Jean  CÉCIRE

A forgeron, or blacksmith, was primarily a craftsman of wrought iron on the anvil. Protecting himself with a thick leather apron, he used a bellows (first made of leather, then wood and finally metal) to push the air that fuelled the coal fire of the forge, a type of cast iron table where the iron was reddened... Using pliers of various sizes to hold the hot iron, the blacksmith would then give it a specific shape with the help of different hammers. The blacksmith made farm instruments, vehicle accessories and even schooners, cemetery crosses, steel bandages, hooks for hay bales, etc.
Source: tfcq.ca


Source: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts


A Day in the Life of a Forgeron in 18th Century New France