Blacksmith

Feel the heat as our blacksmith operates the forge, using fire and physical strength to create just about anything that can be made from iron.

Using a bellows, forge, hammer and anvil, the blacksmith made a wide variety of tools and implements.  He made household items and parts for horse-drawn vehicles. He also repaired farm machinery.

To shape or ‘forge’ iron, it must be red hot, around 800º C. But to weld pieces together, it needs to be white hot, about 1400º C. This makes the blacksmith’s shop a great place to work in winter and a hot spot during a warm mallee summer.

The Pioneer Settlement blacksmith shop was originally built in 1896. Thomas Thomson of Lalbert once worked from the ‘rough and ready’ building. Like many others, Thomson was also a farrier who could make a horseshoe and then fit it to your horse as you waited. He could make and fit a set of four horseshoes in about an hour and a half, while you did your monthly shopping at the General Store.