Blacksmith

Blacksmiths

A blacksmith during Middle Ages was one of the most important figures. He used to create weapons and armour in general, keys, chains, decorations for the household and most of the tools that were need in the town. 
Tools used by blacksmiths

Every blacksmith had his own furnace to heat the piece of metal so it could be easily manipulated. Near the fireplace there were some bellows. 
Three steps were required to have the finished object: mining, smelting and smithing. The first fase consists in the extraction of the mineral, the second one is the separation of the pure metal from the "impurities" (coal, charred wool, was the first heating source). The last part smithing was the transition from the shapeless metal to the final product.
There were different ways to smelt iron: with a bloomery ( the first type of smelter able to smelt iron)  or a blast furnace. The last one is the "prototype"  of the modern furnaces. 

 
A bloomery and a blast fournace


A bloomery was a cimney made of a heat resistant material. Air, to permit the coal combustion, can enter freely in it or can be forced with bellows or a trompe. 
See : http://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/roots_colonial_iron_technology.htm  for more information.