Blacksmithing is the oldest craft associated with metal. For the first time, man began to forge metals in the Stone Age. Many museums around the world store blacksmith tools of those distant times. These are small round stones - hammers and oval flat massive stones - anvils. On the reliefs of ancient Egyptian temples blacksmiths can be seen working with stone hammers. But it is impossible to indicate the exact time of the birth of blacksmithing on the planet.
We can judge how blacksmithing developed in ancient Rus' from the data of archaeological research. During excavations of ancient settlements, archaeologists find objects made of metal. These are the remains of various tools, fixtures and equipment that were used in blacksmithing. This proves that all the ferrous metal products that the Ancient Rus', were created by Russian blacksmiths who owned a very complex production technique. In the ancient Russian settlement, the forge was set up separately from the place of residence. One forge served the population within a radius of 10 - 15 kilometers. The main equipment of the forge was a forge and bellows, and the tools were an anvil, hammer, tongs, a chisel, and barbs. At the hearth there was a shovel for coal, a poker and a sprinkler - a mop of bast for wetting coal with water.
In the XIII century, there were narrow specialties associated with the processing of iron. For example, a blacksmith who makes only sickles and scythes - a sickle-kosnik, axes and axes - an axe, fishing accessories - an udnik, a weapon - a gunsmith, jewelry - a pin or kolnik. In the village, the main and only group of artisans in the processing of iron were universal blacksmiths, they produced all the necessary iron implements. In most village forges, two people worked - a master and an assistant. Sometimes all family members were involved in the work. The father passed on his craft to his son by inheritance along with a personal brand, to which the son added a “mark” - an additional feature that meant that the brand belonged to him personally. The production secrets of the craft were also inherited.
The custom of employing apprentices first arose in blacksmithing. The Pskov Judgment Letter says that already in the XIV-XV centuries, blacksmiths began to take on apprentices.
What products were made by ancient Russian blacksmiths?
- Agricultural implements.
- Craft tools.
- Craft tools.
- Weapon.
- Costume accessories and jewelry.
- Horse harness and rider's equipment.
Ancient blacksmiths forged iron at very high temperatures - over 1000 degrees. The temperature was determined by the color of the hot metal. Welded iron and steel.
Among all the peoples of the world, blacksmiths were considered sorcerers, sorcerers. The bold handling of fire by a blacksmith seemed to a simple peasant as mysterious and mysterious rites. Russian blacksmiths were considered healers and sorcerers, able to "forge happiness", bewitch a loved one, determine fate. The Slavs had a belief that a blacksmith could marry just like he welds iron. Therefore, blacksmiths were considered patrons of marriages. They were often approached by girls with a request to forge a ring or a crown. Among the ancient Slavs of the pagan period, the god Svarog was considered the patron of blacksmithing. He was revered as the patron of family relationships and a healer. With the advent of Christianity, Saints Cosmas and Demyan began to be revered as patrons of blacksmiths, marriages, and the family hearth. On November 14, on the day of Kozma and Demyan, blacksmiths never worked. One can judge how honorable the blacksmith's craft was in Rus' by the number of proverbs and sayings about blacksmiths. In Russian folklore, not a single craft is given so much attention.
- The blacksmith is the crown of the whole thing.
- Strike while the iron is hot.
- God makes the blind man wise, but the devil makes the blacksmith.
- To whom God did not give the mind, the blacksmith will not chain him.
- Everyone is a blacksmith to his own happiness.
In the vicinity of Izborsk to this day there is a spring, which local old-timers call "Kuznetsk". Izborsk local historian Nikolai Petrovich Drozdov told us the legend associated with this source. From the earliest times, Izborsk blacksmiths considered the "smith's key" miraculous. They believed that the water from the spring gives the blacksmiths strength, and their products - durability. Water was taken from the "Kuznetsky key" for hardening metal, finished products were brought here and dipped into spring water. It was believed that after this, the tools and tools would be durable, and military weapons would not know defeat.
