Blacksmith course

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects of iron or steel, using hand tools for this purpose to hammer, bend, cut or otherwise shape metal when it is in a liquid state. A blacksmith who works primarily on horse tools is called a farrier. The farrier works with black metal, especially iron. The black color comes from an oxide layer that is deposited on the surface of the metal during heating. Before the industrial revolution, the forge was at the base of every city. Mass production techniques have reduced the presence of blacksmiths, and their work resists where traditional craftsmanship is still in demand, especially in Africa, India and areas of Southeast Asia. In recent years, the forging of stainless steel has given new life to the blacksmith's work. Usually the metal is heated until it becomes incandescent, and subsequently subjected to forging processing. This type of processing was one of the first techniques used for metalworking. The term "blacksmith" comes from the Latin word faber. Blacksmiths work by heating parts of wrought iron or steel in a molded use with tools, such as, for example, a hammer. Heating is accomplished through the use of a forge stocked with propane, natural gas, coal, charcoal, or coke. Blacksmiths can use a blowtorch or an oxy-acetylene flame to heat the metal in more circumscribed points. Color is a very useful indicator of the temperature and machinability of the metal: as it heats up the iron first becomes red, then orange, yellow, and finally white. The ideal temperature for most forging operations is that corresponding to the yellow-orange color, more or less known as the heat of forging. To prevent ambient light from preventing them from accurately assessing the color of the metal, many blacksmiths work in the dark, or in poorly lit environments.