For more than three millennia, blacksmiths were virtually indispensable.

As masters of fire, iron and steel, blacksmiths were responsible for crafting and repairing everyday items essential for life in ancient times through the Great Depression. These items included hand tools; bolts, nails and screws; household items such as cutlery, furniture, lighting fixtures and tableware; and agricultural tools such as axes, hoes and plows.

But, as is the case with many historical occupations, man was replaced by machine during the Industrial Revolution. With factories pumping out mass-produced iron- and steel-based products midway through the 18th century, the need for blacksmiths virtually disappeared.

Modern metalworking

Today, blacksmiths in Virginia and across the U.S. primarily are hobbyists.

Where the trade used to require blacksmiths to make a wide variety of goods, most full-time professionals now specialize in creating items within a single category. Farriers are the most common example of a modern specialist, using blacksmithing techniques to make horseshoes.

Other professional blacksmiths, explained Jay Hatfield and Kevin Clark, president and vice president of the Old Dominion Blacksmithing Association, specialize in creating decorative and ornamental pieces or repairing them. Items in this category often include home decor and kitchenware, wares for Renaissance fairs and Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactments, and custom fencing and gates.

The number of professional smiths in Virginia is slight, and that is reflected in the ODBSA’s membership. Just 2% of the association’s members are professionals, and the remainder are hobbyists, including Hatfield and Clark.

Blacksmithing can be learned at trade schools, but associations and guilds also play a critical role in keeping the craft and its traditions alive.

The ODBSA emphasizes education, and members learn how to smith through monthly demonstrations and hands-on training events. The association also fosters collaboration, with members collectively sharing their knowledge to help others hone their skills.

Hatfield explained that blacksmithing skills combined with a do-it-yourself attitude are extremely valuable, especially in rural communities such as his own in Pittsylvania County.

He noted that as agricultural equipment and implements get older, parts become harder to find. Often blacksmiths are the only individuals skilled enough to repair the parts or make new ones.

“I think blacksmiths will always have a place in the future,” Hatfield added.

Forming a forge

With origins dating back to roughly 1500 B.C., the blacksmithing process can be made as easy as a smith wants it to be.

“There are many smiths around the world whose forges consist of a hole in the ground that contains their charcoal, and a tube that goes under the fire or to the side … and two rocks,” Clark said. “The rocks just have to be harder than the metal.”

To create a functional forge, blacksmiths simply need a fuel container and a way to cycle air into the bottom or sides of the container to produce a hotter flame. Smiths also need something to hammer on, something to hammer with and an instrument to hold hot metals.

Forges usually utilize coal, charcoal or propane, and since each produces carbon monoxide, forges should be set up in a well-ventilated area.

Beginner forge kits typically start around $100, while more sophisticated configurations can cost thousands.