SMITHY AND FORGING
Introduction
A smithy’s work involves heating of a metal stock to a desired temperature,
enable it to obtain sufficient plasticity, followed by the operations like hammering,
bending, pressing etc., to give it the desired shape. This is known as forging.
The above operations can either be carried out by hand hammering, by power
hammers, or by forging machines.
Hand forging is the term used for the process when it is done by hand tools.
Similarly, forging done with the help of power hammers is known as power
forging, when carried out by means of drop hammers as drop forging, and when
by forging machines as machine forging.
Applying pressure for shaping the metal, the primary requirement always is to
heat the metal to a definite temperature to bring in into the plastic state.
This may be done either in an open hearth, known as smith’s forge, or in closed
furnace. Small jobs are normally heated in the Smith’s forge and larger jobs in
closed furnaces.
The Hand forging process is employed for relatively small components, machine
forging for medium sized and large articles requiring very heavy blows and drop
forging for mass production of identical parts.
Principal Tools and Other Equipments Used in Hand Forging
Smith’s forge or hearth
It has a robust cast iron or steel structure consisting of 4 leg supports, an iron
bottom known as hearth, a hood at the top and tuyere opening into the hearth
either from the rear or from the bottom.
The hearth carries the coal and provided with fire bricks lining to withstand the
extensive heat produced due to the combustion of coal. In the absence of this
lining the heat produced, as started above, will directly effect the metal structure
of the hearth, so that the body, particularly the bottom and the surrounding walls,
may even melt.
With the result, the entire structure will collapse and the hearth will no more be
useful.
Air, under pressure is supplied by the blower, suitably placed somewhere near
the forge, through the tuyere opening in the hearth.
This blower can either be hand operated or power driven. The latter is preferable,
but in the absence of availability of power supply choice of the former has no
alternative.
If hand blowers are to be used, they are usually mounted at the rear of the forge
itself. In case the power driven units are to be employed the blower is suitably
placed in one corner of the shop and all the forges are connected with it by
means of a well-laid pipe running underground all around the hearths.
At suitable points auxiliary pipes are used to connect the tuyere with the main
pipe line.
A valve is incorporated in the auxiliary pipe, just before the place where it is
connected with the tuyere, to control the supply of air to the furnace.
The chimney provided at the top enables as easy escape of smoke and gases
produced due to the burning of coal.
A water tank is provided, in front of the forge, which carries water for the purpose
of quenching.
These hearths can also be made to have masonry construction provided with all
the attachments like chimney, tuyere, blower, water tank, etc.
Anvil
To carry out the forging operations successfully, a proper supporting device is
needed which should be capable of withstanding heavy blows rendered to the
job.
An anvil stands as the most appropriate choice for this purpose.
Its body is generally made of cast steel, wrought iron or mild steel provided with a
hardened top, about 20 to 25 mm thick.
This hardened plate is welded to the body on the top.
The horn or beak is used in bending the metal or forming curved shapes. The flat
step provided, between the top and the horn, is used to support jobs during
cutting and is known as chipping block.
The flat projecting piece at the back of the anvil is known as tail.
It carries a square hole to accommodate the square shank of the bottom part of
various hand tools like swages, fuller. It is called a hardie hole.
The circular hole provided near the hardie hole is known as pritchel hole.
The commonly used size of an anvil weighs approximately 50-150 kg although it
is manufactured in various sizes.
The top face of the anvil should stand at about 0.75 m from the floor.
Anvil
Hammer
The classification of hammers is largely according to the size and weight of the
hammers used in forging.
A smith’s hand hammer is a small sized hammer used by the smith himself and
the sledge hammer is comparatively larger in size, heavier in weight and is used
by the smith’s helper, known as hammer man.
The smith’s hand hammer is normally a small sized ball peen hammer.
Smithy hammers
All the hammers are mainly divided into 4 parts; namely peen, eye, cheeks and face.
The peen is the top part made slightly tapered from the cheeks and rounded at the top.
It gets a particular form known a ball peen hammer.
The face is hardened and polished well and is given slight rounding along the circular
edges so that the metal surface is not spoiled by the sharp edges when the former is
struck by the hammer.
