Talked to a retired farrier at the county fair who said he never used a forge until the 90s. Made me think about how much the tools have changed.

3 comments

3 Comments

My grandpa was a blacksmith in rural Kentucky and swore by his old coal forge until the day he retired. Some of those old timers could work miracles with just an anvil and a hammer.

kai7792mo ago

Honestly that "miracles with just an anvil and a hammer" line is so true. My buddy's dad was a farrier and he fixed a busted tractor hitch with a sledgehammer and a railroad track anvil in a field once. Just pure skill.

grant56923d ago

Wonder how many shortcuts and lucky breaks those old timers conveniently forgot about... I've seen plenty of "field fixes" that fell apart after twenty minutes of real use. Those railroad track anvils were usually just rusted junk that would chip and leave dents in whatever you were trying to fix. Modern welding gear and a proper shop setup would've done that job better and faster, even if it's not as romantic to talk about around a campfire.