1880s: The Arts and Crafts Movement

[A drone shot of the exterior of Westfield Heritage Village’s blacksmith shop.]

[NARRATOR:] This is the Westfield Blacksmith Shop, located in the district of Flamborough, Ontario. It dates back to the 1880s, during the late Victorian period.

[An interior shot of the blacksmith shop. Three blacksmiths (two male and one female) are seen standing around amongst various blacksmithing tools and equipment.]

[A close up shot of a bellows pumping air out.]

[NARRATOR:] By this time, small, local blacksmith shops had surrendered the market for most readymade goods to the steam powered casting factories in urban areas.

[A black and white photo of the John L. Woodbury Blacksmith Shop located in Hamilton, Ontario in the 1870s.]

[A black and white photo of three male blacksmiths posing inside a blacksmith shop surrounded by horseshoes, anvils, and various blacksmithing tools and equipment.]

[A black and white photo of a busy city road in Hamilton, Ontario.]

[A shot of two blacksmiths working on a piece of metal. One is holding a metal rod that has just been heated in the forge and places it on an anvil. The other blacksmith stands across from him on the opposite side of the anvil.]

[NARRATOR:] Instead, most blacksmiths turned to concentrate on providing repairs, improvements, and horse related goods.

[A black and white photo of a farrier attaching a horseshoe onto a horse. Three other men stand around him as they watch him perform his duty.]

[NARRATOR:] However, blacksmiths were not yet banished to a horse-exclusive existence. They had a hidden ally from an unexpected place.

[An illustration of William Morris. A black and white head shot of William Morris. An illustration of a head shot of William Morris.]

[An artistic interpretation by Linn Warme of William Morris in the style of the Arts and Crafts Movement.]

[A close up photo of a metal door knocker inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement aesthetic.]

[NARRATOR:] William Morris was the quintessential overachieving Victorian polymath. He was a designer and a poet, an artist and a novelist, a conservationist and a social activist. Most importantly to blacksmiths however, he is also credited as the founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

[A black and white photo of men working at an assembly line in a factory.]

[A black and white photo of several men during the late 1800s standing in front of a blacksmith shop. A horse drawn carriage can be seen on the left hand side of the photo, along with an empty carriage on the right hand side.]

[NARRATOR:] During the Industrial Revolution, with the rise of mass-production and machinery, Morris, among many other artisans, wished to recapture the spirit and quality of pre-industrial craftsmanship.

[An illustration of an early blacksmith working inside of a blacksmith shop. A young girl can be seen peeking at the blacksmith’s work at the threshold of the blacksmith shop.]

[A blacksmith hammering a metal rod over the horn of an anvil.]

[A blacksmith twisting a piece of metal using a vice attached to a table inside of the blacksmith shop.]

[NARRATOR:] He strongly believed that the hands-on connection between the artist and their handcrafted pieces was crucial in the creation of not just genuine fulfillment, but also the highest quality products.

[Close up of a blacksmith’s hands. He presents the piece of metal to the viewer.]

[A blacksmith uses a hammer and the anvil’s horn to form a hoop to the piece of metal rod.]

[Shots of the gate latch resting on an anvil.]

[NARRATOR:] This design aesthetic rose from being a stylistic fad for the rich to being a broad cultural movement throughout the Victorian world. Thus, there was a demand for handcrafted ironwork, providing blacksmiths a niche market in which to put their skills to gainful purpose.

[A close up shot of the finished Arts and Crafts Movement inspired gate latch.]

[A blacksmith uses a paintbrush to paint a metal poppy flower sculpture with a red tint.]

[A close up shot of a few blacksmithing tools laid out on a table.]

[A female blacksmith’s apprentice  and a male blacksmith stand side by side inside a blacksmith shop.]

[A shot of a male blacksmith hand cranking a blower inside a dimly lit blacksmith shop.]

[A female blacksmith’s apprentice sawing a thin metal rod over a table inside a blacksmith shop.]

[NARRATOR:] Here, the blacksmith, traditionally the purveyor of practical metal goods, begins their journey as creative artisans. The blacksmith artists have been born and by artists, we mean both male and female.

[Female blacksmith standing and talking to the camera.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] It’s a common misconception that women did not blacksmith historically, but the written records that we have tells us that’s just not the case. In the Middle Ages, in England and Europe, any person who was involved in a trade or an artisan, had to be part of a guild. And the guilds were sort of like modern trade unions, but they were also responsible for training people. So, if you were not part of a guild, they would not allow you to work in your given trade.

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, we have written records of guild memberships. One of them was in London, England. They were called “The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths”, and in 1434, their list of membership included 65 men and 2 women. So, certainly a male dominated trade, but women have been blacksmithing for at least 600 years that we have written record of.

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] Now, in North America or Turtle Island, we didn’t have the guild system as much, but we do have written census records that give us information about women blacksmithing in this part of the world.

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, in 1890, there was a census done in the United States and everyone had to list their profession.

