Blacksmithing in the 19th Century

Date: 1850 to 1900
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Blacksmiths

Contents 1 Goal of this page 2 Web links 3 Narrative History 4 Sources

Goal of this page

My ancestors were blacksmiths in Nes, Akershus, Norway (rural farmland northeast of Oslo). I am hoping to have the community help me get a sense of what life (work) was like for a blacksmith in the second half of the 19th century. Please add descriptions, techniques, wealth-level, tools, etc with whatever sources can help us explore the career. Thank you!

Web links

I did some rudimentary investigating and found the following sources. But I am not a historian or a blacksmith. I invite you to revise, edit, supplement, and source additional or better information. Although I am providing links, you might add narrative (and list yourself as author). I would prefer this page not be long-quotes from others, please.

• blacksmithing in 19^th century Alabama^[1]
• a brief history by a blacksmith^[2]
• Three from the same website^[3]:
  • a good description of life as a blacksmith in the 1800s,
  • reference to mythical gods of the blacksmith
    • feel free to include information about Celtic Goibhniu or Anglo-Saxon Wayland the Smith
  • Apparently Viking blacksmiths added bones of their ancestors when forging their knives in an effort to strengthen the knives; the result was that the added carbon turned the iron to steel.
• Medieval (1400-1800) blacksmith techniques. They reference ^[4]

Narrative History

(Please add an original paragraph, with sources, and list yourself as author.)

Sources

1. ↑ Baldwin County, Alabama; "19TH CENTURY BLACKSMITHING", Baldwin County History, Jun 24, 2023. https://baldwincountyal.gov/departments/archives-history/historic-bicentennial-park/exhibits/19th-century-blacksmithing
2. ↑ Hoffman, James; "The Blacksmith, A Brief History", Hoffman's Forge, 24 Jun, 2023, http://workingtheflame.com/blacksmith-life-1800s/
3. ↑ G., Chris "Working the Flame: ignite your passion", Jun 24, 2023 https://workingtheflame.com/about/
4. ↑ Henry J. Kauffman, Metalworking Trades in Early America, 1995.

I look forward to seeing what the community thinks is useful to add to this page.