Two parts reliant on each other, the forge and bellows were the fire-breathing heart of Headlie Taylor’s (1883-1957) blacksmith workshop. To heat metal to the point it became malleable enough to shape, Taylor would have heated this forge to temperatures greater than 1100°C with the help of the bellows. With each pump of the bellows, […]
One step removed from the sweltering heat of the forge, smoke billows from a chimney between towering trees. Small figures are at work around the refinery – surveying, shoving, and squatting. Steep slopes of earth disappear into the distance of a spotless sky. This sterling silver goblet was made by William Edwards (1819-1899) and retailed […]
Along with the forge, the anvil was the most important tool in the blacksmith’s kit. Using the anvil, hot metal was ‘worked’. It was repeatedly hammered and shaped around its angled and conical edges. Imagine the loud clanging blow of a hammer forming the metal, while the whoosh of bellows pumped air into the forge […]
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