Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands,
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
Excerpt from The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I recognize that I have not begun to plumb the depths of my ignorance on commonplace topics. This is obvious to me since I learn so much every week–a lot of which I really should have already known. Of late, my gray cells have been absorbing knowledge about the trade of blacksmithing. My interest began a few weeks ago as I watched a fellow volunteer demonstrate production in a replica of a 19th-century blacksmith shop. I was suitably impressed by the capabilities–hooks, hardware, and triangle bells, to name a few. When I began to research the topic, I found that forges and blacksmithing predate this country. Significantly.
History, as far as we know
Thousands of years ago humans began mining and working with iron, which was the black metal. Metal workers are considered to be smiths, perhaps leading to the term blacksmith. There may have been redsmiths before that, working with bronze or copper. Either way, for whatever material was being manipulated, heat (which meant fire back then) was used for molding/shaping/beating the metal into a variety of items. At a basic level, cultures that had discovered iron and were able to shape it into weapons would have an advantage over groups that did not.
According to an article by C. A. Lawton, the Hittites in ancient Egypt were the first to figure out how to refine iron ore into a more pure version. Mr. Lawton follows the progression of forges and iron production from Egypt to China to Germany. (The Hittites were, alas, unable to corner the market.) Read more via the link, but remember that is is unwise to rely on any one document to draw conclusions. To my point, The Village Blacksmith, a book written by Aldren Watson, suggests that the Syrians and Chinese made about the same kind of industrial progress during the same era, more or less. What we’re pretty certain of is that the technology made its way to and through Europe by nomads. Each culture added improvements to the process they learned from others–just like we do today.
Processes
It would be nifty to provide you with a photo of an ancient forge. Alas, neither Nikon nor Canon was there at the time. The sources I’ve read indicate that early forges were typically similar to fireplaces. They were likely made of stone and perhaps fashioned to have a higher working space. There were a variety of reasons that height mattered. One was that it was awhile before bellows were introduced and before that, someone had to blow on the fire (a lot) to get it started and keep it going.
The temperature had to reach around 2000° according to an article found in the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. That’s a lot of puffing. Early on, this task would probably have been an apprentice’s, likely a boy aged 10 or younger. He may have used a hollow reed to assist. Don’t know about you, but I think that even with the aid of a reed, keeping a fire going would be tedious and dangerous work. Help was on the way, though.
By medieval times, a hand-held bellow had been invented and the apprentice could give his arm muscles a workout instead of his lungs. Bellows, along with every other tool, evolved over the years. Early on, the Chinese created bellows operated with foot power and these finally arrived in Europe by the 16th century. Late in the 19th century, the hand-crank bellows made their arrival. Those not only delivered air to the forge more consistently but would have required less human effort as well.
Fuel
For any chore, our North American ancestors used what was readily and plentifully available. Fuel for fires would have been no exception. They had wood everywhere they looked, and I’m guessing they may have started with that. However, wood doesn’t generate a fire nearly as hot as coal and the latter would need to be mined.
On the flip side, charcoal (yes, there’s a difference between coal and charcoal, Virginia), burns hotter and longer than either and is an excellent option for forges. Since there were no supermarkets or Home Depots to wander through a few hundred years ago, people made their own or purchased supplies from a charcoal burner. Yes, that was a thing in medieval times.
For current-day forges, industrial coke is often used. It is less expensive than charcoal and perhaps cleaner. The downside is that it might require more attention to keep the fire going. Some people start their fires using small amounts of charcoal and continue with coke.
Process*
This will be intuitively obvious to most, but some of you may be more like me than you’d want to admit. I’ll start with a small glossary and then move on to a tiny little over-simplified primer on how to make a nail in mid-19th century.
- Anvil – flat, very heavy metal block with concave sides and usually a pointed end
- Bellows – basically a bag that emits air when compressed by use of handles
- Charcoal – c’mon. Even I knew that.
- Coal – combustible rock taken from the earth.
- Coke – nope, not the drug. Or the drink. It’s distilled coal.
- Forge – where the fire is laid and where the metal is laid to heat
- Mallet – similar to a hammer, but makes more of an impact than a mark
- Nail header – a tool that looks like a shallow spoon with a hole at the bottom of its bowl
- Tongs – really?
First, the smith starts a fire in the forge. It is possible matches could be used, but as someone mentioned to me recently, 19th-century folks didn’t waste their money unnecessarily. If the fire from the day before has gone out, the smith creates his own friction/sparks using flint and steel.
Once the fire is literally (not figuratively) blazing and at a very high temperature (see above), the smith places an iron rod directly into the fire. When the rod is red hot, tongs are used to remove it from the forge. Note that continual adjustments are made to maintain the high temperature with the bellows and the addition of fuel, for example.
Next, the rod is moved to an anvil where the smith hammers the end of the rod, rotating to begin creating the point. The rod is re-immersed into the fire to return it to a temperature that allows pliability. Then back to the anvil. This process is repeated until the pointed portion is the desired length. It is then re-heated and the excess length (non-hammered portion) is cut off using a hammer and perhaps a chisel.
At this stage, the nail is immersed in water to cool it quickly before it is reheated to form the nail head. Note that the cooling liquid used might be another liquid – even oil. Anyway, for conformity, the nail has to fit through the nail header. That tool also serves to hold the nail upright while the topside is hammered unmercifully to create the nailhead.
I have read that an accomplished smith could make a nail in ten minutes or less. Perhaps some can accomplish it in a minute. Either way, that’s a tedious process.
Uses
As you might imagine, products varied according to the culture of the time. According to Lawton, the Hittites made tools and spearheads; the Chinese developed a plow. The latter must have come as a welcome relief to those who had been turning earth by hand. Later on (15th century), the Germans began to cast iron and made pipes to carry water. In France and England, cannons were manufactured.
Whatever the geography, hundreds of years ago transportation was all about horses. They were used to pull carriages and wagons and provide elegant mounts for early warriors and suitors. Farmers and others needed harnesses and wheels and springs and wagon tongues. But we can’t omit metal horseshoes, which originated about 2000 years ago, according to the American Farriers Journal. Armies needed their horses in past centuries the way they need jeeps and mass transport vehicles today. Prior to the 1830s, each horseshoe was made one at a time. That’s a lot of shoes and a lot of time.
Beyond transportation, though, think about buildings. Think about the number of nails and hinges and primitive locks required for everyday use, plus the tools needed to attach those items to a structure. Then, once basic needs were met, there were metal doors and gates and then ornamental uses for those who had the wherewithal to buy them.
The finish
As long as this post is, it only skims the surface of the information available on blacksmithing. There are a multitude of videos and a surprising number of groups that post on websites dealing with this topic.
Why should anyone care? As mentioned in a prior post, if we don’t know the history of cultures long gone, we can’t fully appreciate what we have now. And I can’t stop learning yet. I don’t know enough.
You?
Thank you Gayle for all your research and sharing this!
You’re right, not something I ever thought much about or appreciated! Sure can understand why log cabins were constructed without nails!
It also explains why they didn’t waste much!
Gayle, this is fascinating! Thank you! And I love your humor!!
Glad you enjoyed it!