Blacksmithy Basics

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  Blacksmithing is the trade of creating useful objects from steel and iron by heating them to a red hot state, which is softer, but still solid. Blacksmiths then pound them into shape. Complicated objects will require multiple rounds of heating and cooling, as different stages and parts of the object are worked. The main tools of this trade are a heavy, but one-handed sledge hammer, tongs and an anvil.
  
  

Example: Spearheads

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  An example of how a spearhead is forged begins with a thick, rectangular iron or steel plate. In the depicted example, the plate is heated, and a suitable piece is cut off from the end. A rounded chisel that is matched to the size of a likely spear shaft is then tapped into the base, creating the socket for the spear head. The remainder of the plate is hammered to spread and elongate it into the desired shape. In the depicted example, a small chisel was used to open "eyes" into the base of the spear blade.
  
  

Example: Axeheads

• Note the handle extending through the eye.
  
  An axehead begins with an iron ingot, which sometimes has been forged onto an iron rod for better handling than would be the case with tongs. After heating the ingot, a chisel is used to open an eye through the ingot. This is where the axe handle will eventually go. Then the part of the ingot forward of the eye is pounded out into a wide, spreading shape. Usually the edge of the axe head was chiseled open, and a harder piece of steel was inserted into it. This would then be hammered flat again, enclosing and melding the hard steel into the softer iron around it, creating a stronger blade edge.
  
  

Example: Swords

• Medieval longsword
  
  Unlike spear and axeheads, which are relatively short and compact, medieval longswords were often 3 feet long, and great swords could be even longer. Iron is a soft, flexible substance, but has the problem of not being strong and keeping an edge. Steel, on the other hand, is strong, but also inflexible. It was also more expensive. The axehead has already offered an example of how iron can be hammered around a steel core, allowing steel to provide a strong, sharp edge at the end of a cheaper, more durable iron body. Swords, being long and narrow, were prone to breakage unless they combined the virtues of steel and iron in a more complicated fashion. The process began with forging several small iron ingots together, and then hammering them into a flat, narrow strip that would serve as the flexible core of the sword. Then a second strip of steel would be hammered back into a tight V-shape. Both parts would be heated, and then the steel would be hammered and folded onto the iron core. The steel provided the strong edge of the blade. For medieval longswords, a flat chisel was used to hammer the smooth, shallow trench out of the center of the blade that is known as the fuller.
  
  

Finishing and Sharpening

• The final stage for all edged weapons was to finish and sharpen them. Blades were filed by hand to achieve a fine center line on the blade and then sharpened using whetstones. A similar process is still used today to sharpen wood axes in the field. Finishing and polishing was also done by means of sanding against a whetstone to grind away rust and imperfections. The metal surfaces were run carefully along the stone, using water to reduce friction to the desired level and minimize unwanted scratching.