Interesting facts about blacksmiths. Creative work "Profession Blacksmith poems by Nikolai Lisunts
One of ancient arts metal processing is forging. With its help, people created iron products that were necessary and made life easier in ancient times. Smelted devices and tools were especially valued because of their strength and durability. The steel samples of the 5th-6th century AD found in Central Russia speak of the excellent professionalism of blacksmiths.
The excavated artifacts are not only masterfully made, but also skillfully decorated. This is evidenced by the finds of the remains of kitchen utensils and marvelous jewelry.
The advent of iron
The first materials used in forging were natural gold and copper nuggets. Later, experimenting with alloys, blacksmiths smelted bronze. An important discovery and breakthrough in science and weaponry was the processing of meteoric iron. The alloy of iron and carbon gave great prospects for the development of many industries, from agriculture to metalworking.
Since ancient times, people have used steel objects both at home and in other areas of activity. Therefore, blacksmithing was so highly revered in society. No wonder folk wisdom says: "The blacksmith is the father of all affairs."
Smith Gods
From early pagan times, gods, demigods-blacksmiths or their descendants, associated with the elements of fire and the process of iron processing, dominated the hierarchy of the gods. We know such patrons of blacksmithing: Hephaestus - the Greek god, Thor - Scandinavian, Woland - European. In folk beliefs, there are blacksmiths - sorcerers, shamans and masters of the fire elements.
In Ancient Rus', we revere Svarog, the blacksmith god sent to Earth to arrange the human universe. Blacksmith assistants were priests of Svarog. They are endowed in the historical epic with the positive characteristics of heroes: unprecedented strength, excellent courage and incredible endurance. Forged items were highly valued, hence the great authority of the blacksmith in the community and the state of the early period.
The mystery of the transformation of swamp ore
The secrets of ore mining were classified and accessible to a narrow circle, therefore they were overgrown with speculation and rumors. The use of "meteorite iron" in the forges added to this mythicity. He was given a special unearthly origin. The blacksmiths-artisans themselves also caught up with the nebulae. Actions with "unearthly material" were carried out in strict secrecy and were available to units. Even fellow villagers were afraid to show interest in what was going on in the workshops because of fear and superstitious prejudice.
Forges were always erected on the outskirts of the settlement, due to fire safety, as well as not far from the reserves of ore and coal. They were built dug into the ground. There were no windows in the room. In such a structure it is convenient to maintain the desired temperature. The twilight helped the craftsman "by eye" determine the level of heating of the metal, which definitely affected the quality of the forged elements.
Temperature regime
It was required to heat up the iron to a temperature of 800-1200 C. Is it a little or a lot? Now such values surprise no one. But in the old days, to achieve such temperatures, it was necessary to spend more than one hour. Steel was obtained by very hard work. Blacksmith apprentices manually inflated leather furs in a melting furnace, and today a pyrometer or thermocouple is used for this purpose.
Myths about master blacksmiths
Looking at the pictures of the forges and the forge, we usually see the image of an inflated hero with a massive sledgehammer in his hands. The torso, bare to the waist, is covered with a leather apron, strong muscles are visible under it. Burning sparks fly out from under the hammer. The representative of the blacksmith profession looks so pretentious in the illustrations. In fact, a person who has been smithing for many years is often wiry and dried out by the daily heat.
The master supervised the forging process - he held the handbrake and gave commands to the apprentice when and where to hit the red-hot workpiece. The whole cycle should take place quickly and smoothly, until the iron has cooled down. Constant blows not only dried the hands of the hammerer, but also led to diseases and deformities of the joints. All this is the cost of working in a hot shop. The work of a blacksmith was harmful and hazardous to health. But despite this, getting into the apprenticeship of an artisan blacksmith was a huge success.
