The belief that a horse's shoe brings good luck is one of the most common superstitions. However, the magical properties of horseshoes were known in ancient times, when they were not sold in souvenir shops, as they are today, but were forged by blacksmiths in forges... And, of course, magic could not be done here. Horseshoe for luckIf someone found it on the road, it was nailed over the door with the ends up. This was explained by the fact that the devil, from whom, in fact, the horseshoe was supposed to protect, walked in circles. So, when he reaches the end of the horseshoe, he will turn around and turn back. Where did the horseshoe cult itself come from? The legend of St. Dunstan was born in the British Isles. The latter, they say, worked as a blacksmith, and one day the evil one himself came to him asking him to shoe a hoof. Dunstan allegedly agreed for the sake of appearance. But in fact, he chained the “client” to the wall, so tightly that he even asked for mercy. Then the saint promised to free him if he swore that he would never enter a house over the door of which a horseshoe was nailed. Both cart workers and cart owners needed horseshoes from iron masters. Blacksmiths were engaged in the manufacture of tires for wheels, for which a special device was installed next to the forge - a “tensioner”. When shoeing a wheel for the carts, the blacksmith warmed up the tire and put it on the wheel. The tire, as it cooled, tightened the wooden arcs on the spokes, then they were secured with rivets. Blacksmiths never sat without work. They also made a wide variety of household items - locks, latches, canopies, crosses... Craftsmen who surprised their fellow villagers with intricately made iron “wisdoms” were held in high esteem among their fellow countrymen. Quite a few blacksmiths were interested in it. Thus, in many areas of Meshchera, forged chests decorated with marvelous ornaments were valued. Basically, each forge specialized in products of one type. It depended on the inclinations of the blacksmith and the demand from the surrounding residents. Thus, in Vasyukovka, Shatura region, Moscow region, horseshoes, hoops for barrels, and notches for millstones were forged. And in Varyukovka, located not far from there, axles for mill wheels, millstones, grinding stones, tongs and pliers were made. Often, forges were located near dams, where there were water mills; the water turned the millstones and inflated the blacksmith's bellows. "Savvy" love
Since blacksmiths dealt with fire and iron, two of the main natural elements, they were known as people associated with otherworldly forces. It was believed that a blacksmith could “forge” happiness for lovers or “forge” a “strong wedding” for the bride and groom. The ancient Slavs often classified blacksmiths as magicians - in Slavic - priests. Blacksmiths-magi were considered the patrons of marriage and played an important role in wedding rituals. For example, they were engaged in forging wedding rings, which in the old days for mere mortals were usually made not of gold, but of iron or copper. Only the elite, which existed at all times, could afford gold rings. During the ceremony, they sang sub-bowl songs about a blacksmith forging a wedding crown. At the games, guys dressed as blacksmiths “shoeed the girls” - they lifted their legs with pincers, and also hit a stick attached to their foot with a hammer, like an anvil. Of course, it's all make-believe. Then the custom disappeared, but the common folk expression “shoe a girl” remained - this was the name for entering into an extramarital affair with a girl, which was rare among our ancestors and, of course, was not encouraged. "Witchcraft" craftThere was also a saying: “The blacksmith forges, but the toad puts his foot down.” Let us remember the legendary Lefty from the story of Nikolai Leskov, who managed to shoe a flea. Although there are no hints of any mysticism in this work (except perhaps the very fact of shoeing a flea), it is clear that this could only be possible for someone who used otherworldly help. In Russians folk tales The devil is such an assistant for a blacksmith. Thanks to his witchcraft skills, a blacksmith could reforge a person’s voice - make a thin one from a rough one, reforge an old man into a young man, use forceps to “press” a disease or “pinch” a misfortune, forge a talisman for good luck or an amulet for protection from evil forces... Finally, he had power over the same the devil, forcing him to stop his evil deeds. The smith of your own fortune
As usual, there were always people hanging around the villages. They even came there without much business, just to scratch their tongues. It is not for nothing that Alexander Tvardovsky, in his poem “Beyond the Distance, the Distance,” wrote about a rural blacksmith’s shop, which he remembered from childhood: On that small particle of light
She was there for everyone around
The then club, and the newspaper,
And the Academy of Sciences.
