1. Vice
   Anvil
2. Forge
   Clamp

Blacksmiths have used anvils since the Bronze Age to hammer and bend iron and steel into its desired form. Constructed from a sturdy slab of metal in a range of sizes, anvils serve as an ideal workbench for smiths. Cover your ears around blacksmiths and their anvils, though -- hammering on one can be extremely loud!

1. Farrier
   Fuller
2. Arrowsmith
   Forger

A farrier is a type of blacksmith who creates shoes for horses from metal. Traditionally, farriers utilized only iron, but today, they often work with steel and aluminum, too. Before attaching the horseshoes with small nails, the farrier must first trim and shape the hoof.

1. Blacksmiths colored the metal they forged with charcoal prior to forging, giving it a dark appearance.
   Blacksmiths used to wear black cloaks when working to prevent their clothes from getting dirty.
2. When heated at high temperatures, iron, which is one of the most popular metals used by blacksmiths, turns black.
   Metals that blacksmiths use, like steel and iron, are black in appearance prior to heating.

Blacksmiths got their name from the black color that iron becomes when it's heated to extremely high temperatures. Before forging, the metal is a light, silvery color.

1. Hammering
   Upsetting
2. Forging
   Welding

Upsetting refers to the blacksmithing process of thickening parts of the metal. For instance, the blacksmith might heat one end of an iron rod and hammer it to make it wider.

1. Drawing
   Upsetting
2. Punching
   Forging

Drawing refers to the process blacksmiths use to lengthen metal. For instance, a blacksmith might heat and flatten a square chunk of metal with a hammer, thereby lengthening it while still maintaining its width.

1. Air
   Earth
2. All of them
   Fire

Traditional blacksmithing uses all four elements: Earth, air, water and fire. The blacksmith uses iron from the earth, hot air to heat the coals, water to cool the metal when necessary, and fire, to shape it.

1. Punch
   Anvil
2. Forge
   Coal

A blacksmith uses the forge to forge metals. After heating a piece of metal in the forge, a blacksmith can use hammers, chisels and other tools to shape it. While traditionally heated by coal, today, forges may also be heated by natural gas, propane, oil or charcoal.

1. 3,000 F
   1,500 F
2. 750 F
   500 F

Coal forges can reach temperatures up to 3,000 F, which renders metals like iron ideal for forging. The melting point of iron is about 2,800 F.

1. Carbon and ammonium chloride
   Charcoal
2. Borax (sodium borate) and ammonium chloride
   Sodium chloride

Blacksmiths often mix borax and ammonium chloride to create a "flux," which is a substance that helps prevent metals like iron and steel from oxidation. The white, powdery substance helps prevent the metal from rusting when heated.

1. Smiths
   Forgers
2. Strikers
   Drawers

Blacksmiths often hire apprentices called strikers to support their workload. In many cases, the striker must swing a heavy sledgehammer to help execute major forging tasks, which is where the name originates from.

1. Mandrel
   Bellows
2. Drifts
   Flatter

A bellows is a device used by blacksmiths to send air into the forge, which helps raise the temperature of the fire. When you squeeze together the device, which contains an air bag, it blows air into the flames.

1. 60 seconds
   A few seconds
2. 5 minutes
   Half-an-hour

Heated iron cools down within a few seconds, so blacksmiths must act extremely quickly to forge the metal. After about three seconds, the blacksmith must plunge the iron into the forge again to re-heat it before working on it further.

1. Drawing
   Bending
2. Squeezing
   Upsetting

Though blacksmiths draw, bend and upset, they do not squeeze the metal. Drawing refers to lengthening the metal, bending refers to curving it and upsetting refers to making it wider.

1. An electric chainsaw
   A bike
2. An ax
   A gun

Blacksmiths often create manual tools like axes, hoes, shovels, chisels and hammers. Conveniently, they can then use some of these tools in their practice.

1. Punching
   Holing
2. Drawing
   Inserting

Blacksmiths use chisels or punches to create holes and patterns in metal, which is called punching. For instance, a blacksmith might need to punch holes in a piece of wall decor or a door hinge.

1. Bronze Age
   The Iron Age
2. Middle Ages
   21st Century

During the Middle Ages, people referred to the blacksmithing craft as one of the seven mechanical arts, alongside tailoring, agriculture, masonry, warfare/hunting, trade and cooking. High-class society typically did not partake in these practices.

1. During the American Revolution
   During the Industrial Revolution
2. After World War II
   After the American Civil War

The Industrial Revolution, which took place from about 1760 to 1840, completely changed the nature of manufacturing across the world. As societies shifted from hand-production to machine-made technology, blacksmiths were increasingly replaced by machines.

