Blacksmithing for beginners. blacksmith craft
Architects and designers often use forged elements in their work. Openwork metal grates covering fireplaces, or beautiful balusters on the stairs look elegant and noble.
If you know how to perform forging and learn this craft, you can create original products yourself.
This activity is suitable for anyone who likes to do physical work and who is ready to get acquainted with the technology and features of the choice of metal.
What do you need to know about forging?
Forging is a process of processing a special workpiece. Its purpose is to give the metal the required dimensions with a shape. There are hot forging and cold forging.
The master needs to get acquainted with both varieties in order to know the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Hot forging method
In the hot method, the metal workpiece is strongly heated. As a result, the metal becomes plastic. Hot forging gives the workpiece the desired dimensions and desired shape. A variety of work options are available to the master.
Heating a metal workpiece has its drawbacks. First of all, it is necessary to equip a special room. You will need to buy a forge, for which you will have to buy fuel.
Need to follow the rules fire safety, it is important that the master knows how to work with fire.
Knowing the temperature conditions used in the forging process, you can easily select the desired type of forging.
Cold forging method
Cold forging is a labor intensive process. To achieve the desired shape from a metal blank, it is bent, pressed and welded. The execution technique is a little simpler compared to the hot method.
The workshop does not require a lot of space, and for its arrangement you do not need to purchase a special forge, it is enough to buy a forging machine.
The process of manufacturing a product involves working with semi-finished products. Once a mistake has been made, it cannot be corrected.
Choosing a metal
Metals with certain properties are suitable for hand forging. The more ductile the metal, the easier it is to change its shape. However, plasticity is inextricably linked with strength.
An increase in one characteristic inevitably entails a decrease in another. When buying a workpiece, the master must know exactly what composition it has.
Decorative forging elements are made from copper, steel, duralumin or brass. In addition, alloys may also be used. Information about metals that can be easily forged can be found in the Steel and Alloys Grader.
What tools are needed for forging?
Inventory varies depending on the forging method. A blacksmith's forge with an anvil, hammers with tongs will be needed for hot forging.
For the cold method, you need the Gnutik tool, which allows you to bend the workpiece at an angle, and the Snail forging machine, which you can do yourself. The last machine allows you to create decorative elements with a spiral shape.
Note!
In addition to the basic tools for the cold method, Flashlight, Wave, Twister, ring machine and others can be additionally used.
The modern market offers industrial machines designed to perform technological operations. In the forging photo you can see the product made on the Master 2 machine from MAH.
Hand forged
In order for the workpiece to acquire desired shape, the master must apply different techniques and methods in his work. You will need to acquire various tools and master different technologies.
The cold forging method does not require much effort from the master. The following stages are distinguished in the work:
- creating a drawing or sketching a decorative element;
- procurement of blanks;
- forging process.
Today, a drawing can be done using a computer program on your own or ordered by professionals. The project will allow you to calculate how much metal blanks you need to purchase before starting work.
Note!
The main forged elements are represented by the following groups:
- Paws. The end of the metal rod is given a certain shape.
- curls. The ends of the rod can be bent in one or two directions.
- Rings. Decor elements are made of rods with a square or round section.
- Torsion. It is characterized by helical twisting along the axis.
3 common technologies are used: drawing, bending and twisting.
- The hood allows you to increase the length of the metal workpiece, reducing the value of its cross section.
- Bending makes it possible to bend any part of the workpiece at an angle.
- Twisting is a technology in which the workpiece is twisted along the axis. For twisting, the Twister machine is used.
All elements are assembled together and fixed by welding. These operations are performed on a special table. Homemade cold forging does not require special skills.
DIY forging photo
Note!
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT METAL
When forging products, craftsmen have to deal with materials (steels of various grades, non-ferrous metals, alloys) that have a wide variety of physical, mechanical and technological properties.
The most widely used in blacksmithing is steel - an alloy of iron and carbon. Depending on the amount of carbon, steels are divided into low-carbon (up to 0.25% C), medium-carbon (0.25-0.6% C) and high-carbon (0.6-2% C). Increasing the carbon content increases the hardness and hardenability of the steel, but reduces the thermal conductivity and ductility.
from non-ferrous metals to blacksmithing copper and aluminum are mainly used, as well as their alloys, such as brass (L90, L80, L68, L62, etc.), bronze (BrOTs4-3, etc.).
All metals and alloys have a polycrystalline structure, that is, they consist of separate metal grains firmly intergrown with each other, between which non-metallic inclusions of oxides, carbides and other compounds are located in the form of thin layers. The grains, in turn, also have a crystalline structure, their dimensions are 0.01-0.1 mm.
During forging, the deformation proceeds mainly due to the sliding of grains relative to each other, since the bond between them is weaker than the strength of the grains themselves.
As a result of forging, metal grains are elongated in the direction of metal flow, which leads to the formation of a fine-grained line structure (the finer the metal grains, the stronger it is). At the same time, non-metallic inclusions are drawn out, which can be observed even with the naked eye.
The grain size, and hence the strength properties of the metal, is largely determined by the temperature regime of forging. Therefore, metal should be forged in a certain temperature range, so that the grains crushed during deformation do not then grow again under the influence of a high residual temperature. Each blacksmith, in order to obtain a quality product from steel and give it the appropriate properties using heat treatment, must understand the iron-carbon state diagram. Let us consider fragments of the diagram, in which the temperature of the alloy is plotted along the ordinate axis, and the carbon content in percent is plotted along the abscissa axis (Fig. 1).
Fig.1. Iron - carbon state diagram
Above the GS line, all steels have an augtenite structure - homogeneous solid metal consisting of grains of the same composition and structure.
When heated carbon steels up to a temperature below the critical line PS=723 degrees C, they do not undergo structural changes.