“Blacksmith, blacksmith, forge me happiness,” the girl asked. “What God does not give, my dear, the blacksmith will not forge for you,” sighed the traveler. And then from the cart, the wheels of which were already dressed in brand new iron tires, a voice was heard: “Everyone is a smith of his own happiness!” And so this saying went around the world.
Forges
Time passed. Masters of this craft - metallurgists - began to mine ore and obtain iron from it. And the blacksmiths forged all sorts of necessary things from ready-made iron. To prevent rain, snow and wind from interfering with their work, blacksmiths built forges - small houses, four walls and a roof.
The walls of forges were often made of logs, or stone, or thin rods, which were coated with clay. The floor in such a forge was compacted, flat earth; there was no ceiling - only a roof. And they left gaps in the roof for smoke to escape.
Although all the forges were externally different, the same tools were located inside each one.
The most important thing in a forge is considered to be the forge - a large furnace with an open hearth, where the blacksmith places iron blanks to heat them up. Heated metal is easier to accept the required form.
The forge for heating iron was gradually improved. We invented and manufactured tools for more complex work
In the center of the forge is an anvil. This is the blacksmith's "work table". Let's take a closer look at it (picture on the next page). She is cast iron. Reminds me of some unknown animal. And the names of its individual parts are taken from the animal world. She has a horn sticking out on one side and a tail on the other. The smooth top surface is called the face. There are ribs on the sides. The anvil also has four legs. Look, they are attached with metal brackets to a massive stump, or “chair”, as the blacksmiths call it. This is so that the anvil is stable so that it does not fall off its stump-chair while working.
Anvil - a blacksmith’s “work table”
The blacksmith removes the hot workpiece from the forge with pliers, places it on the anvil and with a hammer-handle begins to quickly hit it - forge it, give it the desired shape. If the metal cools down, it will lose its ductility, and it can no longer be forged. No wonder the proverb appeared: “Strike while the iron is hot.” So the blacksmiths work very quickly.
In addition to pliers and a hammer, the forge has chisels - for cutting off the ends of metal, smoothers - hammers with a smooth striker for smoothing surfaces and other tools and devices for blacksmith work.
When working, the blacksmith is often helped by an assistant hammerer
When working, the blacksmith is often helped by an assistant hammerman. Sometimes two or even three hammer hammers work together with the blacksmith. A blacksmith, with his hammer-handle, controls the work of the hammer-breakers in the same way as a conductor controls an orchestra with his small baton. Where the blacksmith's hammer hits, the hammer striker hits with his heavy hammer - a sledgehammer. And if the blacksmith lays his handbrake hammer flat on the anvil, then the hammerman lowers his heavy hammer.
This is how they work in forges: a blacksmith uses a hammer to make a workpiece - “ding”, and a hammerman uses his hammer - “bom”. And it resounds throughout the area - “ding-bom, ding-bom, ding-bom”...
Blacksmiths forged
Blacksmiths who forged horseshoes and shod horses were usually called farriers.
Nowadays, even in rural areas, not all the guys know what a horseshoe is and why horses need to be shoed at all. And just a hundred years ago, almost every village had its own blacksmith-farmer. His unsightly, smoky forge stood somewhere away from residential buildings, and all day long the sound of hammers could be heard from there. The blacksmith forged horseshoes... He also made horseshoe nails. And he himself used these nails to attach ready-made horseshoes to the horse’s hooves.
People respected the blacksmith-farrier! His skillful, masterful work required a lot of strength and skill.
At first, the blacksmith forged simple iron strips - blanks for horseshoes. Then he bent them to the shape of the hoof. I made spikes from below. I pulled out a groove so that the heads of the nails could fit into it. And finally, with skill, he reliably secured the horseshoes on the horse’s hooves.
