The traditional blacksmithing

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

The first objects that were forged were of a religious nature, as the material had come from the sky and seemed to dry up. It was later, when iron ore was discovered in the earth, that blacksmiths began to forge everyday objects. From better farming tools to outls to build houses out of solid materials, from weapons to defend a territory and hunting, forged objects and tools advanced sedentary societies. 

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 appearance of factories and machines, the blacksmith's trade was considered obsolete, leading to its virtual disappearance.

Today, blacksmithing is still practised throughout the world and is experiencing a revival. Blacksmithing is the working of iron and steel, both hot and cold, with the possibility of using industrial machines and tools, unlike traditional blacksmithing. Although today forging is increasingly practiced and popularised, traditional blacksmithing is the method of working iron that is closest to the ancestral method, and the most artisanal. 

The traditional blacksmithing is characterised by the use of pre-industrial tools. The anvil, hammer and tongs are the main tools of the smith, who forms his pieces entirely by hand. If he needs to cut a piece, he will heat it, position it on a slice, and hammer it until he can cut it. If he wants to drill a piece, he will not 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 tools! 

In addition, traditional blacksmithing respects materials and the environment. For example, the use of old iron is prioritised as much as possible, considering the limited access to 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 smiths plan their volume of iron or steel in advance, with the aim of wasting as little metal as possible when creating the object. Creating tools by hand also reduces pollution, allowing the creation of customised, authentic and modifiable objects without the use of more polluting industrial tools. 

The traditional blacksmithing, through its link with the forge practiced for thousands of years and its authenticity, is an extremely rich intangible heritage. This is why it has been recognized as a Montreal heritage to preserve in 2019!