Heating of workpieces. This is an important and responsible operation, on which the quality of the product and tool life depend. Forging, as a rule, is carried out by heating the metal to the so-called forging temperature in order to increase its ductility and reduce its resistance to deformation. The temperature range of forging depends on the chemical composition and structure of the metal being processed.
It should also be taken into account that when carbon steels are heated, carbon burns out from the surface layer of the product to a depth of 2-4 mm, leading to a decrease in the strength and hardness of the steel, to a deterioration in its hardenability.
The workpiece should be forged only when it warms up evenly. Each steel grade has its own forging temperature range, that is, the temperatures of the beginning of forging Tn and its end Tk are determined. As a result of heating the metal slightly above the temperature Tn, the metal acquires a coarse-grained structure, its ductility decreases. Heating the metal to an even higher temperature leads to an irreparable marriage - burnout, as a result of which the metal is destroyed during forging.
When forging blanks heated below the temperature Tn, cracks may form. Therefore, when forging, one should remember the proverb: "Strike while the iron is hot." That is, it is necessary to forge metal in temperature regime Tn-Tk (shaded area on the iron-carbon state diagram). The temperature of the heated metal can be determined by the colors of heat and tint, and the steel grades can be determined by the spark (Tables 1-3).
Fuel. Blacksmiths use various types of fuel to heat workpieces: solid, liquid and gaseous.
Most often, for heating blanks in forges, it is used coal. Moreover, it is desirable that the coal be black, shiny, the size of its pieces should approximately correspond to the size of a walnut. Blacksmiths call such coal - a nut. Often used and coke, which has high temperature combustion. Firewood can also be used hardwood trees (oak, ash, birch, etc.). However, the best fuel is charcoal, which was the main blacksmith fuel until the middle of the 18th century.
At present, electric furnaces and furnaces operating on liquid or gaseous fuels are widely used in forge shops.
Furnaces and ovens. The basis of a stationary forge is a table where a hearth is arranged for heating blanks. In a forge, the forge is usually placed in the center of the wall opposite the entrance (the main wall). The height of the hearth table is determined by the height of the blacksmith, the convenience of transferring the workpiece from the hearth to the anvil and is taken equal to 700-800 mm; the usual dimensions of the table surface are 1 × 1.5 or 1.5 × 2 m. If it is intended to manufacture large objects, such as gates, gratings, then the forge is installed at some distance from the wall and the table is made larger. The surface of the hearth table is laid out of brick, sawn stone, reinforced concrete. The pedestal is made in the form of a box, the walls of which are made of logs, boards, bricks or stone, and the inside is filled with broken small stones, sand, clay, burnt earth.
Table 1. Dependence of the hot color of the workpiece on the heating temperature
Table 2. Determining the heating temperature by tint colors
Table 3. Determination of steel grades by spark
The central place of the table is occupied by a hearth, or a mountain nest (sometimes two hearths are provided). A forge intended for artistic forging is usually made with a central location of the hearth. The dimensions of the nest are determined by the purpose of the hearth and the dimensions of the heated blanks. The central nest has a round or square shape in plan, 200×200 or 400×400 mm in size and 100-150 mm deep.
Fig.2. Tuyere device
Let us consider the device and principle of operation of a conventional bottom blast lance (Fig. 2). Air (from a fan or bellows) is supplied through a branch pipe to the body of the lance and enters the combustion zone through a cast-iron grate. The amount of air supplied is controlled by a damper. The bottom cover is designed to clean the body of the lance from ash and other combustion waste.
To create a flame different kind grates are used with certain shapes of holes for the passage of air. So, evenly spaced round holes contribute to the formation of a cylindrical torch flame, slotted holes - narrow and elongated.
An exhaust hood is installed above the stationary hearth to collect and remove smoke and gases from the forge. The dimensions of the lower inlet of the umbrella usually correspond to the dimensions of the forge table. Umbrellas, as a rule, are made of sheet iron with a thickness of 0.5 - 1.5 mm.
Fig.3. Equipment for heating blanks: stationary metal hearth (left): 1-exhaust pipe; 2 umbrella; 3-tank with water for tool cooling; 4-lever for regulation of air supply; 5-air duct; 6 damper; 7-conical tip; 8-tuyere; 9-cast table; 10-hearth; types of umbrellas (on the right): a, b-chimney in the wall; in-external side chimney; d-outer central chimney
As a rule, umbrellas are fixed above the mountain at a height of 500-600 mm from the table (Fig. 3). However, not always such a height of the umbrella location contributes to the maximum removal of exhaust gases. Therefore, in order to better capture the smoke, the height of the umbrella has to be determined empirically, taking into account the features of the hearth, for example, the force of the blast.
In some cases, umbrellas are equipped with drop wings. The disadvantage of metal umbrellas is their quick burnout.
Fig.4. Stationary horn with a brick umbrella (left): 1-tank with water; 2-water-cooled lance; mine gas horn (right)
More reliable and durable umbrellas made of refractory bricks (Fig. 4). However, such umbrellas are much heavier than metal ones, and their construction requires a metal frame made of corners or channels, and sometimes additional supports in the corners.
Portable furnaces are used for heating small workpieces. A portable hearth consists of a metal frame, on which a table with a hearth and a fan for air supply is mounted on top. The fan is driven by a foot pedal. It is possible to use a blowtorch to heat the blanks, which is placed in a small hole, and a refractory brick stove is placed next to it (Fig. 5).
Fig.5. Portable forges with a blowtorch
The blanks are laid in the gap between the bricks. Or the bricks are placed on the end, a grate is placed on them, and a stove of four bricks is placed on it, into which coal is poured. Below is a blowtorch with a pipe.
