Editing Blacksmith (section)

=== Medieval period ===
[[File:Blacksmithmonk.jpg|thumb|A blacksmith [[monk]], from a medieval [[French language|French]] manuscript]]
[[File:Lancelot - Une forge de tzigane.png|thumb|A [[Romani people|Roma]] smith and his forge in [[Wallachia]], by {{ill|Dieudonné Lancelot|fr}}, 1860]]
In the medieval period, blacksmithing was considered part of the set of ''[[mechanic arts|seven mechanical arts]]''.

Prior to the [[Industrial Revolution]], a "village [[Forge|smithy]]" was a staple of every town. Factories and mass-production reduced the demand for blacksmith-made tools and hardware.

Blacksmiths typically worked in small shops, often in the center of a village or town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tools of the Trade: A History of Blacksmithing |url=https://dragonfiretools.com/tools-of-the-trade-a-history-of-blacksmithing/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Workbenches, Tool Chests, Tool Benches |language=en-US}}</ref> Their shops were typically equipped with a forge, an anvil, and a variety of other tools. The work of a medieval blacksmith was physically demanding and often dangerous. Blacksmiths had to be able to lift and move heavy pieces of metal, and they had to be careful not to burn themselves on the hot forge.

Despite the challenges, blacksmithing was a respected trade in medieval society. Blacksmiths were considered to be skilled artisans, and their work was essential to the functioning of medieval society.

==== Women ====
Whilst the majority of blacksmiths named in Britain in the medieval period were men, some women also worked as smiths.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Women who Forged Medieval England {{!}} History Today |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/women-who-forged-medieval-england |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=www.historytoday.com}}</ref> For example, in 1346 [[Katherine Le Fevre]] was appointed by Edward III to ‘keep up the king’s forge within the [[Tower of London|Tower]] and carry on [its] work … receiving the wages pertaining to the office’.<ref name=":0" /> Another example is of [[Alice la Haubergere]] (Mail-maker) who owned an armour shop and worked as an armourer in [[Cheapside]].<ref name=":0" /> In York in 1403 [[Agnes Hecche]] was left her father's mail-making equipment in his will, and took over the family business with her brother.<ref name=":0" /> Others included the [[Bellfounding|bell founder]] [[Johanna Hill and Johanna Sturdy|Johanna Hill]],  the cutler [[Agnes Cotiller]] and Eustachia l’Armurer.<ref name=":0" />

==== Medieval blacksmithing techniques ====
Medieval blacksmiths used a variety of techniques to create metal objects. One of the most common techniques was forging. Forging is the process of heating metal until it is soft enough to be shaped with a hammer and anvil.<ref>{{Cite web |last=yiselaat |date=2020-01-21 |title=Medieval Occupations and Jobs: Blacksmith. History of Blacksmiths |url=https://medievalbritain.com/type/medieval-life/occupations/medieval-blacksmith/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Medieval Britain |language=en-US}}</ref>

Another common technique was welding. Welding is the process of joining two pieces of metal together by heating them until they melt and then hammering them together.

Blacksmiths also used a variety of other techniques, such as casting, cutting, and filing.

The original fuel for forge fires was [[charcoal]]. [[Coal]] did not begin to replace charcoal until the forests of first Britain (during the AD 17th century), and then the eastern United States of America (during the 19th century) were largely depleted. Coal ''can be'' an inferior fuel for blacksmithing, because much of the world's coal is contaminated with [[sulfur]]. Sulfur contamination of iron and steel make them "red short", so that at red heat they become "crumbly" instead of "plastic". Coal sold and purchased for blacksmithing should be largely free of sulfur.

European blacksmiths before and through the medieval era spent a great deal of time heating and hammering iron before forging it into finished articles. Although they were unaware of the chemical basis, they were aware that the quality of the iron was thus improved. From a scientific point of view, the reducing atmosphere of the forge was both removing [[oxygen]] (rust), and soaking more [[carbon]] into the iron, thereby developing increasingly higher grades of steel as the process was continued.