How did blacksmithing develop in ancient Izborsk?
According to the information provided to us by the deputy director of the Izborsk Museum-Reserve, archaeologist Elena Vladimirovna Voronkova, during the excavations of the Izborsk settlement of the 7th - 9th centuries, stone casting molds, semi-finished products of non-ferrous metals, iron slags, an anvil and numerous iron products were found. This confirms that blacksmithing was developed in Ancient Izborsk. The funds of the State Historical-Architectural and Natural-Landscape Museum-Reserve "Izborsk" have a large collection of iron products. Scientists believe that a significant part of them was made by local craftsmen. This:
- guns Agriculture and crafts - openers, hoes, scythes (mainly pink salmon), sickles, hooks, harpoons, spears.
- Craftsmen's tools - hammers, axes, chisels, drills, chisels, scrapers, saws, nailers; building elements - nails, staples, rivets, crutches, hooks, door breaks and linings.
- Household items - knives, awls, scissors, needles, lights, armchairs, keys, locks.
- Clothing details - buckles, belt rings, ice spikes.
- Weapons - arrowheads and spears, darts, chain mail, armor plates.
- Horse and rider equipment - spurs, stirrups, bits, buckles.
Blacksmithing in Izborsk developed through the use of advanced technologies and was aimed at constantly increasing production for the market.
During excavations of the later layers of the Izborsk settlement (the second half of the 10th - early 40th centuries), no remains of buildings that could be considered forges were found; there are no blacksmith tools among the finds. A small iron hammer of the tenth - eleventh century, several beards, two nail-studs were found. Scientists refer these finds to the XII-XIV centuries. They do not allow any serious conclusions to be drawn. Archaeologists suggest that in the 11th - 12th centuries, blacksmithing was also moved outside the settlement.
In the XIV century, the Izborsk settlement was transferred to Zheravya Gora. Large-scale archaeological research of the territory of the fortress on Zheravya Gora has not been carried out to date. But the work carried out in 2001 - 2002 made it possible to find in the area of the northern wall of the fortress the remains of a furnace, presumably an industrial one, with a thick layer of baked clay, a large number of remnants of iron production. Experts cannot yet say how many forges were in medieval Izborsk. But it is quite obvious that blacksmithing was vital to the ancient warrior city.
On the development of blacksmithing in Izborsk at the end of the 90th - beginning of the 20th century, it was possible to collect the most interesting materials from the words of local residents. This work was carried out by the senior researcher of the Izborsk Museum-Reserve Tatyana Vladimirovna Rumyantseva.
According to the memoirs of the Izboryans, blacksmiths made household items (nails, bolts, knives, svetets, tongs, pokers), agricultural implements (sickles, plows, harrows), shod horses (the horseshoes were also forged themselves), made hauling wheels, forging carts, sledges , various tools, soldered and tinned household utensils and dishes. Forged bars made by local blacksmiths were placed on the windows of many residential buildings and outbuildings. The blacksmiths did not have specialization - each master could perform any work. But there was competition between the masters - you could turn to an expensive master and use quality services, or you could pay less, but the product was of worse quality. In pre-war times, flat metal for covering wheels and brakes was ordered from the Kostenko store (now it is Pskovskaya St., 20). For the manufacture of tools and utensils, metal was reforged.
The blacksmith mostly worked alone, sometimes his teenage sons helped him, but more often the customer himself was an assistant: the master showed the operation, for example, cutting bolts, and the customer himself continued to work. From the sound coming from the forges, it was possible to determine which particular master was working, since each blacksmith had his own style. Blacksmiths did not reveal their secrets, they tried to show the goods with their faces. As in ancient times, people came to the blacksmith for advice, he communicated with many people, and was considered an experienced person.
According to the memoirs of the Elected, the oldest forge stood on the Smolka River, next to the Foot Mill. The miller was also a blacksmith - while grinding was taking place, he carried out forging orders. The name of the owner is unknown, but he was famous for making good locks and locks. The mill was small, low-power, the flow of water was made under the wheel.
