The Old Village Blacksmith Shop

'Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands'.

If we could look back into the past fifty, sixty or seventy years ago, we would find that practically every country village and crossroad had its blacksmith shop. He was a familiar figure in his long split leather apron. His hands were usually black from handling iron rods and bars as well as his hammers of various sizes and shapes. His long iron tongs, handmade from his own forge, had many uses and were made in many shapes. No blacksmith shop was complete without them. Here was the 'flat bit', 'crooked bit', hammer, hoop and round and square tongs. All had their specific uses and he knew how to use them. The large lipped and curved ones were used for handling large sections, cut to the correct size, for the farmer's new wagon wheel.

There was the forge. The coals in it were heated by forced air from a large bellows that was worked by a long pole in an up and down motion. These bellows forced air up in a tube to the bottom of the grate; thus the coal and coke could be heated white-hot. In here the blacksmith inserted his iron bars and rods. He could tell when the iron was at the exact temperature at which the metals should be pounded on his anvil. The iron was held by his long tongs in one hand and the hammer in the other.

When the iron was shaped into the desired design, he would allow the rod to cool to a cherry red color, then with his tongs he inserted the hot metal into a half barrel in which water was always kept. This added the proper temper to the iron.

If he wanted to make a tire rim he would run his iron rod through a series of rollers which were turned by hand. The result was a perfect circle. The ends were then placed into the hot coals until each end was at the exact heat. Years of experience had taught him this little secret. The large circle was then lifted to the anvil with tongs and the ends were pounded thus making a seal or bond into a solid metal ring. He had no knowledge of our modern brazing or arc welding.

The kids in the neighborhood would visit the shop to watch this old man perform his wonders. The floor of the shop was black. There were no wooden floors. The ground was litterly covered with hundreds of ends of bolts and small iron bars ground into the soil. The sides of the building had hundreds of iron rods of all sizes. The large iron anvil, resting on a large wooden block, had its familiar ring. Near the anvil were countless tools, all stacked on end so that each special item was within reach when needed.

Found in a blacksmith's shop, besides his forge, hammers of many varieties and his anvils of different shapes, were his numerous chisels. One chisel that fitted into the anvil slot was called a 'hardy'. He had his favorite pincers, which he used in shoeing a horse. Other types were used for nails and bolts.

One type of anvil had small holes in each corner. These holes were rectangular and tapered for the purpose of making nails. Quite often the blacksmith would make hundreds of nails in his shop in the winter. This master artist of iron usually had his own design of nails. He had a way of hitting the hot pieces of iron in his anvil, making what he called the rose tip design on the head. Some were rather sharp on top while others had the top partly flattened. He could make a nail head with a clasp on each side. He made his own horseshoe nails, plancer nails, which were used in flooring. They were in the shape of a small 'T'. Others were brad shaped for rough boards. He could even make small nails for lath.

He made large and ornamental hinges for the cabin door and barn doors. When he had a supply of iron, he made sled runners, scythes, hoes, and numerous varieties of hooks so much in demand by the settlers. In fact, there was hardly any farm implement or utensil that a master blacksmith could not make. The small open shed to the rear was the place where the farmer brought his horse to be fitted for new shoes. The horseshoe sizes ran from number three to twelve. Usually on pegs fastened to the studding were hung dozens of handmade shoes with each size marked on the shoe.

On the side of the post was a ring through which the strap to the halter was inserted and then pulled tight to hold the horse in the shoeing process. If the horse was young or was prone to kicking, a stick with a strap attached, called a 'twitch' was twisted around the upper lip of the horse. Apparently the force of the twist had a soothing effect.

Every blacksmith had his long tool box. In it were his shoe nails, a special hammer for driving the nails into the hoof, his rasp, and a dozen other tools he found necessary to use. Oh yes, there on a nail hung a horse's tail. Its purpose was to keep the flies from the horse during the shoeing. Nearly every shop had one. This was made by removing the entire tail from horse that had died. The bone and flesh were removed and the skin and hair tanned. A long piece of wood was then shaped and a handle with a leather thong was inserted to hang it on when not in use. The other end was long and pointed to fit the end of the tail. The hair and leather were tacked on the wood. When the owner waved this instrument the horse now in reality had an extra tail to keep the pesky flies away. These items are now rare and actually museum pieces.

Then, too, on the wall was the blacksmith's drill press, which he used to drill holes in the tire iron as well as in farm equipment which farmers brought for repair.

On the long bench was his large vise. This tool had a long iron leg that ran into the ground. This gave added support to the bench and the vise when a large object had to be held securely. On this bench laid numerous odd shaped hammers, punches and other mysterious objects which had specific purposes around the shop. Is it any wonder such a place was a wonderful spot for a child to visit and watch an old man perform his magic tricks?

As a child this happened to me. This old man had white hair and a long beard. He raised his own tobacco in his small garden. When he was not working in his shop, he would sit on his small front porch and smoke his old homemade stone pipe with a long hollow stem. He would take out a small amount of tobacco, crunch the leaves in the palm of his hand and then fill the pipe. He then placed several pieces of punk (dried rotted apple wood) on the top of the tobacco. From his pocket he would pull out a piece of flint and his steel striker. This striker was an oval shape that fitted over his three fingers. Striking the flint, which he held above the pipe bowl, sparks would fall on the punk. A few moments of fast puffing would soon bring a glow to the pipe. He would sit back and enjoy his smoke. He never used a wooden match.

A few weeks before this old man died, he called me to him and presented the striker and flint to me. I still have them and no amount of money will buy them. They bring back memories.

The old blacksmith shop is gone from our scene. Machine shops today have all modern welding equipment, electric generators, pulleys, belts and other modern appliances such as the electric presses, an electric fan to force the air into coal and charcoal fire pit. Modern vises and pliers now adorn the work bench.

The old village blacksmith and his large and sinewy hands is gone.