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Techniques |
The age old techniques of the blacksmith still have a place in our hi-tec world. Traditional techniques are naturally economical with material and impart a grace and texture to a piece that can never be achieved with modern fabrication methods. |
Drawing a Taper: To make a section thinner, or bring the end of a bar to a point, the blacksmith does not remove material, but redistributes it, and moulds it into shape with the hammer. |
Upsetting: When we need to make the end of a bar bigger - for a rivet head or a heel tenon joint for example, we can force the steel back on itself to create a bulge. With skill one can also upset a section in the middle of a bar. |
Rivetting: One of several vital joining methods before electric welding came along. Sometimes the rivet head is formed from the end of one of the pieces to be joined, but more often a rivet passes through two or more pieces and is peined over to secure them. |