In the 1950s - 1960s, Izborsk masons had their own forges for sharpening tools (dowels). Such forges were a wooden canopy on four wooden pillars. Under the canopy there was a forge with a wheel that had to be turned to pump air.
In the pre-war and post-war period, several blacksmiths worked in Izborsk. We managed to collect information about almost all Izborsk blacksmiths of this period.
Forging is one of the methods of metal working by pressure, when the tool exerts multiple influence on the workpiece. And as a result of this, deforming, the metal acquires the necessary shape.
When forging products, blacksmiths have to deal with materials that have different physical, Chemical properties. The most popular steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. The increased carbon content makes steel harder and less thermally conductive. From non-ferrous metals, copper and aluminum are mainly used, their alloys are bronze, brass.
Heating blanks is one of the important stages of forging. Due to heating, the workpiece becomes more elastic and easily deformable. Each type of metal has its own temperature barrier for heating.
Used for heating different kinds fuels - solid, liquid, gaseous.
The basis of a stationary hearth is a table where a hearth is installed to heat the workpieces. The dimensions of the table depend on the height of the blacksmith himself, so that it is most convenient for him to work. It also depends on what kind of products will be made - small products or large ones - such as gates, gratings. The surface of the table is laid out of brick, reinforced concrete.
Blacksmithing requires a large number of different tools and fixtures. The main tool is the anvil, which also comes in different sizes depending on the purpose. Percussion tools are hand hammers, war hammers and sledgehammers.
All blacksmith work is classified as high-risk work, so much attention is paid to the blacksmith's clothing. Clothing should be made of thick fabric. When working, the blacksmith must wear gloves, a headdress and special eye protection.
blacksmith craft originates from the Iron Age, when primitive man began to make tools from metal. But even today this craft is not forgotten and is popular, only its purpose has become a little different.
So, let's take a brief excursion into history and trace all the stages of the development of blacksmithing.
The development of blacksmithing has always depended on fuel and iron ore. At first, people used the iron contained in meteorites. Later it turned out that iron can be mined from swamp ore, in rocks. The main fuel for iron smelting at that time was charcoal. And only in the 18th century charcoal learned how to make coke.
For greater convenience, iron smelting plants were located near iron ore deposits, and a large amount of fuel should also be nearby.
Previously, a blacksmith combined several specialties and was an indispensable specialist. It was impossible to live without a blacksmith. Blacksmiths enjoyed special respect and many legends were composed about their skill. Every village had its blacksmith. He must have had his own forge. Even travelers and discoverers always took a blacksmith with them on board.
One blacksmith could make armor, weapons, tools, locks, horseshoes and much more. Also in the smithy it was possible to purchase various household appliances and bring any metal item for repair. The blacksmith could even pull out people's teeth.
For centuries, blacksmiths have experimented to improve the properties of iron. So the method of hardening steel was invented, a method of changing the carbon content in the metal. Different alloys also appeared, since different metal properties had to be achieved for different products.
Blacksmithing flourished until the beginning of the industrial age. At the end of the 19th century, many railways. Various household appliances and other necessary products began to be produced in factories and sold in stores. And then blacksmithing could only survive as a craft. Artistic forging exists today. And this, unfortunately, is practically the only type of blacksmithing that has survived in the modern world. In our time, blacksmiths are working on creating decorations for parks, mansions of wealthy people. Blacksmiths have also survived in modern villages.
Today, blacksmithing is mainly artistic forging, which is gaining momentum in popularity. These are, for example, forged bars on the windows, forged railings, gates. Owners of private mansions are increasingly ordering forged arbors, benches, sheds, barbecues and much more for their yards. Such things bring a special chic, taste to the whole house and look very rich. Artistic forging is also used in the manufacture of any souvenirs, interior details, such as table legs, lamps and much more. Thus, artistic forging is increasingly becoming a modern fashion, and blacksmithing is gradually reviving in a new quality.
