Amaya Blackstone (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
special_rabbit) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2019-05-09 04:55 am
special_rabbit) wrote in fandomhigh2019-05-09 04:55 am
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Blacksmithing Basics - Thursday, First Period [05/09].
"'Morning, everyone," Amaya said, nodding to the students as they gathered in the shop, feeling a swell of pride over the whole fact that she was holding a blacksmithing class, of all things! It was a little surreal, really, thinking of this small handful of people here to learn the trade from her, but, zounds, did it feel great, too. "Glad you found the place. Welcome to Blackstone Foundry and Forge, Fandom Island's very own traditional blacksmith shop. And I'm the blacksmith, Amaya Blackstone. The fellow back there," she hitched a thumb toward the half-orc, "is my apprentice, Fjord. He's still learning, too, but if there's any questions and I'm already tied up helping someone else, he'll likely be able to offer his two-cents, and that there," she nodded to tall blonde, "is Yang, she's my TA, she's here to help, too.
"As for the rest of you, I think before we start introducing you to the shop, we'd best be introducing each other. So, if you don't mind, I'd like you all to chime in a little with your names and what you hope to get out of this class and if you've got any sorts of experience in any sort of smithing or metalwork. If you've got experience, I apologize that some of this might feel familiar, but it never hurts to brush up on the basics, right? Right. So who'd like to go first?"
Once the introductions were out the way, Amaya nodded again. "Good to meet you all," she said, "and to have you in this class. Now, let's get to the good stuff, shall we?
"As beginners, you'll be working with iron; it's a little more forgiving and easy to work with than steel, and we're not likely to make anything too fancy, like some of what you see on the wall there." Because of course she had to bring a little attention to the wall of weapons at the back of the shop. "And when it comes to any kind of smithing, there are basically three elements you'll need: something to heat the iron, something to pound on the iron, and something to pound the iron on. In a blacksmith shop, that's going to be your forge, your hammer, and your anvil. Luckily, I've just got this shiny new second anvil, which will make it easier for a few of us to work at once, but we'll have to take turns. It'll likely work out well, really, since there's only a handful of you.
"Let's start with the forge. I'd go so far as to say it's the most important part of all of this, since you're not likely to get much work done at all without a fire. Most forges are going to be made of brick or cast-iron. This one here's brick, built by my own two hands. And these are the bellows. Now, there's small bellows over here, those are the one's you'll likely use for your fire maintenence, but I've got the big one," the one suspended near the forge that literally needed a lever to work, "rigged up, because, well..it's just a lot of fun and is great for getting a really big fire going. And what you're doing with those is controling how much air flow is feeding into the fire to help make it larger or smaller. Air flow's important in a forge; in addition to the chimney here that helps keep this room from getting all filled up with smoke, we've also got a grate and a series of pipes underneath called a tuyere that vent air. Getting the right balance between air and fire is one of the key compotenants to master with your forge. We'll be working with a coal forge, too, which is the most common type of forge, even in these more modern times, and that's going to allow us to get a fire going up to about 2000 degree Fahrenheit or about 1100 degrees Celcius...give or take a few. So it's hot. Always wear your protective gloves and aprons when working at the forge and I recommend against any particularly loose fitting or flowing garments while you're here. Other than that, it's pretty self-explanatory. Fire hot, makes metal hot, when metal's hot, that's when you can shape it.
"And that," said Amaya, now turning toward a table where there were a scattering of tools, sets enough for everyone in the class, "is where the hammer comes in." She lifted hers, the handle obviously well worn from constant use and she grinned at it like an old friend. "Now, the shape of a hammer can play a lot into what you're making, I've got probably more different hammers and heads than you can count, but you really only need the one. You want it to be light enough for you that you can work with it in a steady manner, and that'll likely vary based on the smith. You'll be hard pressed to find a smith who's been working at their craft for a while that can't handle a heavy hammer, but there's nothing wrong with a lighter one if that suits you better. It's not the size of the hammer that matter, but rather how well you can use it."
