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Blacksmithing refers to the art or process of shaping and forging metal with the use of heat and tools.

From the time that civilizations discovered that metal could be forged, at least one blacksmith was present in nearly every town across the world. This metal shaping technique made it much easier to forge better weapons, tools, and building materials.

With the mention of the word “blacksmith”, the vast majority of people often conjure up images of men in the old West pounding out horseshoes. Blacksmiths not only made iron horseshoes, but they also forged and repaired weapons, tools, nails, screws, fences, and a variety of other items as well.

The Industrial Revolution, however, nearly put an end to the blacksmithing trade. New machines, like screw-cutting lathes, could produce metal goods much faster and cheaper than blacksmiths ever could. There were some jobs that machines couldn’t do, however, such as shoe horses, and although the number of blacksmiths in the word declined, they have not altogether disappeared.

Today, blacksmithing is more of an art than a necessity, and the majority of modern blacksmiths now consider themselves to be artisans.