Enormous amounts of hammered ironware have been used to hold the enormous wooden hull together - a total of 56,000 ship´s nails. Smedja Volund, which was established early on at Terra Nova and was the "shipyard´s forge" - an exciting attraction for all visitors - has produced 27,000 hand-forged ship´s nails and 10,000 bolts with a combined weight of 20 tonnes. The heaviest forged parts are the 250 knees, each weighing 80 kg, which fix the deck to the side of the hull. Each of these knees was initially measured out on the deck and then forged to achieve a perfect fit. They were produced by Smedja Volund in Skärhamn. However, it was not only the hull that required forged metal parts. Thousands of hooks, rings and iron fittings also had to be hand forged for the ship´s rigging. The iron was heated up to around 1,000°C in the coal forge, and could then be worked on the anvil using various steel tools. For larger, heavier jobs, the blacksmith has used mechanical hammers, known as spring hammers and pneumatic hammers. In total, more than 50 tonnes of steel and iron have been forged for the shipbuilding project, including various tools such as axes and sledgehammers.

The steering wheel and tiller rope were fairly new inventions in the 18th century, and they made it possible to locate the helm anywhere. Before then, a type of vertical tiller extension known as a whipstaff had been used. Pollard´s steering system, which enabled the steering line to be kept taut throughout the rudder movement, arrived a little over 30 years after the construction of our historical prede-cessor, The Swedish Ship “Götheborg". In order to improve safety, it was decided to build a steering system in accordance with this concept in the new vessel. Slack in the tiller rope, which arose when the rudder turned a long way, had previously been known to cause the rudder to whip back, surprising the helmsmen and making the steering wheel spin. The rudder was installed in May 2004, an important and symbolic event. The rudder, which weighs just over four tonnes, hangs in six substantial gudgeons, i.e. rings, on the stern post. The rudder is operated with the aid of a large double steering wheel, located  on the weather deck. The double wheel, which has a diameter of 1.7 metres, comprises two completely parallel steering wheels with spokes and is normally operated by two helmsmen. In severe weather, up to four helmsmen are required. A drum is situated between the steering wheels, around which the tiller rope is wound, which then passes via a corner block to the tiller on the lower deck. The tiller rope, which has to be both rigid and hardwearing, has been made of leather from a dozen or so elk hides. The tiller consists of two oak sections, six metres long, which have been joined to form an extremely strong construction. A maximum of four people can operate the steering wheel. A balanced spread of canvas is a prerequisite for good steering capacity.