Blacksmithing Fundamentals - 7 basic skills of modern blacksmithing

When it comes to the art of blacksmithing, there are seven basic processes and skills that makes everything else possible. Depending on the blacksmith, there may be some varying techniques listed for each process, but at Sentinel Forge I work with seven basic principles.

These seven process will set up the foundation to make any project in a blacksmith shop. The art of blacksmithing is forging metal using tools like an anvil and hammer, how those come together depends on the process you use. Here is what I consider to be the seven basic skills of blacksmithing.

Seven Fundamental Skills of Blacksmithing

1. Drawing Out
   The process of drawing out is making a bar longer and skinner. Drawing doesn't have to be uniform. A blacksmith can taper the steel making a wedge or a chisel blade. Drawing can be accomplished through several different methods but one of the most common methods is with a hammer and anvil.

2. Bending
   Heating iron to "forging heat" allows a blacksmith to bend, twist, and mold a project in to any shape. The process of bending typically is done with a hammer over the horn or edge of the anvil.

3. Upsetting
   Upsetting is the process of making metal thicker at one point, but shortening in another dimension. One example of upsetting students learn in the Sentinel Forge Basic Class is creating the head of a nail. In this example, the blacksmith heats up one end of the rod and hammers it down as if you were hammering a nail. The whole rod gets shorter while the hot end flattens out into the head of the nail.

4. Punching
   The process of punching is used to make holes or a decorative pattern. In this process, a blacksmith uses a tool called a punch to break through the material when heated to forging heat. Punching is not limited to depressions and holes, it can include processes like cutting.

5. Spreading
   Similar to the drawing and tapering process, this skill is also about moving the material. However, instead of making the material longer and skinnier, the goal is to spread the material along the other axis.

6. Subtractive
   Subtractive processes include methods like cutting, filing, and grinding. This process is removing material from the project.

7. Additive
   The additive process is any method that adds material to the project. That can be done in forge welding, combining material with rivets or collar welds.

If you want to learn the basic processes of blacksmithing so you can create or maintain your own tools or jump to the next advance classes, start with Sentinel Forge Basic Blacksmithing class.