Blacksmithing is Simple…..

But not Easy

There are five basic skills used in forging metal. You can hammer it to a sharp point or make it thin and wide. Use a hot cut to split or cut to length; Punch a hole and stretch it open for a bottle opener; Add mass to a section by upsetting; Add flair by twisting. These are basic skills that when combined & refined & applied to steel become anything from a coat hook to gates at the National Cathedral.

Craft of Risk

All craft require some skill, which comes with practice. You can make jigs, tools & machines to make your craft work easier and more uniform however if you develop & apply the basic techniques with skill the results have aesthetic qualities not seen in mass produced objects made without any risk of error by the ‘smith.

Learning to Forge Metal

A couple of ideas to consider no matter how you approach learning to forge metal.

• There is more than one way to do anything but there are some tried & true methods that are proven to work.

• Watch other smiths forging similar pieces. The small stuff matters.

• You will make some, maybe a lot of mistakes & scrap metal.

• Don’t spend a lot of time trying to fix a mistake, just start over and use what you learned.

• Classes are helpful up to a point. You need to practice on your own, making pieces you are interested in.

• Start making sketches or clay models of your project. You will get a better idea about the form, what tools to use, forging sequence, material size & mass needed.

• Think about the specific skills or techniques you want to improve and design a project focused on it.