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| # Blacksmithing & farriery | This topic is part of [[gt:crafts|Crafts & making]]. |
| | ====== Blacksmithing & farriery ====== |
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| ## What is blacksmithing and what is farriery? | ===== What is blacksmithing and what is farriery? ===== |
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| Blacksmithing is the forging (hammering), bending, cutting and joining of metal by using heat to soften it. At the heart of a blacksmith's workshop is the forge - a hearth for providing heat - although the word forge is often used for the entire workshop. Farriery involves many of the same skills, but with a focus on making and fitting horseshoes. When there were blacksmithing apprenticeships in Britain, after three years basic training, apprentices branched into either large-scale industrial blacksmithing, small-scale 'village' blacksmithing or farriery, which included some veterinary training. | Blacksmithing is the forging (hammering), bending, cutting and joining of metal by using heat to soften it. At the heart of a blacksmith's workshop is the forge - a hearth for providing heat - although the word forge is often used for the entire workshop. Farriery involves many of the same skills, but with a focus on making and fitting horseshoes. When there were blacksmithing apprenticeships in Britain, after three years basic training, apprentices branched into either large-scale industrial blacksmithing, small-scale 'village' blacksmithing or farriery, which included some veterinary training. |
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| <caption> | <caption> |
| 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._ |
| </caption> | </caption> |
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| <caption> | <caption> |
| Heating metal in a coal forge. | _Heating metal in a coal forge._ |
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| </caption> | </caption> |
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| ## What are the benefits of blacksmithing and farriery? | ===== What are the benefits of blacksmithing and farriery? ===== |
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| - it's a very useful craft skill that can be turned into a career, providing metal products and services to the community (blacksmiths sometimes even straighten or sharpen garden tools for local people) | - it's a very useful craft skill that can be turned into a career, providing metal products and services to the community (blacksmiths sometimes even straighten or sharpen garden tools for local people) |
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| <caption> | <caption> |
| 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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| </caption> | </caption> |
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| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
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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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| <WRAP center centeralign> | <WRAP center centeralign> |
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| <caption> | <caption> |
| 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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| </caption> | </caption> |
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| <caption> | <caption> |
| 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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| </caption> | </caption> |
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| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
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| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:crafts|Crafts & making]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/crafts). |
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| | ===== Further resources ===== |
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| - [British Artist Blacksmiths Association (BABA)](https://www.baba.org.uk/) | - [British Artist Blacksmiths Association (BABA)](https://www.baba.org.uk/) |
| - [Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/blacksmithing-tools-zmaz75ndzgoe/#axzz2gOiGh13j) - article on basic blacksmithing tools | - [Mother Earth News](https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/blacksmithing-tools-zmaz75ndzgoe/#axzz2gOiGh13j) - article on basic blacksmithing tools |
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| ## Specialists | |
| | ===== Related topics ===== |
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| | - [Craft production](craf:craft) |
| | - [Working horses](woho:working_horses) |
| | - [Welding & metalwork](weld:welding_and_metalwork) |
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| | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
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