Fig.6. Portable forge with vacuum cleaner
The design of a light portable hearth with a household vacuum cleaner is shown in fig. 6. The pedestal of the forge is welded from corners, and the upper part of the table is lined with refractory bricks. A lance with an ash pan is placed on the upper horizontal corners. At a distance of 150 mm from the lance, a branch pipe with an inner diameter of 30 mm is welded to the ash pan, which is connected to the vacuum cleaner hose. In this case, it must be borne in mind that in this case the hose is inserted not into the lower, but into the upper (injection) socket of the vacuum cleaner. The lower cup of the vacuum cleaner with the filter is removed, and the vacuum cleaner is placed on the stand. In cases where there is no electricity to drive the fan, bellows can be used.
Double-acting wedge bellows give a calm blowing, as a result of which an even flame is created and the workpieces are heated evenly (Fig. 7).
Fig.7. Wedge bellows
In modern forges, various electric fans are used for blowing.
WORKPLACE OF THE BLACKGER, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS AND DEVICES
Blacksmithing requires a wide variety of tools and fixtures. The main supporting blacksmith tool is an anvil (Fig. 8).
Rice. 8. Anvils and shperaks: a - hornless, one-horned and two-horned anvils (1 - face; 2 - square hole; 3 - tail; 4 - brackets; 5 - chair; 6 - paws; 7 - conical horn; 8 - unhardened platform; 9 - round hole); 6 - shperaks (1 - inserted into the anvil; 2 - driven into the ground; 3 - for small work); c - portable anvil; g - anvil mounted on a chair
Modern anvils are made of steel 45L by casting weighing from 10 to 270 kg. There are anvils different types: hornless, one-horned, two-horned. The most convenient and versatile in work is the so-called two-horned anvil, shown in Fig. 8a (right). The upper horizontal polished plane at the anvil is called the face, or casing, on which all the main blacksmithing work is performed. The lateral faces of the anvil form an angle of 90° with the front surface; the edges of the anvil should be quite sharp, without chips and jams. On the ribs, bending and distribution of material, as well as some auxiliary operations, are carried out.
The conical horn of the anvil is designed for radius bending of strips and bars, as well as for rolling and welding of ring blanks.
On the opposite side of the horn is a tail used for bending and straightening closed rectangular products. In the area of the tail there is a square hole measuring 35 × 35 mm, which is used to install a backing tool - bottoms. Near the horn there is a round hole with a diameter of 15-25 mm for punching holes in blanks.
At the bottom of the anvil are the paws necessary for attaching the anvil (using brackets) to a wooden chair or a metal stand. As a chair, a massive block or stump (oak, maple, birch) with a diameter of 500-600 mm is usually used. When it is not possible to pick up the necessary block, they take a metal or wooden barrel, stuff it with sand, clay, earth, ram it well, put a thick wooden gasket on top, on which the anvil is attached.
Lightweight portable (camping) anvils have special legs.
Anvils are sold at hardware stores. If it was not possible to buy an anvil, then for the first time it can be replaced with a piece of rail or a massive rectangular metal bar.
Great attention should be paid to the installation of the chair, which should stand upright and not vibrate. To do this, the chair is buried to a depth of at least 0.5 m, and the ground around it is well tamped. The height of the chair depends on the height of the blacksmith and is usually 600-700 mm. The most convenient height for work is when the blacksmith, standing next to the anvil, without bending down, reaches the casing with slightly bent fingers.
A quality anvil produces a high and clear sound when lightly struck with a hammer, and the hammer rebounds with a ringing sound.
For small work, blacksmiths use small anvils or special anvils - shperaks (Fig. 8, b). Some shperaks are installed with their tetrahedral shanks in
the square hole of the anvil, others, having an elongated vertical stand, are driven with a pointed end into a wooden block or into the ground.
Rice. 9. Percussion tool: 1-with a ball back; 2.4-with a wedge-shaped one-sided back; 3.6-with a double-sided longitudinal back; 5-with double-sided transverse back
Percussion tools include hand hammers, war hammers and sledgehammers (Fig. 9). Handbrake - the main tool of the blacksmith, with which he forges small items or manages the forging process with hammerers.
Usually handbrakes have a mass of 0.5-2 kg, but often blacksmiths also use heavier hammers weighing up to 4-5 kg. Handbrake handles are made from hardwood (hornbeam, maple, dogwood, birch, mountain ash, ash). The handles should be smooth, without cracks, lie comfortably in the hand, their length is 350-600 mm.
War hammers are heavy hammers weighing 10-12 kg, with which hammerers work with two hands. War hammer heads come with a one-sided wedge-shaped back, as well as with a two-sided back (longitudinal or transverse). The lower working surface of the head (chip) is intended for basic forging, and the upper wedge-shaped back is for dispersing the metal along or across the axis of the workpiece. The hammer handle is made from the same tree species as the handbrake; the length of the handle is selected depending on the mass of the hammer head, the height of the hammer and reaches 70-95 cm.
Sledgehammer - a heavy (up to 16 kg) hammer with flat heads is used for heavy forging work, where a large impact force is required.
All percussion instruments must be as reliable as possible, with particular attention paid to the fastening of the handle with the head. The shape of the hole in the hammer head - the hole where the handle is inserted - is made elliptical and has a two-sided slope of 1:10 from the middle to the side faces. This facilitates the insertion of the handle into the hammer head and ensures that it is securely fastened after driving the wedge. It has been established by practice that the most reliable are metal wedges, which enter to a depth equal to 2/3 of the width of the hammer head and are hammered at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the sledgehammer (hammer).
When working with war hammers, three types of blows are used: light (elbow), medium, or shoulder (shoulder strike), strong (mounted), when the hammer describes a full circle in the air. Hammerers work with hanging blows when forging large mass workpieces and when forge welding massive parts (Fig. 10).
