Home >> Science & Nature >> Artifacts

Historical Blacksmithing Tools

The skills of a blacksmith proved crucial for the survival and development of early settlements, such as the Colonies in the New World, which depended on blacksmiths for crafting and repairing farm implements and household goods. These craftsmen provided supplies ranging from plow and axe blades made of tempered steel to horseshoes and the cast iron pots that hung on a hook in the fireplace. While blacksmithing supplies varied from one shop to another, some tools were owned by every smithy.

Forge, Bucket and Bellows
- A typical forge was a furnace or hearth made of stone or brick, to hold the fire used to work metals. When pumped, the bellows -- a device made of wood and leather -- blew air on the fire to make it burn hotter. A slack bucket of water, kept close by, cooled the hot metal.
Anvils and Vises
- The anvil and vice have to take a great deal of pounding. Anvils -- made from wrought iron and usually mounted on a block of wood or tree stump -- feature a horn at one end that's often used for making rings and a flat surface with rounded edges called a "face." Many anvils have a round hole known as a pritchel, and a hardy, or square hole, near the heel. The pritchel punches a hole in the metal without damaging the surface of the face, and the hardy holds anvil tools.
  
  Post vises, jawed devises that hold the metal piece, usually anchor to a table or a block set in concrete, and have a leg that helps distribute the impact from a hammer strike to the ground.
Hammers and Mallets
- Specialized hammers found in a blacksmith shop include rising and shaping or driving hammers, which have a rounded end used to pound metal into shape; cross-peen hammers for scribing; and a planishing hammer with a large, flat head for smoothing out the bumps. A blacksmith often used a wooden mallet or brass hammer to avoid marring the metal being worked.
Miscellaneous Tools
- Tools that rounded out an historical blacksmith shop include files, tongs for handling the hot metal and pliers for handling cold metal. Smiths also used screwdrivers, steel squares for measuring, gouges and saws. Steel punches that taper at one end for making holes and center punches ground to a point, along with shears and chisels used to cut metal, would be found in the shop as well. Mountvernon.org details the tools that George Washington ordered for his blacksmith shop in 1755, including tools for making large and small nails, a tool for forming the eyes of an ax and "cleve irons."

Artifacts