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| blck:blacksmithing [2025/12/05 11:55] – dave | blck:blacksmithing [2025/12/17 04:30] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| Blacksmith hammering and bending a heated rod on the face of an anvil; the table and horn of the anvil can be seen in the foreground. | _Blacksmith hammering and bending a heated rod on the face of an anvil; the table and horn of the anvil can be seen in the foreground._ |
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| Heating metal in a coal forge. | _Heating metal in a coal forge._ |
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| Range of items made by blacksmiths & farriers: furniture, knife blades, curtain rails, gates, axe heads, railings, hinges & horseshoes. | _Range of items made by blacksmiths & farriers: furniture, knife blades, curtain rails, gates, axe heads, railings, hinges & horseshoes._ |
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| You can support your local blacksmith if you have one, rather than a giant DIY store that imports metal goods from the other side of the world. The rest of this section is about setting up your own forge. You might want to do this if you're a [smallholder](/smho/smallholding) or farmer who wants to make and repair tools and equipment, or you might be thinking of setting up a small business. | You can support your local blacksmith if you have one, rather than a giant DIY store that imports metal goods from the other side of the world. The rest of this section is about setting up your own forge. You might want to do this if you're a [smallholder](/smho/smallholding) or farmer who wants to make and repair tools and equipment, or you might be thinking of setting up a small business. |
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| The first thing to do is get some [training](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/directory/categories/blacksmithing-courses). Try a taster day first to see if it's for you. It requires good hand-eye co-ordination, and not everybody has it! It also requires you to be tough, strong and able to work in a hot forge for long periods. On a course you'll learn: more about tools, equipment and different types of steel; the colour of steel at different temperatures, and what jobs can be done at what temperature - for example hardening, annealing (toughening), bending, forging and welding; plus various techniques such as drawing (lengthening), bending, cutting, upsetting (thickening), punching (making holes), fire-welding and hot-filing. | The first thing to do is get some training. Try a taster day first to see if it's for you. It requires good hand-eye co-ordination, and not everybody has it! It also requires you to be tough, strong and able to work in a hot forge for long periods. On a course you'll learn: more about tools, equipment and different types of steel; the colour of steel at different temperatures, and what jobs can be done at what temperature - for example hardening, annealing (toughening), bending, forging and welding; plus various techniques such as drawing (lengthening), bending, cutting, upsetting (thickening), punching (making holes), fire-welding and hot-filing. |
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| Historically, girls as well as boys entered blacksmithing apprenticeships, and there has been a recent upsurge in women taking up the profession. | _Historically, girls as well as boys entered blacksmithing apprenticeships, and there has been a recent upsurge in women taking up the profession._ |
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| Using the horn of the anvil to bend a piece of metal. | _Using the horn of the anvil to bend a piece of metal._ |
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| If you decide that you'd like to be a blacksmith, you could contact established blacksmiths via the [WCB](https://blacksmithscompany.co.uk/) or [BABA](http://www.baba.org.uk/) to see if they will take you on as a trainee and give you on-the-job training. As we write there is no official regulation of blacksmithing, but it's a good idea to register with the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, as they operate like an employment exchange. They pass leads on to their members from individuals (and organisations like English Heritage) who contact them. You can obtain relevant NVQs and diplomas, but really, people will want to see examples of your work. It's a different story with farriery (in the UK at least) - you have to be a registered farrier to shoe a horse. Legislation was brought in to avoid suffering of horses shod by unqualified people. See the [Farriers Registration Council](http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/). You can find lots more information on forging a career (do you see what I did there?) in blacksmithing or farriery on our links page, under resources. | If you decide that you'd like to be a blacksmith, you could contact established blacksmiths via the [WCB](https://blacksmithscompany.co.uk/) or [BABA](http://www.baba.org.uk/) to see if they will take you on as a trainee and give you on-the-job training. As we write there is no official regulation of blacksmithing, but it's a good idea to register with the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, as they operate like an employment exchange. They pass leads on to their members from individuals (and organisations like English Heritage) who contact them. You can obtain relevant NVQs and diplomas, but really, people will want to see examples of your work. It's a different story with farriery (in the UK at least) - you have to be a registered farrier to shoe a horse. Legislation was brought in to avoid suffering of horses shod by unqualified people. See the [Farriers Registration Council](http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/). You can find lots more information on forging a career (do you see what I did there?) in blacksmithing or farriery on our links page, under resources. |
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| - [Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths](https://blacksmithscompany.co.uk/) | - [Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths](https://blacksmithscompany.co.uk/) |
| - [Farriers Registration Company](https://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/) | - [Farriers Registration Company](https://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/) |
| | - [I Forge Iron](https://www.iforgeiron.com/) - blacksmithing forum |
| | - [European Federation of Farriers Associations](https://eurofarrier.com/) |
| | - [Anvil](https://www.anvilmag.com/smith/smith.htm) - index of useful articles from the now-defunct Anvil magazine |
| | - [Backwoods Home mag](https://www.lowimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/Build-a-homestead-forge-and-fabricate-your-own-hardware...By_.pdf) - build a homestead forge and fabricate your own hardware |
| | - [Forge & Farrier](https://www.forgeandfarrier.co.uk/) - online resource for farriers by farriers |
| | - [Instructables](https://www.instructables.com/Brake-drum-blacksmithing-forge/) - how to make a micro forge from a brake drum |
| | - [Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/blacksmithing-tools-zmaz75ndzgoe/#axzz2gOiGh13j) - article on basic blacksmithing tools |
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| ## Specialists | ## Specialist curators of this topic |
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