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An anvil is a basic tool, in the simplest terms it is a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The inertia of the anvil allows the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece.

Anvil Tool

An anvil is a basic tool, in the simplest terms it is a block with a hard surface on which another object…

"Among the remarkable inventions of a remote era, may be mentioned bellows and siphons. The former were used as early as the reign of Thothmes the Third, and contemporary of Moses, being represented in a tomb bearing the name of that Pharaoh. They consisted of a leather bag, sewed and fitted into a frame, from which a long pipe extended for carrying the wind to the fire. They were worked by the feet, the operator standing in front of them, with one under each foot, and pressing them alternately, while he pulled up each exhausted skin by a string." — Goodrich, 1844

Egyptian Bellows

"Among the remarkable inventions of a remote era, may be mentioned bellows and siphons. The former were…

Blacksmith facing right

Blacksmith

Blacksmith facing right

An illustration of a man shoeing a horse.

Blacksmith

An illustration of a man shoeing a horse.

A man works on a horseshoe while another man watches in the distance with a rake.

Blacksmith Hammering

A man works on a horseshoe while another man watches in the distance with a rake.

"Blacksmith's Tongs." — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Blacksmith's Tongs

"Blacksmith's Tongs." — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

A blacksmith shoeing a horse while small children watch.

Local Blacksmith

A blacksmith shoeing a horse while small children watch.

James Watt found the boring tool in his blacksmithing to be very difficult. "A young manufacturer named Wilkinson invented a guide for the boring tool, and machined cylinders of fifty inches diameter." -Hill, 1921

Boring Tool

James Watt found the boring tool in his blacksmithing to be very difficult. "A young manufacturer named…

"The blacksmith's chisel." — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

Chisel

"The blacksmith's chisel." — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1893

A wagon comprised to carry the essential equipment for blacksmiths and artisans to perform their work.

Traveling Forge

A wagon comprised to carry the essential equipment for blacksmiths and artisans to perform their work.

A young Eliphalet Remington working on his rifle. Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) was a blacksmith and made the revolutionary Remington sporting rifle.

Gunsmith: Eliphalet Remington

A young Eliphalet Remington working on his rifle. Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) was a blacksmith and…

"Horseshoeing in the army. Not like the country blacksmith, by the highroad upon the skirt of the village, with children peering around, and all men, from the squire to the poorly paid minister, stopping to get his services or to chat, does the army smith ply his labors. But even with his toils and risks he is better off than the toiling craftsman in the close lanes of the city, and does his needed labor under the shady tree or leafy roofing of a rustic shed in summer, and in the warmest nook he can find in winter, he will doubtless in other years recount to his wondering grandchildren the story of the great battles in Virginia, if he does not attribute the final success to his own handiwork. The regular army forge is a four-wheeled carriage, the front, or limber, of which is like that of a caisson, bearing a box about four feet long by two in width, containing the anvil, tongs and other implements, with a limited supply of iron for immediate use; on the rear wheel is a box containing the bellows, worked by a lever. In front of this is a cast-iron ash pan for the fire, with a sheet-iron back. On the stock is a vise, and the back of the box is a receptacle for coal. The whole is very compact, and on the march takes up very little room, the men riding on the limber box."— Frank Leslie, 1896

Horseshoeing

"Horseshoeing in the army. Not like the country blacksmith, by the highroad upon the skirt of the village,…

Andrew Jackson working at an anvil.

Andrew Jackson Boyhood

Andrew Jackson working at an anvil.

Is John Smith within? Yes, that is he. Can he set a shoe? Ay, marry, two. Here a nail, there a nail, Tick, tack, too.

John Smith

Is John Smith within? Yes, that is he. Can he set a shoe? Ay, marry, two. Here a nail, there a nail,…

The Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, 1867. The seal shows a steamboat on the Missouri River, a train, a cabin, and a blacksmith. The banner holds the state motto, "Equality Before the Law."

Seal of Nebraska

The Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, 1867. The seal shows a steamboat on the Missouri River, a train,…

"The sweating blacksmith here is seen to stand / Beside his forge, with hammer in his hand, / And while the fiery sparks are flying far, / With might and main he strikes the red-hot bar." —Barber, 1857

Strike While the Iron is Hot

"The sweating blacksmith here is seen to stand / Beside his forge, with hammer in his hand, / And while…

A combination vise, anvil, and drill tool.

Combination Tool

A combination vise, anvil, and drill tool.