1. Durable manufacturing
   Technological
2. Automotive
   Architectural

While blacksmithing is not very popular for use in the creation of tools, technological parts or automotive parts today, there is still a demand for blacksmiths in the architectural industry. Blacksmiths often create fences, railings and other ironwork; they are also involved in the conservation and restoration or historic buildings.

1. Graphite iron
   Wrought iron
2. Cast iron
   Steel

Cast iron contains the highest proportion of carbon in it compared to wrought iron, steel, and other varieties. It contains about 2 to 4 percent carbon, which makes it harder and more brittle than other types.

1. Wrought iron
   Cast iron
2. Steel
   Graphite iron

The earliest blacksmiths worked with wrought iron, since it is essentially pure iron that has been heated in a forge. While steel took over many wrought iron applications due to its superior strength, wrought iron is often still used for decorative pieces.

1. Molding
   Casting
2. Forging
   Drawing

Cast iron is too brittle too be formed with help of a hammer or chisel. Instead, a blacksmith must pour the heated iron into a container. When it hardens, it maintains its intended shape.

1. The face
   The horn
2. The step
   The hardy hole

The pointed, curved front part of the anvil is called the horn, which allows the blacksmith to create corners and curvatures in the metal by way of hammering. Some anvils have several horns of different sizes and shapes, which can produce varied effects.

1. Moses
   Tubal-Cain
2. Abraham
   Balaam

Genesis 4:22 describes Tubal-Cain as a "forger of all instruments of bronze and iron." At the very least, experts think he was a metalsmith of some kind.

1. Alexander Graham Bell
   Thomas Edison
2. Thomas Davenport
   Garrett Morgan

Thomas Davenport, the creator of the first DC electric motor in 1834, was a blacksmith. When he found out that Penfield and Taft Iron Works discovered a new method of ore separation using an electromagnet, he used similar technology to create the electric motor.

1. Vise-grip
   Horn
2. Anvil
   Tongs

A blacksmith uses tongs to grip metal pieces and heat them in the forge. There are several different varieties utilized for metal of various shapes and sizes. Some varieties include duck-bill tongs, box-jaw tongs, and flat-jaw tongs.

1. A fan
   Water
2. Bellows
   Blow on it

Blacksmiths often dip the metal into water to lower its temperature. This helps ensure the metal is safe to touch; it also serves to quickly harden it.

1. Black
   Silver
2. Yellow-orange
   Purple

Blacksmiths can most easily bend and shape iron when it's yellow-orange in appearance. This coloring signifies that it's very hot and soft.

1. To create a peaceful environment
   To more clearly discern the metal's coloring
2. To lower electricity costs
   Because modern-day blacksmiths often don't have access to electricity

Since the color of the metal indicates its temperature, blacksmiths sometimes switch off or dim the lights to best judge its hue. When the metal becomes yellow-orange, it is hot enough to forge; when it turns red, it can be welded.

1. Illuminating lamps
   Baking bread
2. Warming the home
   Heating the bath

During Medieval times, villagers often used a blacksmith's leftover coals to bake bread or occasionally roast meat. After a blacksmith's workday, someone would come to scoop up the coals to heat the baker's oven.

1. Forging
   Tempering
2. Drawing
   Molding

Tempering involves heating and reheating the metal to improve its ductility and decrease brittleness. Through this process, a blacksmith can help ensure the metal won't crack under pressure.

1. The Dark Knight
   Pirates of the Caribbean
2. The Jungle Book
   Kill Bill: Volume 1

Hollywood happens to employ a blacksmith or two, including Tony Swatton from Los Angeles, who forged the swords seen in Pirates of the Caribbean. He also created the Infinity Gauntlet in Thor, the hook from Hook, and custom crucifixes in Sons of Anarchy.

1. India
   Egypt
2. Rome
   Greece

Historians discovered a dagger constructed from iron in Egypt, which is believed to date back to about 1350 B.C. Experts think the Hittite people invented the practice of forging and kept it a secret for generations.

1. Iron
   Tin
2. Silver
   Steel

Instead of iron and other black metals, whitesmiths work with white metals like tin and lead. Unlike blacksmiths, whitesmiths primarily work with cold metal.

1. Fuller
   Smithy
2. Bellows
   Mandrel

A blacksmith's workshop is often called a smithy. Occasionally, a smithy may also refer to the blacksmith or the forge. In fact, many people today have the last name "Smith" due the prevalence of the profession throughout history.

1. Cotton
   Leather
2. Polyester
   Silicone Rubber

Blacksmiths' aprons are typically constructed from heavyweight leather, which helps prevent injury. Flying tools, high heat, and fires can pose serious hazards, but safety equipment like a durable apron and safety glasses can improve blacksmiths' safety.