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Blacksmithing
A blacksmith is a person who uses iron (traditionally) or steel in its hot, plastic state to shape and transform what is normally considered a hard-edged material into an altogether softer, more fluid expression. Blacksmiths create products such as wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons. From small fittings to larger architectural applications, the work of a blacksmith can be used to enrich both the visual and physical aspects of our environment.
Blacksmiths work with “black” metals; the colour coming from the dark layer of oxides that form on the surface of the metal during heating (known as fire scale). The term “smith” originates from the word “smite,” which means to hit. Thus, a blacksmith is a person who smites the “black” metals.
“Wrought” iron is commercially pure iron, having very small carbon content, but it usually contains some slag. It is tough, malleable, ductile, and can be easily welded. Wrought iron is the product of early iron furnaces called bloomeries. It is no longer manufactured but old scrap wrought is sought out by blacksmiths and recycled. However, it is considered a “soft” metal
and its usage has been much replaced by modern steel, which is harder but less
malleable.
Blacksmiths work by heating pieces of wrought iron or steel in a forge until the metal becomes soft enough to be shaped with tools such as a hammer. Early forges were fuelled by charcoal and peat; later coal or coke was used. Modern forges also operate on natural gas, propane and fuel oil. Because they must be able to see the glowing colour of the metal, as this indicated workability, many blacksmiths work in dim, low-light conditions.
The techniques of blacksmithing may be roughly divided into forging (which includes the various processes of drawing, shrinking, bending, upsetting, and punching) welding, or joining two pieces together, heat treating, or changing the crystalline structure of the steel (cannot be done with iron) to give it specific characteristics required for different uses, and finishing.
Blacksmithing dates from the earliest Iron Age, which started
about 1500 BC or earlier in Central Asia. Many of the metalworking tools
and techniques of the blacksmith date from the earlier times of the Bronze
Age going back over 5,000 years. Historically, a “smithy” or “smiddy” (spelled
both ways, it is the workplace of a blacksmith) was a staple in every village
or town. The industrial revolution and resulting mass production techniques
drastically reduced the demand for traditional blacksmith work. However,
there is an increasing desire for custom and traditional metalwork, both
in modern and historic contexts.
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