Written record of blacksmithing

[DKForge]

Does anyone know the earliest written record of blacksmithing technique?

One of my favorite pastimes is looking at old archived photos of blacksmiths and farriers and their shops. I often wonder what techniques or processes may have been used years ago that have been lost due to no written record. The old photos give a glimpse into the shops and what they had in them, how they were setup etc but what about even before photography, prior to late 1800's.

I know we can look at items in museums and in collections and we can guess at how they were made but without a written record they are in some cases just guesses. I was just wondering if anyone can give some examples of the earliest written descriptions you may have come across.

Thanks

[Rcrew]

This maynot be what you are looking for, but the frist written record of a blacksmith is Genegis 4:22 The old boys name was Tubalcain. Check it out.

[DKForge]

Hey stewartthesmith that sounds like an awesome opportunity to learn from someone with a legacy like the Russian you learned from. I can just imagine the stories that have been passed down in his family with that type of history.

Your point about "new technique...being invented" is exactly part of the point of my original post. I am always fascinated when something "new" is presented that in fact has been documented as being used in previous times and I just ponder how many of those type of techniques were lost in regions of the world where the industrial revolution sliced the generational line of smithing your Russian teacher was lucky enough to have intact.

On a side note I grew up and still have most of the family in PA so hopefully some day we can have a chance to meet and share stories of our own.

[chyancarrek]

I did five years as an interpretive smith at Ft Vancouver - (a rebuilt Hudson's Bay Company outpost) Luckily we had a million-plus artifact inventory to choose from to try and determine forging technique by direct examination.

Even though this is a company that has an unbroken chain of records going back hundreds of years, and there were reams of info on what was made, quantity in stock, what to charge for them, where they were shipped, who bought them etc., there was virtually no written record of "how-to" regarding blacksmithing. The company however did make sure it had very accurate record of how much material and time a smith should spend on each item so as to keep predictable margin on each product. It was a situation where masters and journeymen were hired, specs and requirements were given but techniques and methods were transferred only within the walls of the smith's shop amongst the workers. Even in a perfect record keeping environment, smithing techniques never seemed to make their way to paper.

[Frank Turley]

In the 1700's, two books come to mind: "Mechanick Exercises" by Joseph Moxon, and "Encyclopedie" by Denis Diderot. It should be remembered that during those times, tradesmen were against the publication of their methodologies, as it would perhaps affect their apprenticeship systems. Furthermore, there were trade secrets, especially in the fields of locksmithing and gunsmithing. Also, literacy among the masses was not all that widespread. Viewing history broadly, the printing press had not been in existance all that long.

Thomas Powers has studied extensively these books as well as other information from the Medieval period. He is currently president of the Southwest Artist Blacksmiths Association and you may be able to contact him via http://www.swaba-abana-chapter.org.

http;//www.turleyforge.com Granddadday of Blacksmith Schools

[wolfshieldrx]

Moxon is a great resource for trades of the time...blacksmithing, joinery, housebuilding. The joinery portion was recently reprinted with modern interpretive footnotes. Highly recommend it. Would be great if someone did the same with the blacksmith section. Any takers? :-)
bart

[dablacksmith]

for visual ironwork and tools of the viking era try the mastirmir find not sure on the spelling but it was a box of tools found by a farmer plowing a field and is interesting look at early tools

[ThomasPowers]

One of the earliest primary sources that actually goes into details would be "Divers Arts", Theophilus, circa 1120 AD and available in a great english translation by the noted historical metallurgist C.S.Smith, who was also involved in the translation of the Pirotechnia by Biringuccio (about a renaissance book about refining of metals).

A truly great renaissance work would be "De Re Metallica" in english translation by Herbert Hoover---yes the *president*. It is a book on mining and refining metals but includes HUNDREDS of great woodcuts showing all the steps and so documenting the materials and equipment! (and it has plans and instructions for building things like bellows and wheelbarrows!)

"Sources for the History of the Science of Steel" includes several interesting Renaissance excerpts including one on case hardening and an amusing list of suggest quenchants---worm water or radish juice anyone? It follows the hunt for *why* steel was different from iron from 1532 until someone slapped their forehead and said "It's *carbon* that changes iron into steel!" in 1786. (many earlier people considered steel to be a purer for of iron---very platonic idealism---and if you think that when iron was left in the bloomery too long it could pick up more carbon and become steel---or cast iron if left too long!)

And just for fun Shire books published a worm on "Egyptian Metalworking and tools" based on wall carvings and extant tool remains---King Tut was buried with a miniature set of Iron tools---most likely meteoritic iron at that time!

(Also a greek vase with a foundry scene is a good early resource---at work and so working from the top of my head.)


As mentioned when the guild system was in control sharing of information was considered a *BAD* thing. I have an MIT Press book on the history of western technology that has a very sad excerpt of a "red metal turner" in Renaissance Nuremberg who ran afoul of the guild as he kept inventing *better* metal lathes even after they told him NOT to!---and he was forbidden to leave the town as he might build the improved lathes elsewhere!