To “shod”, that is, shoe, a horse, blacksmiths had special horseshoes, hammers, nails, pliers, knives
Horseshoes protect horses' hooves from various types of damage. A shod horse can carry a larger load on any road - rocky, icy. And without shoes on such roads, horses’ hooves slip and quickly wear out. The horse can injure its legs and bleed.
The first iron horseshoes appeared at the beginning of the 1st century. These were iron shoes, the so-called "solea", which were put on the hooves and tied to the horse's legs with straps. These “shoes” were durable, but very uncomfortable.
And before that, horses’ feet were protected in various ways: the Japanese, for example, put straw sandals on horses’ hooves; Tatars - in leather boots; The Kirghiz covered their hooves with horn plates; in Rus' they used stockings woven from reeds, bast, straw or ropes.
Even now, in our space age, horses perform a variety of jobs - in the fields, in the forests, in the mountains. They help foresters, geologists, doctors, border guards...
Where tractors and all-terrain vehicles are helpless, horses come to the rescue. And all horses, our reliable helpers, need good horseshoes.
In addition, many stud farms raise thoroughbred horses to participate in sports competitions. They also need to be shoed. Each type of competition requires its own special horseshoes: with three spikes, with two or without spikes at all. In winter you need horseshoes with sharper spikes than in summer.
Good shoeing increases the horse's endurance.
Blacksmiths-gunsmiths
Blacksmithing was not learned quickly. For years, blacksmiths polished their skills. The blacksmith had to know and be able to do a lot. AND strong man he had to be so that he could wield a heavy hand hammer.
And more and more forged products were required. So some blacksmiths began to forge only nails, others - only objects for agriculture, others - all kinds of keys and locks... And the best craftsmen became blacksmiths and gunsmiths.
Blacksmiths-gunsmiths forged swords and battle axes, arrowheads and spears, forged helmets and “weaved” chain mail. The greatest skill was required in the manufacture of chain mail. For one chain mail, it was necessary to forge up to forty thousand rings, punch holes at their ends, and after connecting with other rings, rivet each ring with a small rivet, or “nail,” as they said at that time.
Blacksmiths-gunsmiths
Many warriors-combatants were blacksmiths themselves and took a small anvil, hammers, files and other things with them on a military campaign. necessary tools. IN free time they repaired the armor of themselves and other warriors. Riders also wore chain mail stockings or metal plates - “greaves”. Even the horse's head was covered with metal plates - "head covers". In such armor, Russian warriors fought against the numerous nomadic tribes raiding Rus'.
Even then, in the 9th century, Russian blacksmiths-gunsmiths knew the secrets of forging damask swords and sabers. They were so strong and sharp that they even cut through helmets and iron chain mail. The cost of damask blades was so high that a herd of horses was given for one sword.
Since the end of the 14th century, cannons have appeared in the arsenal of the Russian army. At first, guns were forged by hand. The work was very hard - two or three hammer assistants worked with one blacksmith. It was especially difficult to forge gun barrels. But they worked brilliantly, with great skill.
And in subsequent centuries, blacksmiths and gunsmiths increased the glory of Russian weapons.
26.05.2018 10:34:00
First skills
got it at school Oleg Alekseev could not even be “pulled by the ears” from the office labor training at school No. 20 in the city of Shchekino. The “trudovik” teacher noted the student’s hardworking hands and curiosity, tried to pay more attention to him, and convey as much knowledge as possible.
But the knowledge gained in labor lessons was not enough for Oleg. What a difference - a specialized circle! The guy enjoyed mastering lathes for processing wood and metal. He even made door handles for the school himself.
- I am still grateful to the labor teacher for the extra-curricular time he devoted to me. After all, in parallel with the acquisition of skills, both thinking and imagination developed, recalls Oleg Alekseev.
After school I went to study at the Tula Economic College and chose the specialty “mechanical technician”. Our hero worked at many Shchekino enterprises, exactly where he had to work hard. The hands were not afraid of work, but the soul demanded something different, more creative.
The capital teaches a lot In the 90s, when salaries began to be paid irregularly, he got a job in a team of workers welding and installing driveway and garage doors. Then he went to work in Moscow.