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Presentation on the topic: blacksmith craft
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History of blacksmithing Blacksmithing appeared in ancient times, when people began to make iron tools and weapons. They noticed that when a certain rock is heated to a high temperature, iron is obtained. Very for a long time blacksmithing was the main way of making tools. The development of blacksmithing directly depended on iron ore and fuel. At the earliest stage, iron contained in meteorites was used. Then people found out that iron is found in red rocks and swamp ore. Empirically, it was found that the richer the red color, the more iron in the ore. The most common fuel used was charcoal.
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Extraction of swamp ore This is how swamp iron looks like There were plenty of sources of "bog ore" in Rus'. In swamps, the iron ore layer is located, unlike other types of terrain, very close to the surface, so iron deposits there can be dug literally with a shovel, only by removing a thin layer of marsh vegetation. Bog iron deposits themselves are classic placers.
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Old Russian blacksmiths Old Russian blacksmiths supplied plowmen with coulters, sickles, scythes, and warriors with swords, spears, arrows, battle axes. Everything that was necessary for the economy - knives, needles, chisels, awls, staples, fish hooks, locks, keys and many other tools and household items - were made by talented craftsmen. Old Russian blacksmiths achieved special art in the production of weapons.
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Blacksmith's Tools (Tools) Hammers of all kinds and sizes: huge sledgehammers, smaller hammers, cleavers used instead of chisels to cut workpieces, punch hammers. The blacksmith also used tongs large and small, simple or with hooks, vise, grindstones, punches and many other tools.
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Blacksmiths competed among themselves in the manufacture of swords, sabers, chain mail and helmets, trying to offer customers not only reliable, but also beautiful products. For the manufacture of armor and weapons, only the highest quality metal was used, the smelting technology of which was kept by the master in the strictest confidence. Forging steel weapons and armor required the knowledge of special techniques and methods, vast experience and skill from the blacksmith. The blacksmith's ability to forge strong and at the same time beautiful chain mail was considered the pinnacle of blacksmithing art, bringing together all the forged elements in the form of rings. Blacksmiths - gunsmiths
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Forging The oldest method of metal processing was forging. In each forge, as a rule, two blacksmiths worked - a master and an apprentice. Simple forged products were made with a chisel. The technology of using an insert and welding a steel blade was also used. The simplest forged products include: knives, hoops and buds for tubs, nails, sickles, braids, chisels, awls, shovels and pans, i.e. items that do not require special techniques.
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Forging technology More complex forged products: chains, door breaks, iron rings from belts and harnesses, bits, lighters, spears - already required welding, which was carried out by experienced blacksmiths with the help of an apprentice, because he needed to hold a red-hot piece of iron with tongs, which, when the small size of the anvils of that time was not easy, to hold and guide the chisel, to hit the chisel with a hammer. Masters welded iron, heating it to a temperature of 1500 degrees C, the achievement of which was determined by sparks of white-hot metal. Holes were punched with a chisel in ears for tubs, plowshares for plows, hoes. The puncher made holes in scissors, tongs, keys, boat rivets, on spears (for fastening to the pole), on the shrouds of shovels.
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Combination of crafts In addition to blacksmithing, they owned locksmith and weapons. All these crafts have some similarities in the ways of working iron and steel. Therefore, quite often artisans engaged in one of these crafts combined it with others. In the cities, the technique of smelting iron was more perfect than in the countryside. City forges, as well as domnitsa, were usually located on the outskirts of the city. The equipment of urban forges differed from the village ones - by greater complexity. Domnica - a furnace in which ore was boiled to obtain iron from it
Knot fishing is one of the oldest crafts. Forging native and meteoric iron began in the Stone Age. Working as a blacksmith was prestigious and honorable. Simple people the farrier was often considered a "prophetic person" or a sorcerer for turning a piece of brown stone into a valuable thing.
