Blacksmithing
Practical Action
Ideally, the hearth should be at least 2m (6') deep and 2m (6') wide. The hearth needs a
strong stone slab or iron plate along the working ledge which should be a little lower than
domestic table height from the ground, a tall smith would benefit from having this height
increased still further so as to reduce fatigue.
Traditionally bellows are used to supply air piped through the left hand side of the furnace, if
the smith is right handed, through an iron tube.
A pair of bellows or, more recently, an air fan, needs to be fitted into the forge via iron tubes,
to allow air to be blown into the fire. Quite sophisticated tubes exist in some countries:
English smiths have water-cooled ones traditionally called tueirons. Alternatively, ceramic
tubes can be used without a cooling system. There are various types of fan,
Figure 2a: The forge and
water called Tueirons
Figure 2b: A blower
The traditional bellow and some crank fans require manual input; another option is an electric
fan where available.
The heating medium can be charcoal if clean walnut-size gas coke is not available. If coke is
used always screen it first by using a fine mesh riddle so as to separate coke dust and
physical impurities, which may have become mixed with the fuel. Always keep the fire free
from clinker: as soon as the essential heating area becomes too hot, clinker is formed and this
needs carefully removing with the aid of a poker without losing the fire altogether. Most
smiths-suspend a coke guard over the arch of the hearth, which also helps to improve natural
draught slightly.
Cooling and Quenching
The water trough – As mentioned earlier it is important to have a bucket or trough close at
hand not only for quenching but also in case of burning. So the main use for the water is to
quench the hot steel to cool or temper it. The bucket should be large enough to totally
immerse all pieces of work easily. The volume of the trough should be at least 25 litres (5
Gallons UK) so this is possible.
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