Glossary

Alloy

mixture of two or more metals

Anneal

to heat and then cool to achieve maximum softness

Antimony

element alloyed with lead and tin to produce soft solder

Anvil

shaped iron or steel block with hardened face upon which metal is forged

Ash

residue after fuel has been burnt

Ash

wood often used for tool handles, particularly in Europe

Beak

the cone-shaped end of the anvil

Bellows

air pump used for supplying air blast to the forge fire

Bend

angle or curve formed in metal

Blast

air supplied to the forge fire by bellows or by other means

Blast pipe

pipe conducting air blast to fire (also called tuyere)

Blow

to supply fire with air or to hit with a hammer

Bolster

steel plate with variously shaped holes to aid in the forging of shoulders

Bolt tongs

specially shaped tongs to hold bolts and rivets, etc.

Borax

chemical used as a fluxing agent when welding

Bosh

blacksmith's tank to supply water for cooling work or the blast pipe

Carburize

to heat iron in the presence of a carbon-rich material with air excluded to increase the surface carbon of the iron

Charcoal

black residue of wood after smothered burning, used as forge fuel

Cleft

cut or slot in metal often used as a weld preparation

Clinker

the residue of burnt fuel in the blacksmith's fire

Coal

fossil fuel used in blacksmith's fire

Coke

coal processed to remove gas and used as forge fuel

Dies

shaped blocks of metal between which metal is forged; also tools for cutting external screw threads

Dog

mechanical device for holding or gripping something

Drift

short metal rod used to size or shape punched holes

Eye-bolt

bolt with a looped head

Fan

mechanical device used to produce air blast .

Felloe

section of a wheel rim

Flatter

flat-faced swage

Flux

chemical agent used to dissolve oxides on metal to be welded

Forge (n.) blacksmith's workplace

Forge (v.)

to shape hot metal by hammering, by hand or machine

Former

device for bending sheet metal; also template around which an article is formed

Fuller

shaped bottom tool or shafted top tool used to produce grooves in metal

Glow

to give off light, i.e. red, yellow or white heat

Gouge

chisel-like tool with a curved cutting blade

Grind

to remove metal with an abrasive such as a grinding wheel

Haft

shaft or handle of tool

Hammer

shafted tool for striking metal and tools

Hand length

length of metal that can be handled without tongs

Harden

to heat-treat steel to achieve maximum hardness

Hardness

ability of one metal to scratch another

Hardy

cutting tool fitted to tool hole of anvil

Heat

to make hot or the degree of hotness, i.e. red, yellow or white heat

Helper

blacksmith's assistant

Incandescent

glowing with heat, giving off light

Iron

silvery grey metallic element; when mixed with carbon, it changes to steel

Mandrel

Shaft to which work is fixed while being turned

Metal

metallic elements: iron, copper, tin, etc. or mixtures of such

Mild

mild steel is that which is soft and malleable

Monkey tool

block with holes used in forging shoulders

Normalize

heat-treat to remove stresses and to bring the metal to its normal condition

Notch

prominent nick or groove in metal

Oxide

metal combined with oxygen; it forms rapidly at high temperatures

Peen

face of hammer other than flat, such as cross-peen

Pintle

Plastic

capable of being moulded or shaped

Pritchel

punch for opening holes in horseshoes; also describes anvil hole used for punching

Punch

shaped steel tool for making holes in metal

Reins

the handles of blacksmith's tongs

Rivet (n.)

metal pin passing through holes with a head formed on ends

Rivet (v.)

to fasten parts together with a rivet

Scale

oxide on surface of metal after heating

Scarf (n.)

metal notched as a preparation for welding

Scarf (v.)

to notch; to unite by a scarf joint

Set

tool to be hit with a hammer

Shaft

length of bar or a handle for a tool

Shears

lever-operated tool for cutting metal

Shoulder

angle forged in metal and resembling human shoulder

Snap

tool for forming rivet heads

Soften

to remove hardness by heat treatment „

Steel

combination of iron and carbon

Stocks

supporting framework

Strike

to hit with a hammer

Swage

shaped top or bottom tool, usually with half-round groove, to form metal

Swage block

heavy cast-iron block with shaped holes and grooves

Tang

projecting point by which a blade is held firm in handle

Temper

to reduce the degree of hardness by heat treatment

Tenon

end of bar drawn-down to a square or rectangular section

Tommy-bar

short bar for use with box-spanner

Tongs

pincers for holding metal during forging and other operations

Tuyere

pipe to conduct air blast to fire

Upset

to make metal shorter and thicker

Vernier

small movable graduated scale for indicating parts of divisions on a graduated instrument

Vice

device with two jaws that is fixed to a bench to hold workpieces

Weld

in blacksmithing, to join metals by heat and pressure or by fusion