Definition of a blacksmith.

[paola]

I was hoping for some help. I am doing some research about blacksmithing and I am trying to define the difference between the following:

[CBrann]

Here goes, my personal opinion only, I'm from the Eastern USA

Traditional blacksmith makes hardware and tools for the home and industry, nails, hinges, plowshares, chain etc in a traditional manner. With hammer and anvil an assistant and whatever hand tools are around he makes utilitarian objects. The traditional blacksmith can make almost anything from a carpenters hammer to a castle gate, kind of the master generalist, he can make almost anything.

The artist blacksmith makes gates, sculpture, and other objects for the purpose of decoration. using all and any techniques and equipment available. Paint, laquer, patinas are commonly used to finish the artists projects. Work for this blacksmith usuaully has portability.

The architectural blacksmith builds gates, doors, panels, fences, and reinforcements for buildings. Similar to artist except that these projects are built to be permanently installed, and last for decades. I also put hand railings stair rails etc in this catergory. I see this a being the blacksmith on the largest scale, hundreds or rods for hundreds of feet of fencing.

I would also add that there are "traditionalists" and "modernists", the tradtionalists not using modern machinery, electricity and modern means. Modernisits will use modern technology to the best of their abillity to make their work.

[Frosty]

The definition of "traditional" is entirely too subjective to have a short answer.

The "best" definition I can come up with, meaning the one that explains the most parameters in the simplest terms is. "Pick a period technology you wish to limit yourself to and don't cheat."

How's that work? Well, for millenia a blacksmith was limited to using charcoal, a bellows, bag or later valved, a wrought anvil and muscle power.

Powerhammers came along pretty early in human endeavors, probably starting with walking beams and evolving into tilts and trips. Note these "hammers" were also used for many different things, from sawing lumber to making paper, felt, crushing, pumping water, etc.

Most smiths didn't work alone, most lived and worked in large settlements and did "industrial" type work, many if not most were specialized. (this is throughout history, not some specific period)

The image of the Blacksmith Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree is a fairly recent romantic notion. It's kind of like the notion that the cowboy of the American west was in some way independant where the reailty was they were about as dependant on others as it was possible to get. From the food they ate, to the clothes they wore, the saddle they rode on, weapon(s) they carried, jobs they held, they had to depend on someone else to produce.

Blacksmiths tended to work in groups, were specialized when possible and if they weren't already using the latest technology they were inventing it.

Today the blacksmith who is following the true tradition of the profession is sitting in a booth sipping a Jolt cola while a CNC forge press does his bidding. Unfortunately that just isn't very cool.

An artist blacksmith makes art.

An architectural blacksmith has to build things that won't kill people by being of unsound design and construction.

Frosty

Edited May 4, 2009 by Frosty

[ThomasPowers]

The earliest power hammer I have documented was pre 1000 A.D. so "traditionalists" that don't use power hammers need to be doing early dark ages work using only charcoal and real wrought iron!

A common divider would be that a "traditionalist" doesn't use modern welding methods in their work.

[CBrann]

Thomas, didn't realize that they have been using water power that long. My reference to traditionalist manner, was more about not using arc/electrical welding or CNC machinery

Frosty, I find it interesting that people will fill a job/position, and society will also change around the individual. And yet we romanticize certain jobs or time periods. The cowboy, the medieval knight/ Crusader, the truth is much dirtier and darker that the idea.

Am I mistaken in thinking that the blacksmith was almost always on the edge of technology, due to the fact he was usually the tool maker.

I think I have mumbled enough for the moment.....

[TASMITH]

I worked as an industrial blacksmith for almost thirty years. Our main tools were the three large power hammers (1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 lb steam hammers operated on 250 lbs steam pressure). Most of our work was rather large scale or large runs of some tools (such as heavy pry bars). We used traditional forging technique and a varied number of swages. necking tools, stop blocks and many specialty hand held tools, depending on the product being made.
We made an endless variety of items and tools that are specific for the steel making and finishing dept. of a primary steel producer. we also made a lot of the traditional hand tools for use in the mills that you would be familiar with, including hand hammers, hot cuts, cold cuts, cold chisels, pry bars etc.

We used all the traditional methods of forging, (albeit on a larger scale than a home based shop) but they are the same as they were 200 years ago.The technology may have changed but the methods remain the same to get the same result.The biggest change in technology has been to enable larger scale forgings to be done with far less man power and in some cases to improve on the mass production of a single item. We also spent a good deal of time repairing items (mainly straightening) such as bent walking beams from mill re-heat furnaces, or straightening 20 foot long 1 1/2 rd rods for use in ladles as stopper rods.

My main point I'm trying to make here is that Blacksmiths may do a great variety of different types of work which can all be classified as traditional but their main purpose was to make something that would be used to serve another purpose.In the very early industrial age it was the blacksmith who made the parts for the machines that would eventually take over the work that they themselves were doing.It is quite ironic in a way, but it has not ever completely taken away the trade. There are still many blacksmiths worldwide that are still plying the trade and making their living at it and countless more that are still doing it for the love of the trade and if this site is any indication, there will never be a lack of interest or willingness to carry on.

Terry

[ThomasPowers]

Yes blacksmiths spent a lot of time at the cutting edge of new technologies as they were often the inventors and prototypers. Some of it may be a mind set that stuff is mutable and so you can tweak it to suit yourself rather than living with what folks decided was the cheapest common denominator to produce.

I've noticed teaching that some students get the shivers when you tell them to take a factory made tool and modify it to work better for their purposes.

[paola]

Thank you, this is really helpful and interesting. I will edit my essay on the subject and post it. I used Alex W Bealer's book 'The Art of Blacksmithing" as a reference. Paola