Celebrating 250 years of Blacksmithing

[Ohio Rusty]

Today at the historical village I volunteer at I set up a public display celebrating 250 years of the blacksmith and blacksmithing. Everything in the photo would have been made by or repaired by blacksmiths.

 

[metal bender]

People often forget how much early life depended on blacksmithing for tools, repairs and infrastructure.

 

[Dociron]

I don't think the candle sconce, tin tinder box or the powder horn were necessarily made by a blacksmith.

The tin ware would have been made by a tinsmith and the powderhorn could have been made by anyone.

The two guns would have been made most likely by a gunsmith. Gunsmithing being a related trade to blacksmithing requires much more than just smithing iron and is why it is considered a separate trade.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Blacksmiths and gunsmiths sometimes shared some of the same duties. In our blacksmith shop, we have a gun anvil or gun swage...... It was used for forge welding skelps for gun barrels. In our village there is no tinsmith or gunsmith. Like Farriers ... we don't have a farrier either so the making of horseshoes and buckles for horse and cow harnesses would have been left up to me. I agree the tin items the blacksmith would have not made, but if the tin candle items would have needed repair, the blacksmith could have easily re-soldered a seam that has come apart. I have a copper soldering iron I use in the shop heated in the forge for such things. Blacksmiths probably spent as much time repairing items as forging them.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Alan]

Blacksmiths and gunsmiths sometimes shared some of the same duties. In our blacksmith shop, we have a gun anvil or gun swage...... It was used for forge welding skelps for gun barrels. In our village there is no tinsmith or gunsmith. Like Farriers ... we don't have a farrier either so the making of horseshoes and buckles for horse and cow harnesses would have been left up to me. I agree the tin items the blacksmith would have not made, but if the tin candle items would have needed repair, the blacksmith could have easily re-soldered a seam that has come apart. I have a copper soldering iron I use in the shop heated in the forge for such things. Blacksmiths probably spent as much time repairing items as forging them.
Ohio Rusty ><>

Yeah, that really gets overlooked. Blacksmiths were basically the original general maintenance crew, if it was metal and broke, it ended up on their bench one way or another.