The Ash-Covered Profession of the Blacksmith Quiz

Answer: Anvil

A blacksmith shapes metal by placing it on an anvil and pounding it with a metal hammer. The anvil and the hammer are both kept hot and the piece of metal to be shaped is usually put in a forge to get it hot and to soften it and make it easier to work.

The anvil is not a simple block of metal, it has different shapes on each side which are used as molds on which to shape the hot metal. On one side is a conical shaped horn which is used when hammering curved pieces of metal. It also has holes on the top so that holes can be punched into the metal being worked if it is needed.

The first metal anvils were made of bronze, and then cast iron. Today, most anvils are made from steel, which is stronger and less likely to become brittle over time. The anvil is one of the blacksmith's most important pieces of equipment and was often handed down from father to son.

Answer: An apprentice who swung huge sledge hammers at metal being held by the blacksmith

A striker was usually anapprentice who would swing a large sledge hammer at hot metal being held on the anvil by the blacksmith. This part of the learning experience helped develop the necessary strength needed for this occupation. The striker was used at the beginning of a job when there was a large piece of metal to be flattened. Smaller pieces were usually handled by the blacksmith alone.

Answer: Iron

A blacksmith usually did his work using iron. It was much more plentiful, stronger, and more practical than the other options listed. Iron was often referred to as "black metal" and it is from this term that the word blacksmith arose. The blacksmith's shop was usually very hot due to the fires and the steam from hot metal enveloping the room.

The blacksmith himself was often covered in black residue from the smoke and ashes in the air. Blacksmiths were often strong men as strength was necessary for their type of work.

Unfortunately, blacksmiths were often prone to developing respiratory diseases due to the conditions in which they worked. Severe burns were also a constant hazard.

Answer: It helped the blacksmith tell how hot the metal was

The blacksmith worked in a shop called a forge. The forge was deliberately kept dark in order to help the blacksmith judge how hot the metal was that he was working with. This judgment was made by observing the color of the hot iron. As iron is heated it changes color.

It starts glowing red and then progresses to orange, then yellow, and then white. Blacksmiths usually worked with iron that had been heated to a yellow-orange color. Darkness helped the smith judge when the metal had become the correct temperature to work with, but had not become too hot.

Answer: Carbon

Blacksmiths would alloy carbon with iron in order to make steel. While bronze was sometimes used by blacksmiths it was not the preferred substance. Iron was cheaper and more plentiful. Steel was even harder and more resistant to fracture, but was less ductile, making it harder to work with. Steel was used for weaponry and required even more skill and finesse to work into the desired product.

Until c. 1860 steel could not be mass produced and was very expensive. It was generally used only for relatively small items, such as knives and swords. Even cannon and the early rails for railroads were made of iron.

Answer: True

The darkness of the blacksmith's shop gave an air of mystery to the occupation. It was a poorly understood skill and there were some people who chose to believe that what went on inside the shop was the work of the devil. There are some theologians who believe that the image of the devil in a burning hell started with the profession of the blacksmith.

These men of fire and metal were sometimes burned at the stake by those who believed that their skills were taught to them by the devil.

Answer: True

Tubalcain is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, Genesis 4:22 him as an "instructor of every artificer in brass and iron" (KJV). This is just one of the many mentions of the occupation in ancient writings. Mythology from many parts of the world includes a deity associated with, or depicted as, a blacksmith.

Answer: A metal worker who specializes in working with tin

A whitesmith is a metal worker who specializes in working with tin and other light colored metals. A whitesmith does not use heat in his work. Instead he works with softer metals that do not need to be heated. The term is also used for artisans who specialize in finishing work, such a filing and polishing darker metals. Most whitesmiths specialized in the creation of such things as candlesticks and dinnerware.

There were/are blacksmiths who have the skills to work with both classes of metal, but most worked with one or the other.

Answer: Automobile

The invention of the automobile brought about the gradual end of the age of the horse. One of the most important jobs of a blacksmith was the making of horse shoes and wagon parts. As more people began to drive automobiles and the use of the horse as a beast of burden began to decline, the blacksmiths lost a large part of their income.

The metal parts of an automobile were made by machine and did not require the expertise of a skilled blacksmith. The profession has never recovered and while there are still skilled blacksmiths plying their profession, they are few and far between.

Answer: Taken to the local bakery to heat their ovens

For many centuries it was common for bakeries to bake bread at night, so that it would be ready for sale, first thing in the morning. Being a blacksmith was a daytime profession. When the blacksmith closed his shop, he would often transport his fire to the closest bakery which used his forge fire to help heat their ovens while baking bread.

It was common for a new bakery to be built close to the blacksmith's shop for this reason. Fire was at one time, a commodity that was necessary for cooking, heating, and other crafts.

There were no matches, lighters, or other cheap and easy means of starting a fire. Fires were kept burning and were often shared between businesses. In the morning the blacksmith would show up at the bakery and take some of the burning embers to his shop to start the fire that would burn throughout the day while he worked.