While most of the forge work in the shop is done by hand using a hammer and anvil, we do at times use a power hammer. Ours is used to rough out forgings, the work done in traditional shops by the apprentice, where brute force is more important than precise blows.  •  Diderot Hammer  •  Power …

In our previous post we talked about how we use mechanical joints, brazing and electrical welding to fasten metal parts together for tools and jigs in the shop. In the work we do for Horton, we use only riveted fastening: we head pins for hinges much like we’d head a rivet, and in making Suffolk …

There is a great book by Jeannette Lasansky titled "To Draw, Upset and Weld: The Work of the Pennsylania Rural Blacksmith, 1742-1935" that was published 30 years ago.  We’re taking a bit from the title in the next two posts in order to begin to describe how blacksmiths fasten two pieces of metal …

We’re right handed so we hold the hammer in that hand. Even though the tongs are held by the left hand, that doesn’t mean that dexterity isn’t needed. During a forging tongs are raised and lowered, shifted right or left, turned slightly or continuously. Like an athlete or a dancer, a blacksmith …

When Molly and I are forging hardware our time at the forge has two components – actual forging and tending the fire while the metal becomes hot enough to forge.  •  We shot a quick video of a simple forging so viewers can get an idea of what happens in that all too quick time between pulling a …

 •  In the eighteenth century there were two main types of hand forged latches with grips -- Suffolk and Norfolk. The Norfolk has a grip attached to a flat plate. The Suffolk latch has an upper and lower decorative cusp with an integral grip in between. We make two styles of Suffolk latches for …