Basic Techniques

Part of Metalworking

Core metalworking operations — drawing, upsetting, bending, punching — the fundamental vocabulary of the blacksmith.

Why This Matters

Every forged object, from a simple nail to a complex plow, is created through combinations of just a handful of basic operations. A smith who thoroughly masters drawing out, upsetting, bending, punching, and cutting can produce virtually any tool or hardware a rebuilding community needs. These operations are not merely techniques — they are the grammar of metalwork. Understanding how metal moves under the hammer, where it thins, where it thickens, and where it wants to crack is the difference between a competent smith and someone who wastes precious iron.

In a post-collapse scenario, iron and steel are finite resources until your community can smelt its own. Every piece of scrap must be worked efficiently, with minimal waste. Sloppy technique means cold shuts, cracks, burned steel, and wasted charcoal. A smith who understands metal flow can take a single bar of salvaged rebar and produce a knife, a door hinge, or a set of nails with almost zero waste material.

These techniques also form the foundation for more advanced work — forge welding, tool making, and decorative ironwork. Without fluency in the basics, attempting complex projects leads to frustration and failure. This article covers each core operation with the level of detail needed to actually perform them at the anvil.

Drawing Out

Drawing out (or “drawing down”) is the process of making metal longer and thinner. It is the most frequently used forging operation — you will use it in nearly every project.

The Principle

When you strike hot metal with a hammer, the metal flows perpendicular to the hammer face and away from the point of impact. A flat hammer face on a flat anvil spreads metal in all directions. To control the direction of flow, you manipulate the geometry:

• Hammer on the flat anvil face: metal spreads in all four directions
• Hammer on the anvil edge: metal stretches primarily along the bar’s length
• Use a cross-peen hammer: metal stretches perpendicular to the peen line

Step-by-Step

1. Heat the workpiece to bright orange or yellow (900–1050°C). Drawing works at lower temperatures but requires more force and risks cracking.
2. Place the section to be drawn on the far edge of the anvil so each blow drives metal over the edge, stretching it lengthwise.
3. Use overlapping blows, working from the tip back toward the body of the bar. Each blow should overlap the previous by about half.
4. Rotate the bar 90° and repeat. Alternate between two faces to maintain a roughly square cross-section and prevent the bar from becoming a flat ribbon.
5. If you want a round cross-section, draw to an octagon first (hammer the corners of the square), then to a rough round, finishing with light blows while rolling the bar.

Working Speed

Draw at the highest comfortable temperature. Three heavy blows at yellow heat move more metal than twenty medium blows at dark red. Work fast, reheat often.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Result	Prevention
Drawing at too low a temperature	Surface cracks, cold shuts	Reheat when color drops below cherry red
Striking the same spot repeatedly	Fish-mouth split at the end	Use overlapping, progressive blows
Not rotating the bar	Thin, wide ribbon instead of bar	Rotate 90° every 3–4 blows
Hammering past the anvil edge	Bending instead of drawing	Keep work supported; only overhang slightly

Upsetting

Upsetting is the opposite of drawing — you make metal shorter and thicker. This is essential for creating bolt heads, nail heads, tool shoulders, and any feature thicker than the parent bar.

The Principle

Metal compressed along its length must go somewhere, so it spreads outward, increasing the cross-section. The key challenge is controlling where the metal thickens — you want the upset at a specific location, not along the entire bar.

Techniques

End upsetting (most common):

1. Heat only the end you want to upset — about 5–8 cm of the tip. The rest should remain black (cold).
2. Hold the bar vertically, heated end up.
3. Strike the hot end downward onto the anvil face, or strike the cold end with a hammer while the hot end rests on the anvil.
4. The hot section bulges outward while the cold section resists deformation.
5. Repeat, reheating as needed, until you reach the desired thickness.

Mid-bar upsetting:

1. Heat a narrow zone in the middle of the bar. Use wet rags on either side to keep adjacent sections cold.
2. Compress the bar between the anvil and hammer (or between two anvil surfaces in a vise).
3. This is more difficult and tends to cause buckling. Keep the heated zone short — no more than 1.5× the bar diameter.

Buckling

If the heated section is too long relative to the bar diameter, the bar will buckle sideways instead of upsetting. The rule of thumb: heat no more than 2× the diameter for reliable upsetting. If you need a large upset, do it in multiple heats, upsetting a small amount each time.

Applications

• Nail heads: upset the end of a nail rod to form the head
• Bolt heads: upset the end of bolt stock before shaping the hex
• Tool shoulders: create a step or collar on a punch or chisel
• Decorative knobs: upset a finial or terminal on railings or hardware

Bending

Bending changes the direction of a bar without significantly altering its cross-section. Hooks, rings, scrolls, chain links, handles, and brackets all require bending.

The Principle

Metal bends most easily at the point of greatest heat. The outside of the bend stretches (thins) while the inside compresses (thickens). For tight bends, this distortion is significant and must be accounted for.

Techniques

Over the anvil edge:

1. Heat the bend location to bright orange.
2. Place the bar on the anvil with the bend point at the far edge.
3. Strike the overhanging portion downward with the hammer. For a sharp 90° bend, strike close to the anvil edge. For a gradual curve, strike further from the edge.