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, there were over 200,000 men who listed “blacksmith” as their profession as that time, and there were 58 women. So, again, women have been involved in blacksmithing since we have been recording people being involved with it, but definitely in not as big numbers as the men are.

[All three blacksmiths working together inside the blacksmith shop.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] I think it’s important for women and girls to know about.

[A drone shot of Westfield Heritage Village’s blacksmith shop’s exterior]

[NARRATOR:] Westfield Heritage Village is located in the picturesque countryside between Cambridge and Hamilton.

[A map of Westfield Heritage Village.]

[NARRATOR:] On 204 hectares of conservation land, the site boasts a collection of more than 35 historical buildings.

[Sparks fly as a blacksmith uses a metal punch and a hammer to create a hole in a hot piece of metal placed on an anvil.]

[NARRATOR:] Some of these buildings, both on the exterior and interior, are decorated with metal ornaments in the style of the Victorian Arts and Crafts movement.

[A close up shot of the Arts and Crafts Movement inspired metal door hinge.]

[A blacksmith uses a metal punch and a hammer to create a hole on one side of the metal hinge.]

[NARRATOR:] It was the blacksmiths who made sure that locals could adorn their homes with the most stylish, aesthetic designs of the time. The blacksmith was not just a skilled metalworker, but a creative artist as well.

[Close up shot of the flames in the forge.]

[A drone shot of the exterior of Westfield Heritage Village’s blacksmith shop.]

[A close up shot of the completed Arts and Crafts Movement inspired metal door hinge, held by a blacksmith.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, our project that is being filmed today is to build a hinge for a barn door. This is the one that we have already finished. So, it’s made of two separate pieces. This piece would be attached to the door frame with bolts going through those holes. This piece goes on and this will be attached to the door.

[A shot of the three blacksmiths at Westfield Heritage Village standing inside of the blacksmith shop surrounded by blacksmithing tools and equipment.]

[One of the male blacksmiths getting dressed in his blacksmithing apron.]

[One of the blacksmiths presents the completed metal door hinge on a wooden table.]

[NARRATOR:] The Westfield blacksmiths have accepted a challenge that would have been encountered by many blacksmiths during the 1880s. A wealthy patron wishes to replace their outdated barn door hinges with something in style with the current Victorian artistic trends. Thus, the blacksmith must create something that works well practically, but is also aesthetically pleasing.

[PAUSE THE VIDEO]

[NARRATOR:] If you were a blacksmith facing this challenge, what would you do?

If you were a blacksmith in the 1880s, how would you create an "Arts and Crafts Movement" inspired hinge for a barn door? Watch the video below to find out how our blacksmith faced this challenge.

[Male blacksmith standing beside a brick forge, hang cranking a blower to increase the temperature of the forge.]

[A close up shot of the flames in the forge.]

[NARRATOR:] First, he will have to create his fuel for the forge. Coal is converted to coke by burning it with limited oxygen, a process known as destructive distillation. This burns off the impurities leaving pure carbon, or coke. Coke is a better fuel than coal as it combusts, whereas coal absorbs heat.

[A blacksmith uses a fire poker to move the coal in the forge.]

[A blacksmith hammers a flat piece of a metal bar over an anvil. One end of the metal bar is a dark orange colour.]

[NARRATOR:] It appears that the forge is not hot enough. Look at the metal, even though it has been over the forge for a hot second, its colour remains darkish red.

[A blacksmith hammering a bright, orange piece of metal over an anvil.]

[A blacksmith places a burning, and bright white piece of metal over an anvil. He hammers the burning hot piece of metal over an anvil.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, blacksmiths tell the temperature of their metal based on colour. A forging temperature is what we call “orange heat”. In order for it to weld, we want it to be a yellow, almost white heat.

[A blacksmith hammers a dark orange metal rod on an anvil.]

[A blacksmith hammers a bright yellow metal rod on an anvil.]

[NARRATOR:] Iron and iron alloys are generally more workable when they have a bright orange colour. Too red and the metal may not mold well or might even shatter. Too yellow, and the metal might be too close to its melting point and therefore become unworkable.

[A close up shot of a metal bucket full of sand on an anvil. Beside it is a metal brush with a wooden handle.]

[A blacksmith uses the metal brush on the hot, orange piece of metal. He scrapes the brush back and forth. He turns the piece of metal over and does the same thing.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] So, when you’re preparing to weld, one of the most important things is to make sure that your metal is clean, and that’s why Steve was brushing it off with that aggressive wire brush to make sure that there was no metal scale that comes off, when the metal was in the forge or any carbon from the coal, or any other first and debris from the floor or anywhere else.

[The blacksmith picks up a bottle of flux. He carries the piece of metal over the bucket full of sand. He holds the metal rod over the bucket as he squeezes the flux over it. He turns the metal around, making sure to get every part of it covered with the flux.]

[The blacksmith carries the metal rod over to the burning forge behind him. He inserts the metal rod into the pile of burning coal.]

[A shot of the female blacksmith talking to the camera inside of the blacksmith shop.]