To improve the quality of manufactured products and increase productivity, blacksmiths often use various backing tools installed under the hammer or on the anvil. To work under the hammer, simple and shaped blacksmith chisels, punches, trowels and rolling are used (Fig. 11). Undercuts, conical mandrels, bending forks, nailers, various staples and devices for special types forging.
Rice. 11. Backing tool: a-chisels (1 - for transverse cutting of cold metal; 2 - for transverse cutting of hot metal; 3 - for longitudinal cutting; 4 - for cutting along the radius; 5 - for shaped cutting); b-punch (made with round, square and other sections of the beard); in-piercing (1-conical; 2-cylindrical); g-strokers; d-rolling
A paired backing tool is also used, which includes crimps, punchers, nailers with hat hammers, special stamps for figured products.
The handles of the backing tool are made of wood, thick wire or elastic cable. Handle length 500-600 mm. Wooden handles drive the heads into the seat without wedging. This is done so that vibration and shock are not transmitted through the handle. The wire handle is twisted around the head in a hot state, and the cable handle is wedged and soldered in the seat.
Consider some of the features of the backing tool ..
Let's start with the backing tool under the hammer. Blacksmith chisels are subdivided into chisels for cutting heated and cold workpieces. Chisels for cold cutting are made more massive, with a knife sharpening angle of 60 °, knives for hot chisels are made thinner, with a sharpening angle of 30 ° (Fig. 11, a).
The shape of the knife for artistic forging chisels is made either straight or with curvature in one plane (or even in two planes).
Chisels with a straight knife are made for both transverse and longitudinal cutting, with one-sided sharpening or two-sided. The chisel knife for transverse cutting is parallel to the axis of the handle, and the chisel knife for longitudinal cutting is perpendicular to the handle. One-sided sharpening of the chisel is used when it is required to obtain a cut with a perpendicular end, and if the product has an inclined end or a chamfer is needed, then chisels with double-sided sharpening are needed. Chisels with a blunt knife are used to apply various ornaments to products.
Chisels with a knife curvature in a horizontal plane are used to cut out various curvilinear elements from sheet material, such as flowers, acanthus leaves.
Shaped chisels with a double curvature of the knife are used for cutting out any elements from bulk workpieces.
When working with a chisel, blacksmiths must keep in mind the following: so that the knife does not dull, it is necessary to place a gasket under the workpiece (iron or copper sheet). By the way, the gasket will protect the face of the anvil from damage.
When cutting off a part from a workpiece, certain rules must be observed. So, the initial and final blows to the chisel must be applied very carefully: at the beginning - so that the chisel correctly cuts into the workpiece, at the end - so that the cut off part does not fly away and injure someone. The place where the cut is made must be fenced with a net.
Punches are designed for punching holes, various recesses in relatively thin workpieces and for ornamenting products. Depending on the shape of the punched holes, the section of the beard (the working part of the punch) can be round, oval, square, rectangular or shaped (Fig. 11, 6).
For punching holes in thick workpieces, piercings and special punches are used, which differ from punches in that they do not have handles and are held by tongs (Fig. 11, c).
It is known from blacksmithing practice that, in order to facilitate the removal of the piercing from the punched hole, a little fine coal is poured into the previously marked recess (during the piercing process, the gases formed from the coal contribute to the ejection of the tool).
The trowels are used to smooth out irregularities on the surface of the forging after it has been hammered. Smoothers come with flat and cylindrical working surfaces of various sizes and shapes. For leveling large planes, trowels with a working surface of 100 × 100 mm are usually used, for leveling small surfaces - trowels with a size of 50 × 50 mm. Smoothers with a cylindrical surface are necessary for leveling fillets and radius surfaces (Fig. 11, d.).
The rolling is intended to accelerate the distribution (elongation) of the metal along and across the axis of the workpieces, as well as to knock out cylindrical grooves on the workpieces and to ornament the products (Fig. 11, e).
Let's get acquainted with the backing tool installed on the anvil. Such a tool is equipped with a square shank, which is inserted into the corresponding socket in the anvil (Fig. 12).
Rice. 12. Backing tool installed on the anvil: 1-notches; 2-cone mandrels; 3-fork; 4-6 mandrels
Undercuts are used for cutting workpieces with a handbrake. The workpiece is placed on the cutting blade and, hitting it with a handbrake, cut off the necessary part. The angle of sharpening the cutting edge is 60°. It should be remembered that the cutting of the workpiece cannot be completed to the end, so as not to spoil the cutting blade. First, a deep hemming of the workpiece is carried out, and the final separation of a part of the workpiece is carried out at the edge of the anvil with a light stroke of the handbrake.
Tapered mandrels are used to enlarge holes in a forging, expand rings and perform bending operations.
Forks are used for bending and curling workpieces. In addition, backing tools include various mandrels for slope forging, bending and forge welding of chain links.
Rice. 13. Paired backing tool: a-crimps (1-3) and tamper (4); b-devices for landing nails, bolts, rivets
The paired backing tool includes a lower tool (lower ones), which is inserted into the anvil hole with a square shank, and an upper tool (upper tool), which has a handle for holding (Fig. 13, a).
This group includes crimps (to give the pre-forged workpiece the correct cylindrical, rectangular or polyhedral shape) and tamps (for longitudinal or transverse distribution of metal). For special artworks, special stamps with reliefs such as leaves, peaks, rosettes, etc. are used.
A nail plate with special through holes of various sizes for landing nail heads, bolts and fasteners can also be attributed to the backing tool (Fig. 13, b).
To give the head of a nail, bolt or rivet the required shape (sphere, prism, square, hexagon), special hat hammers are used.
