Law, the act of Forgery.

smithery, the beating or hammering iron on the anvil, after having first made it red hot in the forge, in order to extend it into various forms, and fashion it into various works. See Forge.

There are two ways of forging and hammering iron. One is by the force of the hand, in which there are usually several persons employed, one of them turning the iron and hammering likewise, and the rest only hammering. The other way is by the force of a water-mill, which raises and works several huge hammers beyond the force of man; under the strokes whereof the workmen present large lumps or pieces of iron, which are sustained at one end by the anvils, and at the other by iron chains fastened to the ceiling of the forge. See Mill.

This last way of forging is only used in the largest works, as anchors for ships, &c., which usually weigh several thousand pounds. For the lighter works, a single man serves to hold, heat, and turn with one hand, while he hammers with the other.

Each purpose the work is designed for requires its proper heat; for if it be too cold, it will not feel the weight of the hammer, as the smiths call it when it will not batter under the hammer; and if it be too hot, it will red fear, that is, break or crack under the hammer.

The several degrees of heat the smiths give their irons are, first, a blood-red heat; secondly, a white-flame heat; and thirdly, a sparkling or welding heat.