Blacksmith Demonstration
An up-close view of a “Pineapple Twist”. Watch the video to see how it’s done!
DEMONSTRATION FRIDAY/ AUGUST 28TH, 2020
The Blacksmith was an important role for any developing community. They would be responsible for making and repairing tools, producing wagon wheel rims, and lots more.
In the case of the O’Hara blacksmith shop, it did not originally reside on the property. The blacksmith would be located in town or on a neighbour’s property. If something needed repairing, one of the children from the family would drop the item off at the blacksmith in the morning, do whatever other errands that were needed, then pick up the item on the way home.
Our blacksmith shop that we have was not actually built to accommodate a blacksmith , it was built for a farrier. A farrier is a type of blacksmith that deals specifically with horseshoes, it was important that the farrier was properly trained because even the smallest fault in a horseshoe could damage the horse’s joints and make it painful for them to walk. We can tell that the shop was made for a farrier by looking at the forge: it is situated in the corner which means whoever was using it could not work with larger pieces of metal.
Fire management is one of the most important things to understand when working with a coal/charcoal heated forge. Coal/charcoal is not always uniform and consistent so the blacksmith would need to keep the fire very concentrated and evenly distributed. The way the chimney was built was also very important, sometimes the gasses that are released when the coal/charcoal gets heated can be very dangerous to the human body and if the chimney didn’t create enough of a draft for the smoke to exit, the shop would be dangerous to work in.
If you look closely at the anvils in our blacksmith shop, you can see lots of little scratches and holes on the sides (pictured to the right). This is because the blacksmiths who used to own them would test their chisels and punches to prove to their customers that they were well-made.
Make sure you visit our blacksmiths on our demonstration days to see what they’re making! To watch a demonstration click the button below.