Great help when forging art products A massive steel plate will also appear - a shape measuring approximately 300 × 400 mm in plan and 150-200 mm thick, along the four side faces of which there are recesses of various configurations and sizes: semicircular, triangular, rectangular, etc. The plate is necessary when forging various shaped elements and is used instead of backing dies. On the end surfaces of the mold there are through round, square, triangular and shaped holes for punching holes using special punches or punches (Fig. 14).
For the manufacture of large artistic products such as fences, balcony railings, canopies, porches, you will need a large and thick plate, on which the products are assembled and straightened. The plate provides through holes for installing pins, bolts, thrust squares and various devices for profile bending of profiles, assembly of structures and other technological operations.
It is convenient to assemble artistic products of complex shape (with a convex surface) on plates with an appropriate surface shape. for welding large items you need to have special racks.
To work with hot metal, of course, pliers are needed. According to the shape of the jaws, the pliers are divided into longitudinal, transverse, longitudinal-transverse and special. Forging tongs should be light, with springy handles, to securely hold the forgings during operation, the handles of the pliers can be pulled together with a special ring - a spanner (Fig. 15, a).
Rice. 15. Blacksmith tongs (a) and chair vise (b): 1-handle; 2-clamping ring; 3-rivets; 4 sponges; 5-blank; 6-loop
If the tongs do not grip the workpiece tightly, then the jaws of the tongs are heated in the forge and, having captured the workpiece with them, they are pressed with a handbrake.
A chair vice (Fig. 15, b) and various clamps are used to clamp hot workpieces. Such a vice is fastened with powerful screws, bolts or rivets on the main support of a bench workbench or on
a separate chair - a massive log, well fixed in the floor of the forge. Top level sponges are usually placed at a height of 900 - 1000 mm from the floor level.
To measure blanks and products in the forge, they use steel rulers 250, 500 and 1000 mm long, metal meters, calipers, squares, etc. In addition, blacksmiths-artists widely use various templates and gauges made of wire and sheet materials when performing mass production (Fig. 16).
Rice. 16. Control and measuring tool: a-caliper; b-calipers; in-intromers; g-combined measuring tool
To care for the forge, you will need a coal shovel, a poker, a pike or a crowbar for punching baked coal, a whisk for cleaning the furnace from fine coal and slag dust, a sprinkler for wetting coal when sintering a dome (cap) over the hearth, tongs for coal ..
It should be noted that all the tools necessary for forging should be located on a special table in the immediate vicinity of the blacksmith's workplace. Table height 600-800 mm.
In addition to the main and auxiliary tools, the forge always has a box for dry sand, a rack for storing tools, water tanks, a box for coal, racks for storing tools and metal, a workbench for metalworking, etc.
It’s good when the workshop of a blacksmith-artist is spacious, bright, includes several rooms for certain types works: sketch-graphic, fitter-assembly and forge-welding. In addition, a room for storing materials, various semi-finished products, etc. is desirable.
For sketching and graphic work, you will need large tables, since some elements have to be drawn in full size, a drawing board for drawing individual components and parts, as well as various tablet stands, cabinets for storing sketches and drawings.
room for locksmith and assembly works is supplied with a locksmith's workbench with a vice, a drilling machine, a grinder and other equipment necessary for assembling and finishing forged products.
The history of blacksmithing is an integral part of metal processing. At the very beginning, cold forging appeared. For many centuries, only this method of making weapons, household utensils, and jewelry was used. It is now the jewelry industry that has nothing to do with blacksmiths, and earlier everything related to metalworking belonged to blacksmithing.
Looking at history books that tell about the development of crafts in the Iron and Bronze Ages, you can see photographs of objects made by craftsmen from different parts of the Earth. Blacksmith - this profession is covered with myths and legends. Blacksmithing developed differently in different territories. Only for many centuries the cold method of forging metal was used.
There was also such a name for the profession as "Khytrets". This epithet was brought to us by books dated 1073. By right, the blacksmithing of those times can be called cunning. The blacksmith had to distinguish metals by color, determine their strength by the shade at the break. There was something mystical in the very process of production, when a piece of metal under the influence of strong short hammer blows turned out to be an item of extraordinary beauty or a bizarre shape.
With the help of deformation of the metal, which receives additional density and strength under the influence of strong pressure, the things necessary in everyday life came out from under the hammer of a sly, writhing, iron forging, kovac, kerch, and duck. The first mention of this profession can be found in books that convey myths ancient greece. Prometheus was chained to a rock with nails forged by Hephaestus.
The power of blacksmiths is sung in many literary works from different eras. Blacksmiths were considered healers, healers and people capable of exorcising evil spirits. Based on such beliefs, Gogol created his blacksmith Vakula. It was rumored that Svarog himself patronizes writhing.
Places in Russia named after blacksmiths
The profession of a blacksmith requires a master of good physical fitness. It has always been so. Not every warrior would dare to measure his strength with a blacksmith. Residents of the Pskov region are still called staplers, remembering that the blacksmiths of these places bent horseshoes with their bare hands.
The profession of a blacksmith has had many names over the years. One of the most common gave the name to the city of Kerch. This name came from the word korchev, which means a blacksmith. Related terms of those times:
- Korchin - blacksmith;
- Crimson - forged.