Interesting fact:
Even among the Russian monarchs there were lovers of forging - Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) and Peter I (1672-1725). It is historically attested that Peter I took part in the forging of anchors at the Voronezh shipyard. How large iron forgings used to be made - anchors are shown in movie "Peter the Great" .
Initially, metals were worked with a hammer only in a cold state: this is how metal was equated with stone. An interesting assumption about the first iron smelting was made by the English archaeologist A. Lucas: “Almost certainly the first time iron was smelted by accident, perhaps as a result of the mistaken use of iron ore instead of copper. Such attempts were probably repeated more than once, until the master accidentally hit the half-cooled metal with a hammer, which could be crowned with partial success. Finally, people guessed that for the complete success of mastering the new metal, you need to forge it in a red-hot state.
Rural forges were small in size, and there were practically no windows in them. In order to forge a workpiece with high quality, the blacksmith needed to determine how hot it was. There were no pyrometers and special devices for determining the temperature, so readiness was determined by the colors of heat. Only the twilight made it possible to discern and understand the necessary shade of the glow, in which the degree of incandescence casts yellow-red tints.
Forge built in 1910. Museum of Wooden Architecture, pos. Taltsy. Photo: M. Ignatiev / photobank "Lori"
The interior of an old forge. Photo: A. Tikhonov / photobank "Lori"
Forged products on the table in the forge. Photo: A. Tikhonov / photobank "Lori"
Interesting fact:
It is said that before blacksmiths even used a beard to determine the temperature of the metal for welding. They brought the heated part to the beard and, if the hairs began to crack and twist, the workpieces were welded.
Exhibits and finds
Today the building Museum "City Forge of the 17th century"- the oldest house in Smolensk. It contains authentic tools and numerous items of blacksmith craft of the 17th-19th centuries, and a creative laboratory of a blacksmith has been recreated.
The oldest wrought iron object found by archaeologists is considered to be beads made of hollow tubes. They were found by the English archaeologist Petri during excavations of Egyptian graves of the end of the 4th century BC. e.
Researchers Nizhny Tagil Museum-Reserve "Gornozavodskoy Ural" found places where copper and iron were smelted in ancient times. Entire complexes of melting furnaces and fragments of crucibles were found. On the Laisky cape, earth ovens, the remains of adobe ovens and small stone ovens were found.
The new settlement "Uralochka", dating back to the era of the early Iron Age on the left bank of the Malaya Medvedka River, was opened by schoolchildren who helped archaeologists.
The most curious find of Tagil archaeologists is an iron dagger corroded by rust, which has lain in the ground since the 6th century. Chemical analysis metal showed that it contains silicon, manganese, phosphorus - the elements that make up modern steel.
Blacksmith at work. Festival "Times and Epochs - 2013", Kolomenskoye. Photo: N. Uvarova / photo bank "Lori"
Forged grape bunch. Photo: A. Sidorov / photobank "Lori"
The blacksmith at the anvil. Photo: S. Maiteles / photo bank "Lori"
Masters and trades
The Dagestan village of Kubachi became famous for its skilled jewelers. For a long time they were engaged in weapons craft and lived mainly on the income from it. The first mention of Kubachi is found among Arab historians of the 9th-12th centuries, who called this territory Zirihgeran or Zerekeran, which means "mail masters" (Ali al-Masudi, 10th century; Abu Hamid Andalusi, 12th century). From ancient times, chain mail, stirrups, weapons (swords, bows, knives, daggers), helmets, copper utensils, etc. were made here. Later, the name of the village was replaced by the Arabic Kubachi, which had the same meaning. Travelers of the 18th-19th centuries reported on the production of firearms, on the manufacture of guns, pistols, as well as sabers, scabbards and shells, on gold and silver forging. famous
The history of blacksmithing is an integral part of metal processing. At the very beginning appeared cold forging. For many centuries, only this method of making weapons, household utensils, and jewelry was used. It is now the jewelry industry that has nothing to do with blacksmiths, and earlier everything related to metalworking belonged to blacksmithing.