Evgeny Rodin
The art of metalworking by forging is an ancient, if not the oldest, applied art. allowed mankind to create tools and devices that surpass their counterparts from natural materials at hand in terms of strength, performance and service life. The first metals to experience cold forging were the native forms of gold and copper. In experiments with alloys, bronze was born. Subsequently, the processing of meteoric iron made a real revolution in the science and weapons business of those times. Steels (alloys of iron and carbon) opened up wide prospects in agriculture and many applied crafts. It is practically impossible to overestimate the importance of the appearance of iron among processed materials for the evolution and progress of mankind. Since ancient times, people have been using certain products or tools made of steel in all branches of activity. A folk saying says that the blacksmith is the father of all crafts.
Now a few facts about forging and forges, which, we think, may be interesting or useful to you.
- Blacksmiths are gods, demigods, descendants of gods. In all the early pagan cultures of mankind, the pantheon of the main (supreme) gods included a blacksmith god or a god, one way or another connected with the process of metal processing, the lord of the fire elements and the patron of crafts. Examples: Thor among the Scandinavians, Veland (Woland) among the Europeans, Hephaestus (Volcano) among the Greeks. The secrets of ore mining and metal refining were strictly preserved in the circle of the initiates. And as a result, they were overgrown with rumors and myths. Mysteriousness was added by the use in the first forges, in addition to bronze and copper, of meteoric iron, the unearthly origin of which even then did not cause much doubt. Forging was carried out in secrecy, work was carried out with "heavenly metal", only a few had skills, products were valued incredibly high - these factors are quite enough to raise a blacksmith to the highest level of hierarchy in a tribe or an early state. Further folk art: blacksmiths - shamans, sorcerers, master of the elements, priestesses of fire and so on. The very same forging has become akin to sacred rites. I think the first blacksmiths themselves were not averse to catching up with the fog. In Rus', the blacksmith god was Svarog - a direct descendant of the Family, sent to create the human world and arrange the world order. Blacksmiths were considered priests of Svarog. The undeniable benefit brought to the community has invariably made the forge a positive hero of the epic, myths, and fairy tales. The process of turning brown-red clay (marsh ore) into household items and marvelous decorations seemed like witchcraft to an ignorant public. Forges have always been built on an individual basis, firstly, due to the increased risk of fire during the smelting process, and secondly, for the convenience of supplying ore and coal. Even fellow villagers tried not to show much interest in production because of the many signs and superstitious fear. On the territory of central Russia, during excavations, artifacts of blacksmithing made of steel dating back to the 5th-6th centuries AD were found. The remains of the found weapons and household items testify to the highest skill of artistic forging of the receivers of the Svarog case of that time. Products were not only skillfully forged, but also elegantly decorated. Both poor bog ore and steel made from relatively pure iron were used, which indicates the presence of the science of ore exploration and a high level of smelting. There were also alloys from "heavenly iron". In place of Svarog, Christian saints, blacksmiths Kuzma and Demyan, took patronage over the blacksmith's handicraft.
Why is the forge without windows? The old forge was a log cabin often dug into the ground or having mounds on the walls. Windows were missing. Such a construction served for the convenience of maintaining the temperature regime, and the twilight made it easier for the blacksmith to determine the required temperature for forging by the colors of the metal heat and the nature of the spark produced during forging. The correct determination of the forging temperature directly affected the quality of the product. Errors in technology "by eye" were very expensive, because iron and steel were obtained by hard work and in limited quantities.
Steel forging temperature 850 – 1200°C. Is it a lot or not? Today, little surprises us, including these figures. But imagine a rural forge where several apprentices had to spend about an hour working with hand bellows to heat one part on charcoal. For comparison, natural lava flows down the slope of a volcano, having a temperature of about 1000°C. To determine the optimal forging temperatures, today a thermocouple or pyrometer is used, and before everything was based on experience.
Iron is a precious metal. That's right, many people called iron the most precious metal in terms of its usefulness to mankind. famous people, for example: educator V. Pevshin (XVIII century), chemist A. Korenev (XIX century), historian J. Gover (XIX century). It is impossible to argue with this, given the role of "simple" iron in the progress of civilization.
