History of Metal Forging

Series Summary

Metal forging is a centuries old metal working technique that is still employed today. In fact metal smiths have been hot forging metal for thousands of years. The process of metal forging yields stronger products than does metal casting due to the constant beating of the metal. Though metal forging is a difficult process, it is not impossible to learn. If you would like to learn how to forge metal and learn more about metal forging, you can learn for free from one of our experts.

In this free metal working how-to video series, learn how to forge metal from metal working expert and fabrication specialist Terry Leafty. Terry will give you the history of metal forging and hot metal forging tips such as how a homemade metal forge is constructed, and what metal forging safety gear you need for working with hot metal. He will demonstrate essential metal forging techniques such as how to use an anvil to forge metal, how to fire up a metal forge, how to texture metal using a metal forge and throttle hammer. Additionally Terry will show you how to create an artistic metal vine with metal leaves and fake rivets.

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, I'm Terry and I'm here today to show you the workings of a forge. The purpose of a forge was invented so that we could heat iron and ores so that we could form metal, make tools, weapons, the original reason was for weapons, it was used to make swords since the beginning of time. Swords and knives, then they started using it to make hinges and you know, things for household, things for tools, rings around wagon wheels, nails, you name it, so the forge is as old as, it's been out there as long as we have known about iron ore, and metals and working with metals. The original forge was just, was just built with rocks and coal and they used to blow on it and then they would tan leather and they would build, they would build a way to pump air into the forge to keep the coals hot. This was the modern day forge although it is home built, they just took like an eighteen inch piece of pipe, cut it about three to four feet long. We have a large opening at the front that is surrounded by ceramic brick and a small opening at the back and it is completely closed off. We have a door that we can open where we can slide our rods or our metals all the way through so that we can heat the whole length of. This one, the heat is generated by propane, it runs on a propane tank and has a valve for on and off and it has two burning orifices and it will reach about three thousand, to thirty-five hundred degrees which is what we need to get the metal red hot."