5. Blacksmith

Hot-Forging Exercises

5d3.
Using low-carbon steel at least 1/4 inch thick, perform the following exercises:

These exercises are the forge equivalent of scales in music. They teach the basic moves that show up later in your finished projects. Do not treat them as throwaway practice. Each one teaches control over where the metal moves.

Requirement 5d3a

5d3a.

Draw out by forging a taper.

Drawing out means making the metal longer and narrower by concentrating blows where you want the material to spread. A taper teaches you how repeated hammering can move thickness into length.

Requirement 5d3b

5d3b.
Use the horn of the anvil by forging a U-shaped bend.

The horn supports curved shaping. A U-bend teaches you how to wrap hot metal around a rounded surface without collapsing the shape or kinking the stock.

Requirement 5d3c

5d3c.

Using low-carbon steel at least 1/4 inch thick, perform Form a decorative twist in a piece of square steel.

A twist teaches heat control and alignment. If the heated section is not even, the twist may distort or wander. If the bar is not held squarely, the pattern may look uneven.

Requirement 5d3d

5d3d.
Use the edge of the anvil to bend metal by forging an L-shaped bend.

The edge of the anvil gives you a more defined corner than the horn. That makes it useful when you want a sharper bend instead of a smooth curve.

A four-panel instructional layout showing drawing a taper, making a U-bend on the horn, twisting square steel, and making an L-bend on the anvil edge

When you can explain what each exercise teaches, you are ready to apply those moves in finished work.