Forge

Solid material especially metals are often formed by the process of heating and beating into shape. The heating is done in a furnace or hearth, which is a special fireplace. The term ‘Forge’ refers to this furnace or the workshop in which it is kept. Old forges found earlier in England were mostly blacksmith forges. Forging is traditionally done at high temperatures as the metal can be moulded into shape much more easily. Cold forging is performed at lower temperatures.

Iron and steel are common metals used for forging as they are easily malleable when heated. These metals are subjected to hardening and cooling in order to produce the required shape. Metals that have been subjected to forging are tougher than those worked upon by other shaping processes like casting or machining. Some of the common tools and equipments used for forging include the anvil, slack tub, hammer and tongs.

The hot metal pieces are struck with the hammer on the anvil, a block of metal or stone, during the process of forging. The slack tub is the container in which the hot metal is kept for cooling and hardening. Tongs are often used in forges to hold the heated metal pieces.

Most modern forges work on natural gas or propane, while the fuel sources for earlier forges were coal, charcoal or coke. The other types of forge include drop forge, finery forge and hydraulic press forge. Garage forge are commonly found all over the UK.