...sorry, kids. There were a lot of things that were going to come out of this woman's mouth that would be really, really wrong in any other context.
"That's it for the hammer, really, which leads us to the anvil. Now, an anvil in particular is not necessary for working metal. Some people can do some great work just using a hard surface that can take a beating, but if you've got a good anvil, all the better, and here we've got two!" She was very proud of that second anvil, kids, just let her have this moment. This was a two-anvil shop now! "This part of the anvil here is the horn, and both of these are in a style where there's a table or step, that's this part here, and a few holes on the end, all of which come in handy when you're bending your metal in certain ways, usually to hold other various tools that'll shape hot iron...there's tools to cut iron, bend it, create a scroll...there's all sorts of things.
"Now that you've been introduced to the primary tools, I'm going to show you a few basic techniques that we'll be using. I've had a few pieces warming up in the fire, so go ahead and gather around the anvil and I'll show you as I explain. Best put on your workgloves, too, if you haven't, because I'll be passing around some hot metal so you can see the results of the technique. Just don't get your face too close, not unless you want a nice new blistering scar to show off to your friends."
She readjusted her grip on the hammer, pulled one of the metal rods out of the fire, and turned toward the anvil, laying it down. "Drawing is the first one," she said, and began to hammer, lifting her voice so it could rise up over the clattering hits, "which is hitting a piece of metal to make it longer and thinner, by hitting along the surface as you slowly draw it forward or back. The strike of the hammer pushes down the metal, flatting it while also pushing it out lengthwise, too. Do you see how it shifts a little with each hit? That's drawing it out. Any bakers among you? It's the same idea of rolling dough to make it thinner and longer, really."
Only more bad-ass. She held up rod for a moment for inspection, before passing it over to the nearest student for them to have a look. "Just set it on the other anvil when you're done, and take note of the bottom of the rod that was untouched, compared to the flatness of the drawn out one. And now," she went to retrieve the next rod, "we talk tapering. Tapering is when you hammer out the end of the metal to make a point. Very important when we're talking weapons. You just keep striking the end until it gets you to the pointed end you need. Sharpening comes later, so you shouldn't expect much in that respect...more like the tip of a freshly sharpened pencil."
And around went the tapered bit.
"Now, we get to bending, which is exactly what it sounds like. There are many different methods and tools for bending metal, as well as a lot of different uses for it, but I'm just going to show you a simple method right now, of using the edge of the horn of the anvil to strike the metal around the side to bend it. Just like that."
And now around went the bend!
"Upsetting is the next technique, and it's sort of the opposite of drawing. Upsetting is when you pound on the end of a piece of iron back on itself, to make it thicker and shorter. It's a little more difficult to get upsetting down, as it requires you to strike at a much smaller surface, usually at odd angles, but it's an important technique that can sometimes help you out if you've overdrawn or need to correct something or to make a wider base for a spike or leg."
Enjoy looking at a super hot railroad spike as she passed it around, kids.
"Spreading is how you make the metal itself wider; if drawing is going along the length of the metal, then spreading is hammering down on the width of it. Essentially, what you should be picking up on by now is that, no matter what you want the metal to do, be it length or flatten or widen or bend, all you really have to do is figure out where to hit the metal to make it move that way. Sounds simple, right? It is...in concept. In practice, though, it definitely takes some doing to know exactly where and how hard to hit and how to move your piece as you work to ultimately get the intended results."
She then held out the bit of metal with the fanned-out end for them to see and set down the hammer, grinning a little at them. "There's many, many more techniques ahead to learn, but those are the basic ones that'll give you a good start. And I know that was a lot of talking, and, if any of you are like me, talking's not nearly as good for learning as actually doing is. So today, we're going to go ahead and have you get a little bit familiar with the basic elements, the forge, the hammer, and the anvil. To save time, I've got extra rods in the forge right now, so we'll take turns, and I want you each to spend a little time striking the rod and trying to get one of the techniques we discussed: give a try at drawing, tapering, bending, upsetting, or spreading. Your choice. And then we'll see how you did. Who'd like to go first?"