- Stereotypes and myths about blacksmiths and forging. In most of the pictures on the Internet dedicated to the topic of blacksmiths and forging, we find a touching image of a hefty young man, a kind of epic hero with a huge sledgehammer on the backswing. Often: a hammer in one hand and a gigantic sword in the other. The elastic muscles of a naked torso under a leather apron and sheaves of sparks continue the set of stereotypes. So, in these pictures, with special pathos, a hammer fighter is depicted. In fact, the blacksmith, who devoted his entire adult life to the craft, as a rule, was dry and wiry. This is due to the conditions of the hot shop. In fact, it was a "product" of hot smoking. The blacksmith directed the forging process with a small hammer - a handbrake (emphasis on the first syllable), giving instructions to the hammerer where, how and with what force to strike the workpiece. The assistant took out the workpiece from the forge and held it on the anvil during forging with the help of blacksmith tongs. Everything had to happen extremely smoothly and quickly, while the metal retains the forging temperature. Due to the lack of mechanization, one person could only work with small forgings. The hammerer in the forge represented brute force. In essence, he was employee, did not have time to master the heights of blacksmithing. Constant blows on a hard surface "dry" the hammerer's hands, destroyed and deformed the joints. It was very dangerous and unhealthy work. The pupils of the blacksmith, as a rule, were boys from among those working on the blacksmith's bellows and the bellows of the cheese melting furnace. They had the opportunity to observe the forging process at work, gaining knowledge from childhood. Becoming a blacksmith's apprentice was a great success, and the competition was like in modern universities.
Surnames formed from the word "blacksmith". The importance of blacksmiths in society and the prestige of the profession is indirectly evidenced by the surname "Kuznetsov" - one of the most common in Russia. This situation is observed all over the world: Kowalski, Kowalski, Kovacs, Schmidts, Smiths, Ferans, Erreyrs had distant ancestors of representatives of blacksmith dynasties.
– Metamorphoses of semantics Oddly enough, the word "deceit" has in its root basis "forging, forging". It meant "skill, ability, knowledge" and had a purely positive semantic color. Over time, the word and its derivatives changed their linguistic meaning to "two-faced, vile". Such cases are not isolated, an example of this is the meaning of the words "witch", "witch" (witness, sorceress), which also meant knowledgeable people, knowledgeable, and later turned into "sorcerers", sat on brooms and began to eat princes. Modern heirs of the fiery blacksmith craft, real masters can safely call themselves "insidious sorcerers" in memory of the ancient representatives of the noble profession.
Forging is one of the most ancient and widely used methods of metal processing. Back in the 4-3 millennium BC. first cold and then hot forging appeared in ancient Iran, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some household items, tools, agricultural tools, as well as armor, weapons and horse harnesses were made from iron by means of forging.
Forging is one of the most ancient and widely used methods of metal processing. Back in the 4-3 millennium BC. first cold and then hot forging appeared in ancient Iran, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some household items, tools, agricultural tools, as well as armor, weapons and horse harnesses were made from iron by means of forging. Artistic forging in Naberezhnye Chelny is done the same way.
Iron It can be processed worse than some other metals, so it must be heated to a high temperature (about 1000 ºС) in order to obtain the desired shape. It is hard to imagine, but lava starting to descend along the slopes of the volcano has approximately the same temperature.
Worldwide one of the most common surnames came from blacksmithing. The blacksmith was a very famous and necessary person in every village, so surnames on this basis appeared everywhere. Russian Kuznetsov, Kovalev, Kovalchuk, Ukrainian Koval, Kovalenko, Polish Kovalsky, German Schmidt, English Smith, Spanish Herrero, French Ferran are some of the most common surnames in different countries.