- I worked in an art workshop for two years. I saw an ad, came, and was hired as a simple worker. Then I became convinced that the handyman was a blacksmith, a welder, and a fitter. They worked on everything that could be welded: they made fences, railings, canopies, caps for fence posts, arched vaults for gazebos, fences, flower stands, benches, steles. “I was looking closely at the exclusive crafts of professionals,” Oleg admitted. – I was amazed by the craftsmen’s ability to work with metal: from a banal piece of iron they created a work of art - a rose, a fancy stand for an ashtray and other interior items.
It was in the capital that I realized that in addition to accuracy, pace in work is also needed. And financial standards in Moscow are completely different. There are people who are willing to spend money to satisfy their whims. They don’t even want to hear that the work is painstaking and responsible. Every small cast or forged part must be cleaned twice, primed twice, then painted twice. And every client wants his order to be unique, unique. Give it “gold” or “silver” to some, while others prefer violet. Many customers demanded that the product be decorated in a “noble antique” manner. And this already requires a painstaking process of patenting - applying specific paint according to the design with a special brush. This also has its own nuances: for a black background it is better to use silver, for a red background it is better to use greenery. Some people see matte or glossy coatings on the product, others - imitating velvet (with small fibers), or with a hammer coating (“pimply”). But all these delights are good under one, basic condition: the products should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Whether it’s a small trinket or a massive door - only indoors. Otherwise, ultraviolet radiation will corrode the coating and the paint will begin to peel off...
I remember one lady showed up with a set of photographs and a desire to have exactly the same spiral staircase in her home. An experienced eye determined the unusualness and age of the structure. Besides the photo, she only has a great desire and willingness to pay well. When asked where the original was from, she simply amazed with the answer: “From France, from the ancestral castle of one of Louis”! We immediately understood: the client is from Rublyovka... They broke their heads, but they had to do it “like Louis,” the master shares one of his Moscow work episodes. More than a hobby Everything comes to an end... And I had to part with Moscow. Yes, only the skills acquired there provoked our hero even more. Creative horizons were fully revealed to Oleg already in his homeland. And the work began for myself, for the soul, without limiting boundaries. We don’t forge kilometers...
Today, in skillful hands, products come out of the hammer for every taste. Forged handles and ornate candlesticks, bridges for summer cottage and tiebacks for currant bushes. The master can even make an exquisite French balcony!
By the way, Oleg admitted that he wants to work with damask steel. The same Damascus steel that was used for the famous swords, which, before taking on their final form and appearance, the ancient masters forged and unforged twenty (!) times. And the secret of which, unfortunately, has been lost. The latest information about steel in Russia is associated with Zlatoust, where a steel foundry was built in the mid-19th century. Checkers were cast there for the Tsar's army.
- To be honest, it is not always possible to work with metal as with plasticine. After all, at the first stage the most important thing is what? That's right - don't overheat. Have you heard the expression: “Bring it to white heat”? Correctly said. Until it’s white – it starts to bubble, that’s it, the workpiece can be thrown away. If it’s not heated a little, it has a raspberry tint. But red is just what you need,” Oleg shares his secret. – Where does it all begin? A sketch is made, metal is selected. And then - feel free to get down to business!
On a preheated coal forge, I subject the “blank” to heat treatment. Based on its volume and thickness, I select pliers, such special grips of the appropriate diameter. I constantly turn the “blank” over. Turned red - immediately to the anvil and processing. Immediately I select a sledgehammer of the appropriate weight - so as not to break it or crush it. And for soft metals (copper, brass, etc.) you generally need a copper sledgehammer.
If the product is twisted, I use special mandrels for bending and twisting. That is, I walk with the product clamped around the anvil. With small details (leaves, etc.) - a different technology. I cut out the future shape, heat it up and press out all the bulges or depressions in the funnel. Basically, future products will be prefabricated and combined. Here, you understand, welding is needed. And finishing and painting comes later.
The main thing is to want, take it and do it,” Oleg Alekseev summed up.
And he's right. You just have to do it!
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