Looking into history books that tell about the development of crafts in the Iron and Bronze Ages, you can see photographs of items made by craftsmen from different corners Earth. Blacksmith - this profession is covered with myths and legends. Blacksmithing developed differently in different territories. Only used for centuries cold method metal forging.
There was also such a name for the profession as "Khytrets". This epithet was brought to us by books dated 1073. By right, the blacksmithing of those times can be called cunning. The blacksmith had to distinguish metals by color, determine their strength by the shade at the break. There was something mystical in the very process of production, when a piece of metal under the influence of strong short hammer blows turned out to be an item of extraordinary beauty or a bizarre shape.
With the help of deformation of the metal, which receives additional density and strength under the influence of strong pressure, the things necessary in everyday life came out from under the hammer of a sly, writhing, iron forging, kovac, kerch, and duck. The first mention of this profession can be found in books that convey the myths of ancient Greece. Prometheus was chained to a rock with nails forged by Hephaestus.
The power of blacksmiths is sung in many literary works different eras. Blacksmiths were considered healers, healers and people capable of exorcising evil spirits. Based on such beliefs, Gogol created his blacksmith Vakula. It was rumored that Svarog himself patronizes writhing.
Places in Russia named after blacksmiths
The profession of a blacksmith requires a master of good physical fitness. It has always been so. Not every warrior would dare to measure his strength with a blacksmith. Residents of the Pskov region are still called staplers, remembering that the blacksmiths of these places bent horseshoes with their bare hands.
The profession of a blacksmith has had many names over the years. One of the most common gave the name to the city of Kerch. This name came from the word korchev, which means a blacksmith. Related terms of those times:
- Korchin - blacksmith;
- Crimson - forged.
There is also a place in Moscow, the name of which indicates the proximity to the blacksmith's settlement - this is the Blacksmith's Bridge. There was such a freedom in Novgorod. Mentions of large settlements of blacksmiths in cities date back to the 15th-17th centuries. It was in the cities that the development of this profession received more opportunities, thanks to the demand for forged decorations for the facades of large houses, gardens and parks. As well as in Kievan Rus, edged weapons were made in forges, which were hardened by fire.
famous swords
The damask blade has been sung more than once in books and hussar songs. The classics of Russian literature often used in their works the features of swords to cut through stone. The prototype of magic swords was:
Excalibur is the sword of King Arthur, which, while defending the fortress, was stuck in a stone wall. Popular beliefs endow this sword with magical powers. In Russian culture, the sword "Kladenets" serves as a similar artifact. "Durandale" - the sword of Roland and the nameless blade of the Tuscan knight Galliano Guidotti were also able to pierce the stone. These blades received the ability to cut stone thanks not so much to magical and mystical powers, but to the diligence and skill of the craftsmen who made them.
The sword of Galliano Guidotti radically changed the fate of its owner. The books tell us the story that this knight was canonized, although he was not a righteous man before meeting with the Archangel Michael. The warrior answered the proposal to go to the monastery to Michael that this would happen only after his sword had cut the stone. The sword entered the cobblestone, and so it remained there. Modern scientists have had the opportunity to examine the stone and the sword. Their conclusion confirmed that the blade pierced the stone precisely at the time described in the annals.
Already in knightly times, blacksmithing had many secrets passed down by craftsmen from generation to generation. One of them was the shape of the blank; for the above swords, a quadrangular rod served as the basis. Blades related to Japanese culture are also widely known. Their names are translated as "the sword that cuts the grass", "the sword that collects the clouds of paradise." They are distinguished by a curved shape, which gives the bladed weapons of Japanese craftsmen aerodynamic properties that are not typical for products of European blacksmiths.
One of the famous swords on display at the Polish Museum in Poznan is the weapon of St. Peter, forged in the 1st century. The blade is famous for the fact that during the arrest of Christ before the crucifixion, Peter managed to cut off the ear of a slave. The sword was transferred to the museum by the Bishop of Jordan.
