Blacksmith’s Hammer

The Blacksmith’s Hammer

The term ‘blacksmith’ originated from activities related to forging iron. Forging basically refers to the activity of shaping metal which is being heated and hammered. The term ‘black’ in blacksmith mainly refers to the black layer of oxides which forms on the metal when it is being heated. The term ‘smith’ comes from ‘smite’, which means ‘skilled worker’ to strike.

A blacksmith is described as a person who specializes in creating or making various items from steel or wrought iron. Wrought iron is an iron alloy that has very low carbon content, is malleable, tough and ductile but is also easily welded. The blacksmith forges the metal using tools that help him to cut, hammer and bend it.

Blacksmiths mainly work through heating various pieces of the steel or iron until they are soft enough. These are then shaped using various hand tools like the anvil, the hammer and the chisel.Some of the products from blacksmiths include railings, furniture, cooking utensils, weapons, gates, grilles, light fixtures, sculptures, various tools, religious items and agricultural implements.

The hammer used by the blacksmith is one of the most important tools used in this craft and it is used together with the forge. Some of the types of hammers that are used by blacksmith's include the ball peen, rounding hammers, the sledge, and the cross peen. Blacksmiths usually create their own hammers (as well as many of the tools they use for blacksmithing methods with regard to the particular needs for shape and weight. The blacksmith’s hammer generally has many different types of applications, which include;

• Hammering or hitting the hot steel or wrought iron on different parts of the metal from different angles and with varying amounts of force. This will help to give shape to the metal being worked on by bending it in order to make a corner of a desired shape in order to curve it. This is referred to as ‘drawing’ the metal. The reverse of drawing is ‘upsetting’ the metal. During upsetting the blacksmith basically hammers the sides of the metal to make it thicker and shorter.
• The blacksmith’s hammer is also used in joining two pieces of metal. This is done by pounding rivets into the metals in order to join them.
• The hammer is used together with a chisel, to either split the iron or to cut it. The sharp end of a chisel is held against the iron or steel and the opposite end is hit using a hammer to cut through the metal. The chisel is also used to split iron into a Y-shape by using it against the end of the piece of iron.
• It can be used in hammer welding, where two pieces of metal are heated almost to the point of melting. They are then hammered together to make one piece of metal.
• The hammer can also be used make holes in metal by placing the punch above the point where the hole should be made. The hammer is then used to create a hole in the metal.