From the word "forge" there was a noun "deceit". The ancient Slavs considered the craft of a blacksmith incomprehensible and mysterious. The blacksmith or "insidious" forges forgings, fetters. The phrase "to build coves" was also interpreted as how to plot, and "to tie up" means to entangle. Initially, the word "cunning" meant wisdom, skill. Later, the meaning of the word changed, "treachery" began to denote malicious plans, intentions. At the same time, the expressions “forge your own happiness” or “forge your own destiny” have a positive meaning.
In the twentieth century with the development of heavy industry, the forging process became simpler, manual artistic forging was supplanted by rolling and stamping production, it was replaced by welded structures
In our age standard products and their mass production artistic forging is one of the last “living” crafts that have come down to us. Each creation of artistic forging is made by hand by a blacksmith, and the quality and impeccability of the final product largely depends on his skill and imagination.
Every year in Donetsk the International Festival of Blacksmithing. The best works of blacksmith art remain in the park as a gift to the city. More than 70 works have already been collected here, including a meadow of fairy-tale heroes, gazebos for lovers, an alley of zodiac signs. Looking at these creations, you understand that only a talented person can breathe life into metal. In Minsk, city parks and squares also have their own forged characters: a grandmother with seeds, a postman, a girl with an umbrella, etc.
With the coming into our life personal computers, the production of unique and complex forged products is not complete without computer three-dimensional simulation. This technology allows even before the start of production to select the necessary technologies, equipment and blanks for the future forged product.
In my interview, I asked questions to a specialist in the field of artistic forging - my dad Likhov Kharabiy Mugadovich. He tried his best to answer all my questions. Of course, one can talk endlessly about the work of the Blacksmith, but as part of the competition, I revealed the main facts about this interesting work.
Tell us about yourself: what is your job and how long have you been working in this profession?
I have been a blacksmith for almost 10 years. Previously, it was just my hobby, which gradually grew into my profession, which now suits me very much.
Why did you choose this profession?
From early childhood, I liked to work with various metal products and I did it best of all.
Are you satisfied with your choice?
My profession suits me in everything, I am completely satisfied with it, despite some difficulties in the process of manufacturing forged products.
Was it difficult to master your profession? What kind of education do you need to get for this?
Personally, my profession was easy for me, because it is very interesting to work with pleasure. I am a self-taught blacksmith, but I have two higher educations in civil engineering, which helps in my work.
Do you need any special qualities and skills for a person who has decided to become a specialist in this field?
Yes, they are needed, namely knowledge in the field of mathematics and geometry, artistic skills and the presence of design imagination. It seems to me that only with these qualities one can be a good blacksmith.
What difficulties did you face in your work?
There are various difficulties in my work, for example: a breakdown of tools or the purchase of low-quality material, but there is nothing insurmountable and all problems are eventually solved.
What is the most interesting thing in your work?
The most interesting and, in my opinion, satisfactory in my work is to see clients satisfied with my work.
Does your profession allow you to reveal your creative abilities, to express yourself?
Many creative abilities are revealed in my work, but the main quality is the ability in the field of artistic forging.
Did your childhood dream of a future profession come true?
Since childhood, I was interested in art forging, but I did not think that this hobby would become mine. future profession. Being already older, I thought to master this profession, the time has passed. And now, I have mastered this important activity.
How useful and important is your profession for our country?
My profession is important because products made by me are widely used in everyday life, industry, construction, agriculture, and so on.
Does your profession bring a good income?
My income fully depends on the number of my clients, at the moment I am quite able to provide for myself and my family. Not to say that the income is huge, but this money is more than enough for me.
What would you like to warn those who are going to get the same profession as yours.
My profession can be very traumatic, and it also requires care, patience and caution. In the manufacturing process, you can not be distracted, otherwise you can miss an important point.
What was your first piece of metal?
Even as a child, I had a passion for design, my very first product was a small metal truck that everyone liked. Even the neighbors came to our house to look at it.
Are your products in demand?
Of course, it does, because the products made by me are used by people in different industries. At various times, forging was in great demand, and our time is no exception. People are still very fond of forged products.