Milestones in the development of blacksmithing
Hand forging is the oldest method of metal processing, which has become the progenitor of stamping, forging, casting, pressing, rolling, drawing and sheet stamping. Archaeologists have found during excavations metal products dating back to several thousand years BC. These products are made of metals found in nature. The first metal finds by archaeologists date back to the 5th-4th centuries BC. The technique of drawing in the manufacture of products from precious metals was discovered in the basins of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Products are made in 3 BC. Blacksmithing in Rus' has a longer history. Swords, helmets, chain mail, ax grips, jewelry and other forged items date back to the 18th century. BC.
From the 10th to the 18th centuries from the birth of Christ, new methods appeared in metalworking:
- metal hardening;
- soldering with copper;
- forge welding;
- multilayer fabrication technique.
XVI century. Under Ivan the Terrible, the Russian army was equipped with forged cannons.
XVII - XVIII - the creation of state arms factories in the Urals and in Tula.
Peter I in every possible way contributes to the development metallurgical industry. Water engines are widely used in military factories. At the turn of the century, in 1800, for the first time at the Tula plant, the method of hot stamping of the same type of parts was tested. It was used for mass production by the blacksmith V.A. Shepherds.
At the same time, blacksmiths in Vologda specialized in the production of anchors, and in Murom they produced hardware for the construction of the fleet.
19th century Steam engines are replacing the water drive, which contributes to the development of shipbuilding and the production of artillery equipment for the fleet and army, for the production of which armor, thick plates for gun carriages, and gun barrels were needed. The weight of the falling hammer was up to 50 tons. Such hydraulic presses expanded the capabilities to forging parts of 250 tons.
The same period includes scientific research on the deformation of metals. Armed with a microscope, P.P. Anosov began to study the structure of steels. During the study in 1841, he established the relationship between the structure and properties of metals. This made it possible to create steel with the necessary technical specifications. D.K. Chernov conducted a study of the behavior of metals during heating and cooling, which served as the discovery of structural changes. Books with the research of Chernov and Anosov still serve as a guide for metallurgists.
Introduction to blacksmith skills through exhibitions
In addition to permanent exhibitions in museums, products of decorative blacksmithing can be seen at exhibitions where not weapons or jewelry are presented, but the works of masters for decorating everyday life. Exhibitions are not just a display of beautiful things, they are popularization, which blacksmithing needs so much. For several 10 years, this craft was practically forgotten due to the expanding opportunities in metalworking every year. But other methods are stamping, work on quantity. Only blacksmithing when working with metal will help the master to reveal himself most fully.
The history of the revival of blacksmithing began not so long ago, but the construction of private houses contributes to this. Each owner wants to allocate his home and surrounding area. Exhibitions of masters make it possible to understand how this can be done in an extraordinary way and at the same time not pretentiously. For novice blacksmiths, these exhibitions help to find their own style, to peep some of the techniques that they share from more experienced blacksmiths, holding master classes directly in the walls, where displays of finished decorative products are held.
The exhibitions of blacksmithing skills held in the Art Kremlin became a good start for beginners, for whom the craftsmen staged a demonstration of the possibilities of changing a piece of metal, turning into fully formed figurines for decorating their homes.
A great way to instill in beginners a love for metalworking by forging, giving the first skill lessons right at the exhibition. "Blacksmith's Talisman" is an exhibition where everyone had the opportunity to try their hand, to feel the changes in the material under their own hammer blows.
Exhibitions of blacksmith skills are becoming a good tradition. In September 2015, the Forge of Happiness exhibition was opened for the 4th time as part of the Indian Summer festival. Master classes were also held here.
Numerous books that tell about various technologies of cold and hot forging, casting, forge welding, and technologies for creating decorative elements will help beginners to master all the intricacies of the science of metal processing.
Books can tell a lot, but still blacksmithing, as in junk, is passed from hand to hand by the master to the student.
