It is important to appreciate that the artist blacksmith is not simply a skilled technician, capable of following the given design drawing and manufacturing the specified piece of metalwork - he can also work creatively and offer qualities, details and designs of his own. Indeed the way the smith works gives rise to metalwork with a character and quality quite different from the kind of work produced by conventional fabrication methods.

The fabrication of metal consists essentially of the cutting, cold bending and joining of sheet, solid and tubular metal sections to produce the required structure. Its appearance derives from the careful selection of standard stock sections which are fitted together and joined, usually by electric welding or by bolting. In addition to these techniques, the artist blacksmith is skilled in a wide variety of hot forging processes which can radically change the section, surface and appearance of the standard stock bar, and the way it is joined.

The fundamental making skill of the smith lies in his understanding of the working of metal under power or hand hammer. The plastic deformation of the hot metal gives rise to an infinity of forms and a richness of surface resulting from the shaping process, which will exhibit a subtle individuality imparted by the smith. No two smiths will work in quite the same way - an individual "fingerprint" will be evident in each craftsman's work. Forging allows, for instance, a bar to be tapered smoothly from one end to another, change section abruptly from round to square, or perhaps be flattened locally to create a fixing [1]. This changing of section is a distinctive characteristic of forge metal design, and derives from a traditional economy of making which throws very little away, but seeks simply to re-arrange the material of the stock bar. The smith can also cut, profile, manipulate and join sheet and plate material, with similar fluency.

This eloquence and familiarity with the material itself allows for physical and visual strength where it is needed, or for an expressive delicacy and lightness which belies the strength of the metal. The finely tapered end of a traditional forged scroll is a good example.

Good forged metalwork interprets the design idea through the medium of the forging process, It is necessary therefore to "think with the hammer" in order to design for the process. This is particularly apparent in the joining of forged metal. Forgings may simply be joined by electric welding, but the smith has at his disposal a large number of other means. Many of these express a powerful sense of structure and can offer the designer an eloquence of detailing which is far more lively and interesting than the welded joint of fabricated work.

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Author: Peter Parkinson

ArtMetal Editor/Curator: enrique

Last Updated: Tue, Nov 14, 1995