[[ocd isincoming up! have at it!]]
"As for the rest of you, I think before we start introducing you to the shop, we'd best be introducing each other. So, if you don't mind, I'd like you all to chime in a little with your names and what you hope to get out of this class and if you've got any sorts of experience in any sort of smithing or metalwork. If you've got experience, I apologize that some of this might feel familiar, but it never hurts to brush up on the basics, right? Right. So who'd like to go first?"
Once the introductions were out the way, Amaya nodded again. "Good to meet you all," she said, "and to have you in this class. Now, let's get to the good stuff, shall we?
"As beginners, you'll be working with iron; it's a little more forgiving and easy to work with than steel, and we're not likely to make anything too fancy, like some of what you see on the wall there." Because of course she had to bring a little attention to the wall of weapons at the back of the shop. "And when it comes to any kind of smithing, there are basically three elements you'll need: something to heat the iron, something to pound on the iron, and something to pound the iron on. In a blacksmith shop, that's going to be your forge, your hammer, and your anvil. Luckily, I've just got this shiny new second anvil, which will make it easier for a few of us to work at once, but we'll have to take turns. It'll likely work out well, really, since there's only a handful of you.
"Let's start with the forge. I'd go so far as to say it's the most important part of all of this, since you're not likely to get much work done at all without a fire. Most forges are going to be made of brick or cast-iron. This one here's brick, built by my own two hands. And these are the bellows. Now, there's small bellows over here, those are the one's you'll likely use for your fire maintenence, but I've got the big one," the one suspended near the forge that literally needed a lever to work, "rigged up, because, well..it's just a lot of fun and is great for getting a really big fire going. And what you're doing with those is controling how much air flow is feeding into the fire to help make it larger or smaller. Air flow's important in a forge; in addition to the chimney here that helps keep this room from getting all filled up with smoke, we've also got a grate and a series of pipes underneath called a tuyere that vent air. Getting the right balance between air and fire is one of the key compotenants to master with your forge. We'll be working with a coal forge, too, which is the most common type of forge, even in these more modern times, and that's going to allow us to get a fire going up to about 2000 degree Fahrenheit or about 1100 degrees Celcius...give or take a few. So it's hot. Always wear your protective gloves and aprons when working at the forge and I recommend against any particularly loose fitting or flowing garments while you're here. Other than that, it's pretty self-explanatory. Fire hot, makes metal hot, when metal's hot, that's when you can shape it.
"And that," said Amaya, now turning toward a table where there were a scattering of tools, sets enough for everyone in the class, "is where the hammer comes in." She lifted hers, the handle obviously well worn from constant use and she grinned at it like an old friend. "Now, the shape of a hammer can play a lot into what you're making, I've got probably more different hammers and heads than you can count, but you really only need the one. You want it to be light enough for you that you can work with it in a steady manner, and that'll likely vary based on the smith. You'll be hard pressed to find a smith who's been working at their craft for a while that can't handle a heavy hammer, but there's nothing wrong with a lighter one if that suits you better. It's not the size of the hammer that matter, but rather how well you can use it."
...sorry, kids. There were a lot of things that were going to come out of this woman's mouth that would be really, really wrong in any other context.
"That's it for the hammer, really, which leads us to the anvil. Now, an anvil in particular is not necessary for working metal. Some people can do some great work just using a hard surface that can take a beating, but if you've got a good anvil, all the better, and here we've got two!" She was very proud of that second anvil, kids, just let her have this moment. This was a two-anvil shop now! "This part of the anvil here is the horn, and both of these are in a style where there's a table or step, that's this part here, and a few holes on the end, all of which come in handy when you're bending your metal in certain ways, usually to hold other various tools that'll shape hot iron...there's tools to cut iron, bend it, create a scroll...there's all sorts of things.
