”The Merry Blacksmith” , one of my favorite Irish fiddle tunes.
An ancient trade indeed! Skill in working metal has gone hand in hand with human development since the dawn of civilization. My fascination with this history and these skills, led me to set up my own backyard outdoor blacksmith shop.
Here I will share how I got my start in blacksmithing, beginning with building a brake drum forge and buying the initial tools. I am an amateur, and I do not claim expertise regarding blacksmithing, but this has been a great activity to get started in and I am happy to share here how I got started.
Approaching the Temple of Hephaestus, Athens, 2016. Built in 450 BC. Hephaestus was the God of blacksmiths, and was the blacksmith of the Gods. Maybe he is hiding in my little forge too....
Links:
My backyard smithy, September 2019. I have a large industrial fire extinguisher and a hose on out in the outdoor blacksmith shop also. Here I am forging a railroad spike.
Forging a point on a 3/4” square bar that will be part of a large roasting spit assembly. It was a good day for wearing klompen.
Here is the finished forge including a covered table top and smoke stack
Some photos of products from the smithy:
Newel post bracket.
Fixed the newel post! 1/2" square stock, boiled linseed oil finish.
Washington Island Stavkirke Door Latch
The wonderful Stave Church (Stavkirke) on Washington Island , Wisconsin was missing some door latch hardware so I made the missing pieces and mailed them to the church. I was honored that they installed them.
Here is the sketch I made of the door hardware. The latch bar and latch catch had gone missing on both side doors of the church.
When I went up to see the parts installed I noticed that the latch was installed upside down from what I had designed, but it still looks good and functions well. I didn't have a screw driver with me other wise I would have flipped it rightside up. Next time...
The original blacksmiths did great work with the hardware and rosettes on the doors.
BBQ Spit:
Made from large stock (relative to my little forge) 5/8" and 3/4" square stock and hooks fastened with rivets.
Blacksmith forged Pig or Chicken Roasting Spit. 3/4" steel vertical supports and the spit itself. Hooks are riveted to the vertical supports. Handle is 3D printed PETG
2 Chickens on the forged spit roast. Trussed up to the tines with wire. It worked perfectly! I did these chickens in the Peruvian style and served them with homemade Peruvian green sauce. Fantastic!
Hanging Basket Bracket
Hook for a hanging flower basket, with a twist and decorative leaf. Boiled Linseed Oil finish.
BBQ Fork
Hand forged BBQ fork with boiled linseed oil finish
Hand forged BBQ fork with boiled linseed oil finish
Big Fire Poker:
4' long fire poker; made from 1/2" steel with a forge-riveted on hook.
My first railroad spike hatchet:
Hatchet forged from a railroad spike; with hand-carved local white oak handle.
Railroad spike hatchet, boiled linseed oil finish.
Hooks!
A very practical and easy product to make, hooks are a common product for those starting out in blacksmith. They are very useful and make fun gifts.
The first piece of hardware I made using the new forge and anvil. This is called a drive hook, as the "nail" that affixes it to the post or wall is integral to the hook itself.
The bar-twister I made worked nice to add twists to hooks. The holes in the hooks are hot punched using the punch and pritchel plate.
I have made handfuls of these tiny hooks. This hook is made from a horseshoe nail and can be made very quickly.
Books I used for reference:
- "The Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims. Very helpful book on blacksmithing for those that want to get started.
- "The Blacksmith, Ironworker and Farrier", by Aldren A. Watson. This is wonderful reference book on the history and traditional methods of blacksmithing.
Suppliers:
- Centaur Forge www.centaurforge.com, was a great place to find tools and anvils. They are nearby for me so I drove over to see them. I was like a kid in a candy shop looking at everything in stock at their shop.