Tre Ässjor i Skaraborg: en undersökning av ässjor genom dokumentation och analys

Abstract

The construction of the forge has changed depending on time and geography, but all variants have derived from the idea of adding oxygen to a fire that heat iron into a malleable state. As of the 10th century, with the access to both lime-masonry and bellows, the masoned forges came into use in Sweden and would later be replaced in the modern age by more energy efficient alternatives. The masoned forges are today rarely being used commercially and there is limited engagement to documenting them. Considering the object’s literary limitation, there is cause for researching and documenting the forge’s physical qualities as well as how they relate to its usage, which is the stated purpose of this project. The stated goal is to research three forges and later consult with professionals that possess knowledge of the subject that analyse the objects from a construction perspective. Three forges were located, and documentations were conducted by measuring, photographing, notation, and blueprint-drawing of the constructions, as well as questioning the forge owners about the history of their objects. With the collected data, smiths with relevant knowledge were contacted and interviewed about the construction and usage of the forges. The history regarding the forges were mainly reliant on what the individual owners had heard or remembered about the constructions and would in most cases be scarce. Constructive information that was gathered from the objects had a general cohesion in function and design, with one exception being a smaller variant without hood. Interviews with smiths provided evaluations of the forges’ construction that was mainly influenced by their own experiences and they all assessed that if a forge functions, the only effective differences are based on the smith’s personal preference. When regarding the results of the research, it could be stated that there was no agreed upon construction standard for forges, but that the differences between variations was limited by just the preferences of the smiths that built them, as well as their assets available for building. While there has also been evidence for the construction and usage being related, the way the forge is built is not too important for the craft. It may depend on the smith, or the kind of smithing being practiced in the forge, but all functional forges can be used for almost all blacksmith projects.