THE FORGE

This week’s featured artifact from our Blacksmith Shop is the Forge. The Forge was the most important part of the Blacksmith Shop. The Forge was made of bricks and had an open hearth or fireplace that was raised off the floor. The forge and its heat allowed for a blacksmith to heat iron which made the iron malleable or easier to shape. A blacksmith had to know how to control the size and temperature of the fire that was created in the Forge. He would judge the temperature by the change in colour and would adjust its heat to suit each of his tasks. The blacksmith would heat the iron until it was red, orange, yellow, or white. A dull red fire was used to smooth iron without changing its shape, whereas a white-hot fire made iron the most flexible. If the blacksmith needed the fire to be hotter, he would have added more coals and blew air on the flames. If he needed the fire to be cooler, he would have flicked cold water onto the coals. Once the iron was heated, the blacksmith was able to pound it with a hammer and craft things such as pots, pans, horseshoes, farming tools etc. Our Forge in the Olivier Hamelin Blacksmith Shop was rebuilt in 2014 in order to keep it up and running for blacksmith demonstrations at our special events.