As with the previous volume, Basic blacksmithing, all practice jobs described here have been well tried and tested. Again, this second volume is. intended to help instructors who are training blacksmiths for work in rural areas in developing countries. The contents are not intended to be lesson plans, which should be the responsibility of the instructors themselves. I have assumed, for the purposes of this book, that the more modern welding processes (oxyacetylene and arc) are not available. If the techniques in Basic blacksmithing have been mastered, the work explained here should not present major difficulties.
As with Basic blacksmithing, all sizes for materials are for guidance only and will usually depend upon the materials available. Tools should always be of a size found most useful to the blacksmith and will be influenced by the kind of work undertaken. Good hammers, effective tongs and good sets are essential to efficient work. The need for fullers, swages, set hammers and flatters will again depend upon the jobs undertaken and the standard of finish required.
Blacksmithing should not be considered as an end in itself but rather as a starting-point for the repair and maintenance of agricultural tools and equipment and possibly for small-scale manufacturing. Where power supplies are reliable, more modem techniques should be introduced when possible. Blacksmithing is a traditional and relatively low-cost method of dealing with the problems of farm work, particularly in areas where machine shops are rare.
J.B. Stokes