The eye is normally made oval or elliptical in shape and accommodates the handle or
shaft. For small sized hammers these handles are made of shisham wood or bamboo,
but in case of sledge hammers the handles made of solid bamboos. A steel wedge is
always forced into the handle after it is fitted into the hammer so as to prevent the
slipping of the hammer off the handle during striking.
A smith’s hammer is usually a ball peen hammer or a straight peen sledge type hammer
of relatively small size. Its weight normally varies between 1.0 kg and1.8 kg. A ball peen
hammer is used for all general work and its peen is employed when light blows at a
faster speed are needed, such as in fullering a rivet head in a countersunk hole.
Sledge hammers are comparatively 3to 4 times heavier than the hand hammers. They
are available in varying sizes and weights from 3 kg to 8 kg. They are employed when
heavy blows are needed in forging and other operations done on heavy jobs.
Sledge hammer
Swage block
It is usually a block of cast steel or cast iron carrying a number of slots of different
shapes and sizes along its four side faces and through holes from its top face to bottom
face.
This is used as a support in punching holes and forming different shapes. The job to be
given a desired shape is kept on a similar shaped slot, which acts as a bottom swage,
and then the top swage is applied on the other side of the job.
The holes in the top and bottom face are used in punching. Their use prevents the
punch from spoiling by striking against a hard surface after the hole has been punched.
Swage block
Tongs
They are used to hold the jobs in position and turning over during forging
operation. They are made of mild steel.
Tongs are usually made in two pieces, riveted together to form a hinge. Smaller
length on one side of the hinge carries the holding jaws, which are made in
different shapes and sizes to suit the corresponding shapes and sizes of the
jobs, and the longer portions on the other side of the hinge form the arms which
are held in hand by the smith.
Overall sizes of the tongs vary according to the size and shape of the job to be held, but
the commonly used lengths of the tongs in hand forging vary from 400 mm to 600 mm
with the jaws’ opening ranging from 6mm to 55 mm.
Fig. Tongs
Tongs are usually named after the inside shapes of the jaws.
Flat tongs are used for gripping thin section and small flat pieces.
Round hollow tongs, with curved surface inside, are used for holding round work.
Hollow tongs with square jaws are used to hold square or hexagonal work. Pick
up tongs have their jaws so shaped that even small sections can be easily picked
up. They are not used for holding the work.
Chisels
Chisels are used to cut metals in hot or cold state.
Those which are used for cutting the metal in hot state are termed as hot chisels
and the others used for cutting in cold state are known as cold chisels.
The main difference between these chisels is in the included angle at the cutting
edge.
A cold chisel carries an included angle of 600 at the cutting edge and the latter is
well hardened and tempered. It is made of high carbon steel.
A hot chisel can be made of medium carbon steel as there is no need of
hardening. It is used to cut the metal in plastic state. The included angle of its
cutting edge is 300.
Punches
Punches are tapered tools made in various shapes and sizes. They are used for
producing holes in red hot jobs. A larger tapered punch is called a drift.
The job is placed on the anvil and the punch is hammered through it up to about half its
depth. In is then turned over and the punch made to pass through it.Completion of this
operation in two stages prevents the job from splitting and full to bursting.
Flatters
These are also known as smoothers.They are made of high carbon steel and consist of
a square body, fitted with a handle, and a flat square bottom. They are used for leveling
and finishing a flat surface after drawing out or any other forging operation.
Flatter
Set hammer
It is made of tool steel and hardened. It is not used for striking purpose. Its construction
is also similar to that of a flatter but is smaller in size and it does not carry an enlarged
bottom face. It is used for finishing corners, formed by two adjacent surfaces at right
angles. The job is supported on the anvil and the tool is hammered from the top.
4.2.11 Fullers
These tools are made of high carbon steel in different sizes to suit the various types of
jobs. They are usually used in pairs, consisting of a top and a bottom filler. Their
working edges are normally rounded. They, are employed for making necks by reducing
the cross-section of a job and also in drawing out.
Fullers Swages
Swages
Like fullers, they are also made of high carbon steel in two parts called the top
and bottom swages.
Their working faces carry circular grooves to suit the size of the work. They are
available in various sizes.
The top swage carries is a handle and the bottom swage a square shank to fit
the hardie hole of the anvil during the operation.
They are used for increasing the length of a circularrod or for finishing the circular
surface of a job after forging.
