Playing an important role in society, medieval blacksmiths produced items necessary for both daily life, such as household tools, and more specialized activities, such as armor and weapons. Other professions relied on their products to complete their tasks, such as nails, picks and axels. One example of their efforts can be seen in fences built in medieval times.

Materials

Medieval blacksmiths worked with cast iron, containing too much carbon for forging and suitable only for casting items; wrought iron, containing the correct amount of carbon for forging items; and steel, iron with carbon diffused throughout the material.

Tools

Medieval blacksmiths used a variety of tools, including hammers, bellows, long tongs, anvils, shears, chisels, pliers, lathes, files, grindstones and punches. They also used drawplates---tools with conical holes for thinning iron into wire.

Methods

Medieval blacksmith created wrought iron by repeatedly hammering and cooling iron until the desired item took shape. They hardened steel by heating and then rapidly cooling (or quenching) it, and annealed steel (made it more flexible) by heating and then cooling it to workable form.

Fence locations

Smaller towns enclosed their perimeters with fences instead of the walls used by large cities. Individuals and church officials also built fences around their gardens for protection from roaming animals.

Fence Parts

Medieval blacksmiths created the nails, saws and hammers used by carpenters to build wooden fences. They also produced iron crossbars and supports for the fences and iron hinges, braces and latches for wooden gates. Occasionally the blacksmiths would fashion decorative wrought-iron gates for wealthy individuals' walls or fences.

Source:

"The Medieval Roots of Colonial Iron Manufacturing Technology;" Brigitte Weinsteiger; Penn State University Center for Medieval Studies

Dargonzine: Medieval Blacksmithing