Blacksmith's Hangout (cool stuff made from hot iron)

[A Cuddly Dom]

 Hello, and welcome to the "official" ironworks thread! Recently, BlackStemRose and I were discussing swordsmithing in the chat, and it was suggested we create a thread for everyone to talk about their projects and share ideas on the subject. So, here it is! Here we will be discussing anything and everything related to the fine craft of blacksmithing and bladesmithing.

 

Trigger Warning: This thread will contain images and discussion about knives, swords, and other edged tools, as well as fire. If images like this upset you, please do not read any further.

 

 So, to get the thread started, I thought I would give a brief synopsis of what the craft is and define some of the terms we use in this line of work.

 

 A blacksmith is a person who creates useful objects or artwork out of iron by heating it in a furnace and pounding it into shape with a hammer and anvil. The black in blacksmith refers to the color of wrought iron when it is cooled and sealed with a wax. Unfortunately, wrought iron is now very expensive and hard to find, so most smiths these days forge most of their items from mild steel, which works similarly to iron. A blacksmith might make a whole host of functional and decorative items including hinges, door pulls, candleholders, fences and gates, hanging hooks, or even manacles and shackles (for you BDSM lovers out there).

 

 A bladesmith is slightly different, while using the same tools and techniques, a bladesmith is generally engaged in making edged tools and weapons. Everything from a classic straight razor to daggers, axes, swords, knives of all kinds, chisels and more. This is a somewhat more complex and tedious kind of work than simple ironwork because a bladesmith has to harden and temper the steel so that the item will maintain an edge, but will not chip or break during use.

 

 I won't give a full listing of every term used in the craft here, but simply a quick glance at the technical terms and tools you will hear mentioned most often. If you would like to learn more about this craft, you may visit several online forums dedicated to both blacksmithing and bladesmithing such as anvilfire or the bladesmithsforum.com (of which I am a member).

 

• Smithy: A shop space dedicated for forging iron or steel.
• Anvil: A large block of steel acting as a workface for hot iron. Sometimes it also includes a bick (horn) for shaping round items and a heel with a hardy hole for holding tools.
• Tongs: A long pair of pliers with jaws in various sizes and shapes designed to hold hot metal.
• Slack tub: A large vessel of water used to cool off hot metal.
• Forge: A small furnace used to contain and control fire to heat iron or steel. These are divided into two basic groups, solid fuel forges burn either charcoal or coal to produce heat. Gas forges burn LP, or propane inside an insulated shell to produce a super hot environment to heat iron or steel.
• Leg vise: A tall mounted vise that open and closes quickly to allow the smith to manipulate the iron while it is hot.
• Cross Peen Hammer: A specially designed hammer with a flat face and a wedge shaped peen on the back for spreading and shaping metal.
• Heat Treatment: The process of hardening steel by heating to a specific temperature, and then quickly cooling it again.
• Tempering: The process of heating hardened steel to relieve internal stresses so that the steel will not shatter, chip, or crack.
• Drawing Out: To stretch a piece of iron lengthwise.
• Twisting: Twisting a piece of iron to produce a spiral effect.
• Upsetting: To compress a heated section of iron to add to it's mass.
• Bar, Flat, Round Stock: Refers to the shape of a piece of iron before it is forged into it's final dimensions.

 

  It's a short list, and perhaps if this thread takes off, we will add to it later. In the meantime, I'll be working on getting some pictures uploaded for everyone to see what I'm working on right now.

 

 

 

 

[Guest Sae]

I watched a show about some people who basically did a day and a life as a blacksmith. (people did other things too like stainglass.) it was a tv show and I thought it was so amazing to watch. In real life I can't because of how long it is and the little red bits that fly off really worry me. But none the less its so beautiful and a really nice art.  I'd like to see pictures if possible!