[A shot of another piece of hot, orange piece of metal held over the metal bucket full of sand. The blacksmith squeezes the flux onto the metal, turning it over and over until the entire piece of metal is evenly covered.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] You have to make sure it’s clean, otherwise dirt or oil or anything that’s sitting on the surface of the metal will get in the way and not allow the two layers of metal to actually come into contact with other, which of course is what they need to do for the weld to stick. The second part there was putting on some flux to help the weld to stick. They would have used probably a boracic acid or borax crystals almost like, you know, what they would use for laundry soap at the time. We’re using a slightly fancier more modern flux just to make sure that our welds really do stick, but you sprinkle that on all surfaces that you’re hoping to make contact with each other, then it has to be heated up again to an even brighter heat.

[A male blacksmith pumps the bellows beside the coal forge.]

[A close up shot of the bellows in action.]

[A close up shot of a hot piece of metal being hammered by a blacksmith over a hardy tool on an anvil.]

[A close up shot of hammers and a metal punch placed over an anvil.]

[A blacksmith inserts the metal rod using a pair of metal blacksmithing tongs into the burning coal forge.]

[A blacksmith sprinkles some flux from a plastic bottle over a hot piece of metal in the metal bucket full of sand.]

[NARRATOR:] The bellows allow the blacksmith to blow gusts of air into the fire, concentrating it and making the forge hotter. The coke within the forge undergoes combustion as it combines with the oxygen pumped by the bellows.

[A blacksmith uses the wire brush to scrape the hot piece of metal over an anvil.]

[A blacksmith hammers a bright white and hot piece of metal over an anvil.]

[A close up shot of a hot, dark orange piece of metal on an anvil.]

[A blacksmith presents the door hinge to the camera.]

[A blacksmith strikes the back of a metal chisel using a hammer to split one end of the hot, dark orange piece of metal into two pieces. He does this on an anvil.]

[A blacksmith carries the almost completed door hinge over to the burning coal forge. He places it into the forge between the pile of coal. He pumps the bellows with his left hand as he holds the metal rod with his right hand.]

[A blacksmith hammers a piece of metal on the face of the anvil. He moves the piece of metal down to the horn of the anvil, causing it to curve.]

[A blacksmith uses a metal punch on the hot, bright white piece of metal to create a hole on one end of the piece of metal over an anvil.]

[MALE BLACKSMITH:] Okay, we can punch that. It’s still hot enough to punch.

[MALE BLACKSMITH:] So, with the hole being there, the bolt going through that helps the weld to reinforce the metal.

[A close up shot of the metal door hinge with a flower decoration on one end sitting on an anvil.]

[Two male blacksmiths stand beside an anvil. One of the blacksmiths uses a metal punch on the hot metal rod over an anvil, the other blacksmith holds the metal rod, turning it over when prompted by the other blacksmith.]

[A slow motion shot of the three blacksmiths surrounding an anvil. They are hammering the piece of metal on the anvil one at a time.]

[A blacksmith uses a metal punch on a hot bright orange piece of metal on an anvil. He attempts to create a small hole in the metal.]

[The female blacksmith stands beside one of the male blacksmiths as she hammers the punch on a hot, bright piece of metal on an anvil. The male blacksmith holds one end of the piece of metal to keep it secure on the anvil as the female blacksmith strikes it with a hammer.]

[A blacksmith uses a metal tong to hold the metal punch still as he hammers it into the piece of metal. He does this over an anvil.]

[Male blacksmith:] So, now we’re just going to do the same punch, just reverse it through the hole.

[A blacksmith presents the completed Arts and Crafts Movement inspired door hinge to the camera.]

[A close up shot of the metal door hinge with flower details on both ends of the metal. The hinge sits on an anvil.]

[FEMALE BLACKSMITH:] And as you can see, ours is quite a bit fancier: we have added some of these little wild rose details on the end (that was my contribution) because we wanted to demonstrate our skill and unique talent.

[WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO WESTFIELD HERITAGE VILLAGE]

[ARCHIVAL PHOTO SOURCES:

ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO, REFERENCE C 231-8-0-6

“THE 1870 JOHN L. WOODBURY BLACKSMITH SHOP, 582-584 BAY ROAD, HAMILTON, MASS”. CA. 1914. COURTESY OF DIGITAL COMMONWEALTH.

CANADA. NATIONAL PARKS BRANCH / LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA / PA-057123

HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY (ONT.) LOCAL HISTORY & ARCHIVES

JAMES BALLANTYNE/LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA/ PA-133674

"INTERIOR VIEW OF BLACKSMITH SHOP, STETTLER, ALBERTA.", [CA. 1910-1911], (CU1156385) BY UNKNOWN. COURTESY OF LIBRARIES AND CULTURAL RESOURCES DIGITAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY.

LIEUT. DONALD I. GRANT / CANADA DEPT. OF NATIONAL DEFENCE / LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA / PA-167887

OSHAWA PUBLIC LIBRARIES, LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION

WHITBY PUBLIC LIBRARY

WILLIAM JAMES TOPLEY / LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA / PA-013222]