About Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing is the art of moving metal by the use of forging. That is, the metal is shaped through the use of
heat, hammer and anvil. It is an ancient art that has responded to the march of progress and now utilizes more
modern methods and materials, but retains the fundamental processes that the first smiths used more than a
thousand years ago. The final works created are timeless in their styles, functions and integrity, and lend
themselves every bit as well to the modern home as they do to the restoration of 200-year old Greathouses,
mansions and government edifices. The sense of permanence and solidity conveyed by iron work is second to
none.

Metalsmithing has been around almost since the beginning of the Bronze Age,and has followed the development
of the human race, through the discovery of copper, bronze and iron and, ultimately, steel. As new materials are
discovered, blacksmiths explore the possibilities inherent in each one, in an attempt to broaden their knowledge
and improve their final product. Each metal requires different techniques and parameters, but each has its place
and use. These days, most blacksmithing work is done in either mild steel or stainless steel, with a small
percentage executed in bronze or copper. Even titanium can be successfully forged. The end result is as
timeless as the process and the material, embodying substance and solidity in a highly changing world.

For more information about the techniques and processes involved in this timeless art, click here.

For further information about Richard Waugh, please click here