Visit traditional blacksmithing

In 1200 BC, a meteorite filled with iron ore was discovered in Mesopotamia. Out of curiosity, the people who discovered it put the pieces into a pottery kiln, transforming them into iron, a malleable material that humans were seeing for the first time.

The first objects to be forged were of a religious nature, as the material had come from the heavens and seemed to be inexhaustible. Later, as iron ore was discovered in the earth, blacksmiths began to forge everyday objects. From more efficient farming tools to outls for building houses from solid materials, not to mention weapons for defending territory and hunting, forged objects and tools have driven sedentary societies forward. 

Until industrialization, the blacksmith was at the heart of communities, making objects for all the trades that contributed to the lives of citizens. With the advent of factories and machines, the blacksmith's trade was deemed obsolete, leading to its virtual disappearance.

Today, blacksmithing is still practiced throughout the world and is enjoying a renaissance. In contrast to traditional blacksmithing, forging involves the working of iron and steel, both hot and cold, with the possibility of using industrial machines and tools. While forging is increasingly popular and practiced today, traditional blacksmithing is the ironworking method that is closest to the ancestral method, and the most artisanal. 

traditional blacksmithing is characterized by the use of pre-industrial tools. Anvil, hammer and tongs are the main tools of the blacksmith, who shapes his pieces entirely by hand. If he needs to cut a part, he heats it, positions it on an edge, and hammers until he can cut it. If he wants to drill a part, he won't use a drill, but tools like a Language cat, forged by the blacksmith himself. Not only does he have to forge all his objects and tools by hand, he also forges his own! 

What's more, traditional blacksmithing respects both materials and the environment. For example, the use of old iron is prioritized wherever possible, given the limited availability of this material. Scrap iron is recycled and reused, recycled wood can be used for tool handles, the amount of charcoal used for forging is limited, and the number of times an iron object is heated is kept to a minimum in order to lose as little material as possible. Traditional blacksmiths plan their volume of iron or steel in advance, with the aim of wasting as little metal as possible in the creation of the object. Creating tools by hand also reduces pollution, enabling the creation of personalized, authentic and modifiable objects, without the use of more polluting industrial tools. 

traditional blacksmithing, through its link with the forge practiced for millennia and its authenticity, is an extremely rich intangible heritage. That's why it has been recognized as a Montreal heritage site to be preserved in 2019!