There is also a place in Moscow, the name of which indicates the proximity to the blacksmith's settlement - this is the Blacksmith's Bridge. There was such a freedom in Novgorod. Mentions of large settlements of blacksmiths in cities date back to the 15th-17th centuries. It was in the cities that the development of this profession received more possibilities, thanks to the demand for wrought iron decorations for the facades of large houses, gardens and parks. As well as in Kievan Rus, edged weapons were made in forges, which were hardened by fire.
famous swords
The damask blade has been sung more than once in books and hussar songs. The classics of Russian literature often used in their works the features of swords to cut through stone. The prototype of magic swords was:
Excalibur is the sword of King Arthur, which, while defending the fortress, was stuck in a stone wall. Popular beliefs endow this sword with magical powers. In Russian culture, the sword "Kladenets" serves as a similar artifact. "Durandale" - the sword of Roland and the nameless blade of the Tuscan knight Galliano Guidotti were also able to pierce the stone. These blades received the ability to cut stone thanks not so much to magical and mystical powers, but to the diligence and skill of the craftsmen who made them.
The sword of Galliano Guidotti radically changed the fate of its owner. The books tell us the story that this knight was canonized, although he was not a righteous man before meeting with the Archangel Michael. The warrior answered the proposal to go to the monastery to Michael that this would happen only after his sword had cut the stone. The sword entered the cobblestone, and so it remained there. Modern scientists have had the opportunity to examine the stone and the sword. Their conclusion confirmed that the blade pierced the stone precisely at the time described in the annals.
Already in knightly times, blacksmithing had many secrets passed down by craftsmen from generation to generation. One of them was the shape of the blank; for the above swords, a quadrangular rod served as the basis. Blades related to Japanese culture are also widely known. Their names are translated as "the sword that cuts the grass", "the sword that collects the clouds of paradise." They are distinguished by a curved shape, which gives the bladed weapons of Japanese craftsmen aerodynamic properties that are not typical for products of European blacksmiths.
One of the famous swords on display at the Polish Museum in Poznan is the weapon of St. Peter, forged in the 1st century. The blade is famous for the fact that during the arrest of Christ before the crucifixion, Peter managed to cut off the ear of a slave. The sword was transferred to the museum by the Bishop of Jordan.
Milestones in the development of blacksmithing
Hand forging is the oldest method of metal processing, which has become the progenitor of stamping, forging, casting, pressing, rolling, drawing and sheet stamping. Archaeologists found during excavations hardware dating back to several thousand years BC. These products are made of metals found in nature. The first metal finds by archaeologists date back to the 5th-4th centuries BC. Drawing technique in the manufacture of products from precious metals found in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins. Products are made in 3 BC. Blacksmithing in Rus' has a longer history. Swords, helmets, chain mail, ax grips, jewelry and other forged items date back to the 18th century. BC.
From the 10th to the 18th centuries from the birth of Christ, new methods appeared in metalworking:
- metal hardening;
- soldering with copper;
- forge welding;
- multilayer fabrication technique.
XVI century. Under Ivan the Terrible, the Russian army was equipped with forged cannons.
XVII - XVIII - the creation of state arms factories in the Urals and in Tula.
Peter I in every possible way contributes to the development of the metallurgical industry. Water engines are widely used in military factories. At the turn of the century, in 1800, for the first time at the Tula plant, the method of hot stamping of the same type of parts was tested. It has been applied for mass production blacksmith V.A. Shepherds.
At the same time, blacksmiths in Vologda specialized in the production of anchors, and in Murom they produced hardware for the construction of the fleet.
19th century Steam engines are replacing the water drive, which contributes to the development of shipbuilding and the production of artillery equipment for the fleet and army, for the production of which armor, thick plates for gun carriages, and gun barrels were needed. The weight of the falling hammer was up to 50 tons. Such hydraulic presses expanded the possibilities to forging parts of 250 tons.
The same period includes scientific research on the deformation of metals. Armed with a microscope, P.P. Anosov began to study the structure of steels. During the study in 1841, he established the relationship between the structure and properties of metals. This made it possible to create steel with the necessary technical specifications. D.K. Chernov conducted a study of the behavior of metals during heating and cooling, which served as the discovery of structural changes. Books with the research of Chernov and Anosov still serve as a guide for metallurgists.
Introduction to blacksmith skills through exhibitions
In addition to permanent exhibitions in museums, products of decorative blacksmithing can be seen at exhibitions where not weapons or jewelry are presented, but the works of masters for decorating everyday life. Exhibitions are not just a display of beautiful things, they are popularization, which blacksmithing needs so much. For several 10 years, this craft was practically forgotten due to the expanding opportunities in metalworking every year. But other methods are stamping, work on quantity. Only blacksmithing when working with metal will help the master to reveal himself most fully.
The history of the revival of blacksmithing began not so long ago, but the construction of private houses contributes to this. Each owner wants to allocate his home and surrounding area. Exhibitions of masters make it possible to understand how this can be done in an extraordinary way and at the same time not pretentiously. For novice blacksmiths, these exhibitions help to find their own style, to peep some of the techniques that they share from more experienced blacksmiths, holding master classes directly in the walls, where displays of finished decorative products are held.
The exhibitions of blacksmithing skills held in the Art Kremlin became a good start for beginners, for whom the craftsmen staged a demonstration of the possibilities of changing a piece of metal, turning into fully formed figurines for decorating their homes.
A great way to instill in beginners a love for metalworking by forging, giving the first skill lessons right at the exhibition. "Blacksmith's Talisman" is an exhibition where everyone had the opportunity to try their hand, to feel the changes in the material under their own hammer blows.
Exhibitions of blacksmith skills are becoming a good tradition. In September 2015, the Forge of Happiness exhibition was opened for the 4th time as part of the Indian Summer festival. Master classes were also held here.
Numerous books that tell about various technologies of cold and hot forging, casting, forge welding, and technologies for creating decorative elements will help beginners to master all the intricacies of the science of metal processing.
Books can tell a lot, but still blacksmithing, as in junk, is passed from hand to hand by the master to the student.
Forging with your own hands is quite difficult technological process, for this you need to know the basic methods of working with the workpiece, as well as the rules of heating and hardening
Blacksmithing is one of the oldest methods of metal working. However, even in our age of development high technology, it has not lost its significance and is even gaining great popularity.