"Now that you've been introduced to the primary tools, I'm going to show you a few basic techniques that we'll be using. I've had a few pieces warming up in the fire, so go ahead and gather around the anvil and I'll show you as I explain. Best put on your workgloves, too, if you haven't, because I'll be passing around some hot metal so you can see the results of the technique. Just don't get your face too close, not unless you want a nice new blistering scar to show off to your friends."
She readjusted her grip on the hammer, pulled one of the metal rods out of the fire, and turned toward the anvil, laying it down. "Drawing is the first one," she said, and began to hammer, lifting her voice so it could rise up over the clattering hits, "which is hitting a piece of metal to make it longer and thinner, by hitting along the surface as you slowly draw it forward or back. The strike of the hammer pushes down the metal, flatting it while also pushing it out lengthwise, too. Do you see how it shifts a little with each hit? That's drawing it out. Any bakers among you? It's the same idea of rolling dough to make it thinner and longer, really."
Only more bad-ass. She held up rod for a moment for inspection, before passing it over to the nearest student for them to have a look. "Just set it on the other anvil when you're done, and take note of the bottom of the rod that was untouched, compared to the flatness of the drawn out one. And now," she went to retrieve the next rod, "we talk tapering. Tapering is when you hammer out the end of the metal to make a point. Very important when we're talking weapons. You just keep striking the end until it gets you to the pointed end you need. Sharpening comes later, so you shouldn't expect much in that respect...more like the tip of a freshly sharpened pencil."
And around went the tapered bit.
"Now, we get to bending, which is exactly what it sounds like. There are many different methods and tools for bending metal, as well as a lot of different uses for it, but I'm just going to show you a simple method right now, of using the edge of the horn of the anvil to strike the metal around the side to bend it. Just like that."
And now around went the bend!
"Upsetting is the next technique, and it's sort of the opposite of drawing. Upsetting is when you pound on the end of a piece of iron back on itself, to make it thicker and shorter. It's a little more difficult to get upsetting down, as it requires you to strike at a much smaller surface, usually at odd angles, but it's an important technique that can sometimes help you out if you've overdrawn or need to correct something or to make a wider base for a spike or leg."
Enjoy looking at a super hot railroad spike as she passed it around, kids.
"Spreading is how you make the metal itself wider; if drawing is going along the length of the metal, then spreading is hammering down on the width of it. Essentially, what you should be picking up on by now is that, no matter what you want the metal to do, be it length or flatten or widen or bend, all you really have to do is figure out where to hit the metal to make it move that way. Sounds simple, right? It is...in concept. In practice, though, it definitely takes some doing to know exactly where and how hard to hit and how to move your piece as you work to ultimately get the intended results."
She then held out the bit of metal with the fanned-out end for them to see and set down the hammer, grinning a little at them. "There's many, many more techniques ahead to learn, but those are the basic ones that'll give you a good start. And I know that was a lot of talking, and, if any of you are like me, talking's not nearly as good for learning as actually doing is. So today, we're going to go ahead and have you get a little bit familiar with the basic elements, the forge, the hammer, and the anvil. To save time, I've got extra rods in the forge right now, so we'll take turns, and I want you each to spend a little time striking the rod and trying to get one of the techniques we discussed: give a try at drawing, tapering, bending, upsetting, or spreading. Your choice. And then we'll see how you did. Who'd like to go first?"
[[ocd is
Re: Talk to Amaya - Blacksmithing, 05/09.
"Zards, Fjord," she said, grinning a bit. "Even I feel grateful for the refresher every once in a while, and I've been doing this since I was about these kids' age...probably younger! But I'm glad. It's a bit easier to appreciate how far you've come along when you're able to look back at where you started, rather than just seeing where you're going, isn't it?"
Re: Talk to Amaya - Blacksmithing, 05/09.
"Sure is," Fjord agreed, nodding as he looked back Amaya's way. "Now, I'm not gonna be the guy who jumps in to nitpick anyone's form on their first day, but it does do a lot to put into perspective just how much I've learned that I'm spottin' a bit here and there, already."
Re: Talk to Amaya - Blacksmithing, 05/09.
Re: Talk to Amaya - Blacksmithing, 05/09.