Over the horn:

1. Heat the section to be curved.
2. Place it over the anvil horn at the appropriate radius.
3. Hammer the bar against the horn, rotating it gradually to create a smooth curve.
4. Use the horn tip for tight curves, the base for gentle ones.

In a vise:

1. Clamp the bar at the bend point with the heated section protruding.
2. Pull or hammer the protruding end to the desired angle.
3. This gives the most control for precise bends.

In a bending fork (or bending jig):

1. Insert a bending fork (two prongs of round bar, set into a hardy hole) into the anvil.
2. Slide the heated bar between the prongs.
3. Pull the bar around the fork to create the bend.
4. This is essential for scrollwork and consistent production bending.

Compensating for Distortion

Bend Angle	Inside Effect	Outside Effect	Compensation
45°	Slight thickening	Slight thinning	Usually none needed
90°	Noticeable bulge	Noticeable thinning	Upset the bend area slightly before bending
180° (U-bend)	Significant buckling	Significant stretching	Upset heavily before bending; may need to forge to shape after

For critical bends, upset the bend area slightly before bending so the material displaced compensates for the stretching on the outside.

Punching and Drifting

Punching creates holes in hot metal. Drifting enlarges and shapes those holes. Together, they produce eyes for hammers and axes, holes for rivets and bolts, and openings for decorative work — all without drilling.

Punching

1. Heat the workpiece to bright yellow-white (1050°C+). Punching at low temperatures risks cracking and stuck punches.
2. Place the work on the anvil face (not over the pritchel hole — yet).
3. Drive the punch (a tapered tool of hardened steel) into the metal with firm, decisive blows. Go halfway through the thickness.
4. Withdraw the punch. Flip the workpiece over.
5. You will see a dark spot on the back side where the punch nearly came through. Center your punch on this mark.
6. Move the work over the pritchel hole (or the open area past the anvil edge). Punch from the second side. The slug drops out through the hole.

Preventing Stuck Punches

Dip the punch in coal dust or oil before each use. The carbon acts as a release agent. If a punch sticks, do not wiggle it — you will enlarge the hole unevenly. Quench the entire piece briefly; thermal contraction will loosen the punch.

Drifting

A drift is a tapered mandrel used to enlarge and shape a punched hole. Drifts are typically:

• Round: for bolt holes, rivet holes
• Oval/rectangular: for hammer eyes, axe eyes
• Square: for hardy holes, square-socket tools

1. Punch a starter hole slightly smaller than your drift’s small end.
2. Insert the drift from one side, drive it partway through.
3. Flip, drive from the other side.
4. Repeat, reheating as needed, until the hole matches the drift’s cross-section.

The metal displaced by the drift flows outward, creating the “cheeks” visible on hammer and axe heads. Plan for this expansion — your starting stock should be narrower than the finished width.

Cutting

Cutting hot metal is faster and cleaner than sawing or filing cold metal. Two primary methods exist for the forge.

Hot Cutting on the Anvil

1. Heat the cut location to bright orange.
2. Place the work on the anvil face.
3. Position a hot cut (a chisel-like hardy tool, inserted in the anvil’s hardy hole) under the work at the cut line.
4. Strike the top of the workpiece with the hammer, driving it down onto the hot cut.
5. Cut most of the way through, then break the remaining web by bending.

Alternatively, use a handled hot chisel (held by a helper or in tongs) on top of the work:

1. Place work on the anvil.
2. Position the chisel on the cut line.
3. Strike the chisel with the hammer.
4. Cut 3/4 through, then break.

Protect Your Anvil

Never cut all the way through onto the anvil face — you will damage the face and ruin the chisel edge. Always leave a thin web and break it, or cut over the pritchel hole.

Slitting

Slitting is cutting a slot (not all the way through) in the middle of a bar. Used to create forks, split ends for decorative work, or starter holes for punching.

1. Heat to yellow.
2. Use a slitting chisel (narrower than a hot cut) to cut a line into the metal.
3. Cut from both sides to meet in the middle.
4. Open the slit over the horn or with a drift.

Combining Operations

Real forging projects combine these operations in sequence. Understanding how to chain them efficiently separates a productive smith from a struggling one.

Example — forging a simple hook from round bar:

1. Cut the bar to length (hot cut)
2. Draw out the hook end to a taper
3. Bend the tapered end into a curve over the horn
4. Upset the opposite end to create a mounting head
5. Punch a hole through the upset head for a mounting screw
6. Bend the shank to the desired angle

Total operations: 6, using 5 of the basic techniques. Time for a practiced smith: 10–15 minutes. Time for a beginner: 45–60 minutes. The difference is not strength or special tools — it is fluency with the fundamentals.

Planning Metal Flow

Before starting any project, think through the sequence of operations:

• What is the thickest part? Start with stock that matches that dimension, or plan to upset.
• What is the longest part? Plan your drawing sequence.
• Where are the bends? Bend after drawing — bending first makes drawing difficult.
• Where are the holes? Punch before final shaping — punching distorts the surrounding metal.

The general rule: work from thick to thin, from center outward, and save bending for last. This minimizes reheating and avoids distorting finished features.