Do-it-yourself forging is a rather difficult technological process, for this you need to know at least the basic methods of working with a workpiece, as well as the rules for heating and hardening metal. You also need to have an understanding of how to use the equipment. What skills do you need to have to make products by forging and how to forge metal?
Hot forging includes a large number of techniques used in metal processing. However, the technology itself consists of the main stages.
- Workpiece heating.
- Forging.
- metal stabilization.
- Hardening (as needed).
Each individual stage has great importance. Incorrectly maintained temperature of heating the workpiece will lead to further damage to the product, the same applies to too rapid cooling.
When forging, you also need to follow the technological process, otherwise the workpiece will simply be damaged. At this stage, many techniques are used, depending on which product is being made.
Stabilization of the metal involves the gradual cooling of the finished product. This technological stage contributes to the normal crystallization of a strongly heated material. the main task- prevent violation internal structure, the appearance of shells and cracks.
Hardening is used to give finished product hardness by changing crystal lattice during high temperature heating. Most often in blacksmithing, this stage is carried out by making tools that will experience heavy loads during use. The main requirement for hardening is not to make the metal too brittle (overheat) or, conversely, very soft.
So, how does forging metal do it yourself and what techniques are used at each stage of the work?
Heating the billet before forging
Usually, for forging steel objects, ready-made blanks are used in the form of cast steel blanks of the required size. With my own hands in this way, you can make not too large objects and small tools, so I use a forge for heating.It is best to start heating the workpiece immediately after it has been cast, when it has cooled to a dark red color. You can also preheat the material before placing it in the hearth. Preheating is carried out from the ends to the middle in order to avoid the appearance of stresses and cracks in the metal structure. In this case, the temperature is observed within no more than 300 degrees. This indicator is checked by pouring machine oil onto the surface of the blank: if it burns, then the workpiece is moved to the hearth.
The temperature in the hearth is initially set low, gradually increasing over time to the desired limit.
It is a mistake to think that the more you heat the steel, the better it is forged. With strong heating, such a material really becomes softer, however, one should not forget about such processes as overheating and burning of the metal.
Overheating changes the crystal structure of the workpiece material and during subsequent forging it can simply fall apart into separate fragments.
Burnout changes Chemical properties steel, when more carbon is burned out of its composition.
According to the table, you can understand what temperature range should be followed during heating of various grades of steel during forging. The degree of incandescence of the metal is determined by its color spectrum. For example, if the workpiece has a dazzling white color, it means that it is heated to 1200-1300 degrees. The darker the color of the metal, the colder it is. The photo shows a diagram of the ratio of the color spectrum to temperature.
How to determine the heating temperature by color
Forging process
When the workpiece is heated to the required temperature, it should be compressed. This must be done to eliminate various shells, voids and cracks in the structure of the blank. The process is carried out as follows. The workpiece is pulled out of the hearth and hammer blows pass its surface from the middle to the edges (first the top, and then the bottom).Before planning the manufacture of things, it is worth counting on the fact that during crimping, the workpiece will lose part of its volume in the form of scale. It is formed on the surface of the blank, from where it is removed using tools: pliers and brushes.
When the swaging is carried out, they proceed to the actual forging of the product. In this case, various techniques are used to obtain the desired shape.
In order to form thickenings on the surface, the method of local precipitation is used. Also, this technique is used if you need to reduce the length of the workpiece and make it thicker. To do this, the master strikes from above the workpiece, located in a vertical plane. In this case, the metal will deform and thicken. It is convenient to make a full casing by clamping the heated workpiece in a vise, but you need to hurry, otherwise the metal will cool very quickly from the cold clamping device.
After upsetting, you need to crimp again to give the structure uniformity!
One of the varieties of precipitation is landing. It is used when it is necessary to obtain thickening on the surface of the product. To do this, the workpiece is heated only at the landing site.
If, on the contrary, it is necessary to lengthen the workpiece, a so-called broach is carried out. There are three ways in which this technique can be done. The simplest is broach on flat heads. To do this, the workpiece is heated. Further, it is passed with a hammer along the entire length and, turning 90 degrees, they do the same work. Reception try to carry out for one warm-up. Quite often, such a subspecies of broach is used as flattening along the entire length. The main tools for this are a hammer or a sledgehammer.
Sometimes when forging at home, you need to make a through or blind hole in the product. In this case, firmware is used. As the main device are punches of various sections. In this case, the workpiece is heated and placed on the anvil on top of the round hole. Having installed a punch, they strike at it. The firmware can be done both on one side and on both sides.
To separate a workpiece or product into parts, a cutting method is used. The metal is heated to a dark red color and, having laid it on the anvil, three-fourths of its thickness is cut with a blacksmith's chisel. After that, the forging is turned over and the remainder is cut using the same tools.
Also quite often in blacksmithing I use the method of bending blanks. Simple shapes are made using a holed anvil as the main tool. More complex forged elements are formed by bending blanks on various templates.
Another technique often used in artistic forging is twisting. At the same time, the workpiece is heated and rigidly fixed in a vice, the other end is turned using a crank as the main equipment.
When the product is ready, you need to stabilize the metal.
Stabilization
Very rapid cooling of the material of the forged product will lead to uneven crystallization of the metal. As a result, stresses, shells and voids are formed in the structure. To avoid such negative moments when metal forging is completed at home, you need to set a gradual and uniform cooling.Small forgings can be left in the hearth of the hearth, where the metal will cool down along with the furnace. More massive forged products can be covered with hot coals and sprinkled with ash.
The more massive the product, the smoother the cooling should be.