Have you ever thought about leaving your profession and learning something new?
Never before had such an idea crossed my mind. And it is not surprising, because my profession completely suits me. It is very important to do what you are interested in, then there will be no desire to quit one thing and do another.
Have you ever made a mistake in the sizes when making products?
Of course there were mistakes, but all these not pleasant things were corrected. With experience, of course, these mistakes are no longer allowed. The main thing in this business is attention and accuracy.
Would you like your children to take over this profession from you?
I think that every person has the right to choose a profession for himself, and not to do it because his parents want him to. It is important for me that my children find themselves in life and live happily.
My dad's work:
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The interview was conducted by Diana Likhova,
Grade 7, MBOU secondary school No. 6 named after. I.T. Sidorenko,
Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar Territory.
The surname Kuznetsov is one of the most common in our country. This suggests that the craft was very popular and honorable in Rus'. And there are millions of Kuznetsov namesakes in the world: Koval, Kovalevsky, Kovalchuk, Schmidt, Smith, Ferran, Kovacs and so on. It is noteworthy that among the British and Americans the most popular surname is "Smith", which is also translated as "blacksmith".
Among the rulers there were many who mastered, or tried to master, blacksmithing. For example, Peter the Great took an active part in the forging of ship anchors at the shipyard in Voronezh. King Charles IX of France personally forged locks and keys, and Louis XIV even had his own forge in the Palace of Versailles.
Since pagan times, among the revered gods were blacksmiths or their descendants associated with the element of fire and the process of iron processing. So Hephaestus is the Greek blacksmith god, Thor is Scandinavian, Woland is European. In folk beliefs, it is often believed that blacksmiths are known with evil spirits.
The word "deceit" comes from the verb "forge". What is the connection? The Slavs considered blacksmithing to be mysterious and incomprehensible. Therefore, blacksmiths were not only respected, but also feared.
Artists and sculptors most often depicted blacksmiths with huge muscles, easily wielding a huge hammer. But, so, most often, not blacksmiths looked like, but hammerers. Their duties differed: the blacksmith supervised the forging process, pointing out to the hammerer the place where the hammer should be struck with a light hammer. Therefore, we can say that the blacksmith performed the intellectual part of the work, and the hammerer did the physical part.
The fun of Irish blacksmiths (or hammerers) eventually turned into a serious sport discipline, which is even included in the program of the Olympic Games. In their spare time, they organized competitions to see who could throw the blacksmith's hammer the farthest. Competitions have become so popular that they are now one of the types of athletics. True, the throwing hammer has undergone major changes, and now it does not resemble a hammer for forging metal.
In Rus' there was a legend about a blacksmith who had excellent health. Every morning he went to the forge, which was located a few miles from the house. In order not to waste time, the blacksmith placed the hut next to the forge. And soon he fell seriously ill. It turns out that daily walks helped to remove harmful substances from the lungs that the blacksmith inhaled during work.
Forges were built on the outskirts of a village or village, there must have been a reservoir nearby. This was due to the fact that blacksmithing was flammable. One spark is enough for the forge to ignite, and after it the neighboring buildings.
The Demidov dynasty of industrialists originates from the Tula blacksmith-gunsmith Nikita Demidov, who made weapons for the amusing troops of young Peter. Demidov's efforts did not disappear, thanks to the location of the king, he became one of the richest people in Russia. It is interesting that the blacksmith's hammer even flaunted on the Demidov family coat of arms.
Russian blacksmiths even had their heavenly patrons - Saints Kosmas and Demyan, whose memorial day the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on November 14. On this day, blacksmiths do not start work, I consider this a great sin. According to folk beliefs, Kosma and Demyan were also blacksmiths, forged plows and distributed them to people so that they would cultivate the land.
There were no windows in the old forges. This was explained by the fact that when forging a product, it is necessary to strictly maintain the temperature regime. And in ancient times, this could only be determined by eye - by the color of the metal. And in the dark forge it was easier to do.
