Colonial Trades Blacksmith

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Colonial Trades - Blacksmith

• By Ms. J. Lebitsky

http//www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradeb
la.cfm
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What does a blacksmith do?

• Blacksmiths make things from iron and steel for
  other people to use.
• They made things for farmers and household items.
• Blacksmiths made nails, horseshoes hooks, locks,
  utensils.

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What tools did the blacksmith use?

• Forge furnace for heating metal
• Anvil heavy iron block used to hammer metal
  into shape
• Hammer used to bend hot metal into shape
• Tongs for grabbing hot metal

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What training did a blacksmith need?

• You had to spend 3 or 4 years watching a master
  blacksmith doing work.
• You would spend 2 years helping your master.
• You would make pots, bend iron and melt iron for
  tools.
• Finally you have to take a test. If you passed
  the test you would become a blacksmith.

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How did the blacksmith make something?

• The blacksmith used a brick hearth with bellows
  to make a coal fire.
• Coal fire heated iron bars.
• The blacksmith used hammers weighing as much as
  12 pounds to hammer the heated bars into shapes.

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Why did the community need a blacksmith?

• The blacksmith could fix or make things made of
  iron.
• He served everyone in the community from the rich
  people to the poor people.
• He made fences so cattle would not escape.
• He made locks and utensils for eating.

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Why would you want to be a blacksmith?

• You would know how to make your own tools like
  horseshoes, nails and frying pans.
• You wouldnt have to buy things made of iron.
• You could make things you like, like candlesticks.

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References

• Text
• http//users.rcn.com/ben.trottier/webquestwelcome.
  html
• http//www.pocanticohills.org/tradesmen/blacksmith
  .htm
• Pictures
• http//www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradeb
  la.cfm