The process of forging with your own hands can be seen on the example of a video forging a Yakut knife
It is better to learn forging for beginners from an experienced master. There are many various tricks and methods of such processing and manufacture of things, which can be shown by a person skilled in the art. Moreover, in the absence of practice, it is quite difficult to follow the technologies of heating and stabilizing the metal, without which the product will either fail or be of poor quality.
However, hand forging is not so complicated and you can quickly learn how to make the simplest things yourself.
What can you add to the material of this article? If you have experience learning to forge at home, share it in the comments section of this article.
Forge with their own hands.
Brief preface:
About three years ago I decided to make a forge - I got tired of making handles, I wanted to forge it myself. I went through literature, the Internet, asked old blacksmith acquaintances. In general, to be honest, everything is incomprehensible. Fans even make (!) a forge in the bathroom (!) Vacuum cleaners are recommended, pots ... But I need it - so that it’s small, but really “not on my knee”.
I already have experience, I make very good knives: I mainly use bearing steel, as it is cheap and affordable. Basic principles for building a forge:
As cheap as possible
The maximum available materials
Maximum convenience
So, first - what is needed for the forge.
Materials.
1) Ordinary brick, even white, even red - about thirty, I took from landfills and from the ruins
2) Metal grate. Best of all - metal pallets, preferably cast iron. I managed to buy in a rural store (hardware) - cast iron pallets for the stove. If desired, you can simply put the reinforcement, or weld the grate. Functionally - coals will burn on it, so the thicker the better. Holes - respectively, so that no more than one and a half centimeters (otherwise the coals will fail.
3) Anvil. Of course, a piece of rail will do. But an anvil is better. This is not only one of the most "costly" parts, but you will find figs. But I was lucky, I found again in a rural store. But if you sharpen on knives, then the rail is enough.
4) Fan. The most important thing is blowing. I bought thousands of dollars on the construction market for two and a half rubles - this is the second costly part, but quite lifting.
5) Sleeve out aluminum foil- put it on the fan, stuck a pipe from the water supply into it.
6) Water pipe, one and a half meters, diameter - with tin can from peas.
7) A tin can from peas - on one side there is a hole, on the other it is notched and bent, it plays the role of a structure that guides and reflects the air stream - in order to blow it to the right place.
8) A large stump for installing the anvil.
All. Total budget costs (three years ago):
Anvil - 900 rubles
Fan - 2.500 rubles
Flexible aluminum sleeve - 80 rubles
Pallets 2 pieces - 160 rubles
Bricks are free, everything else is free.
Total: we fit into 4000 rubles easily.
How is the forge.
The forge is simple.
It is necessary: to blow from below with air, through the grate onto the coals. The workpiece lies on the coals and is heated. You can poke into the coals. The sides are covered with bricks. Dot. All.
Therefore (see Photo 1.) - first we lay out a rectangle from bricks. I did NOT care about "cement, refractory clay, etc." - just PUT the bricks. Move - I'll fix it. Crash - I'll replace it. I don't need to forge gates, I need blades. Quite.
The photo shows that a rectangle of bricks is folded, of various colors. True, it rests on an iron box - on the lower left - but it was just a box, I also used it. In fact, these are two walls of bricks in two rows with the letter "P". Width - to put pallets. You can clearly see how I foolishly burned one of the pallets - I achieved a “white glow”. Achieved. Is it necessary?
I put bigger blocks at the head - I just found these, you can just do it from bricks. Here is the front view 
Two layers of bricks, pallets resting on them with edges, an iron box at the bottom - do not pay attention - we believe it is on the ground. Next, we continue the walls and the butt - just a few bricks up.
A pipe is a piece of a water pipe for blowing. 
Top view: two more rows of bricks have been laid. In fact, almost everything is ready. But experience has shown that - since all this is in the open air - it is better to bring the walls higher so that the breeze does not cool down. Therefore, I raised it a little higher (there is no photo, I just added two rows of bricks. But this year, two years - that's exactly how it was in the photo, and forged.
Now - blowing.
In the next photo - a fan on a wooden pallet (made in haste) with an aluminum sleeve put on. The fan costs money - but here even the vacuum cleaner is old, even home-made furs - it is important that air is supplied where it is needed and convenient. The pipe does not heat up. 
It is important that the air supply should be from the bottom up, I put a crumpled tin can on the end of the pipe, which turns the air flow from horizontal upwards - this is more than enough. Banks - free
The sleeve is put on and wrapped around the fan with wire. No tightness, everything is tacked on, just to hold on. I'm not worried. In the next photo on Sun. case - fan output. The crumpled end of the aluminum sleeve is clearly visible, where I stick the pipe during work. 
As I said, next - we take a tin can from under the peas. We put on a pipe. The bent cover is a reflector, we direct it upwards - and we put the pipe under the pallets. We put the pipe into an aluminum sleeve, crimp it and tie it with a wire. We turn on the blow. You need a switch, step with your foot - turn it off and on, so that it doesn’t blow in vain when it’s not necessary - your hands are busy.
Further - the stump, placed in the disk from the wheel, is covered with sand. In principle - any such foundation, shob did not stagger. On the stump - an anvil (a piece of rail or piece of iron is more massive) - and forward. All. Who already has what - I managed to buy an anvil - together with a fan, these are the two biggest expense items. If there was no money, I would take a piece of a thick channel or a rail. Most importantly, everything is working.
And so general form forges at work. If you need to shelter from the wind - I report a wall of bricks. I need a long length (for example, I forged a one and a half meter skewer from rebar) - I remove bricks from the end - etc. Everything can be rebuilt in a minute. 
Good luck, guys! The forge is great. I forged knives for myself - the main thing is that your hands are untied, and you can really not lick your lips at other people's records - but make your own gizmos. But that's another song!
