, I move to the bench to refine the surface and shape with a file. The final touch is a bit of file embellishment.
Jesse Beecher documented Seth’s project in Forged and Filed, an expectational five-minute video with sounds from Seth’s workshop weaved into an incredible soundtrack.