The Buffalo Maritime Center (https://buffalomaritimecenter.org/) is building a replica of a sloop from the War of 1812 that they’re calling the USS Trippe. They’ve asked the Niagara Region chapter of the New York State Designer Blacksmiths (https://nysdb.org/) to do a lot of the metal work.
Hinge prototype. All photos courtesy of Dagonell.
We started the new year by fabricating hinges for the hatch covers over the main hold. The BMC had given us a prototype made from plastic. Note that both hinge plates have their knuckles curling clockwise around the pin so that the sections of the plate closest to the pin will be in contact when the hatch is closed.
Their version had three and two knuckles around the pin. We decided to go with a simpler strap hinge and a two-knuckle hinge plate instead. There was going to be a lot of trial and error involved with most of these projects.
STARTING THE FORGES
First, we had to get the coal forges started. Fresh coal has a lot of impurities which need to be burned off before we can use it. In the photo below, the yellow smoke is the impurities being driven off by the heat. The flames eventually come through, but there’s still smoke from impurities. The second photo below is a clean burn with no impurities.
Freshly started fire.
DEMONSTRATING MAKING A HINGE
A senior blacksmith cuts bar stock for hinge plates. The BMC asked us to ‘make them look handmade,’ so we cut without measuring which varied the width of the strap hinge by as much as a half inch from largest to smallest and we left hammer marks in the final product instead of flattening them out. Forgemaster Tim holds a hinge plate in a clamp prior to heating. The clamp allows for the hinge to be more easily manipulated. An early version is in his left hand along with an uncut plate. Rolling the knuckle on a strap hinge. Using a drift to shape the inside of the knuckle for the pin. There are two ways to insert a drift. The first method is to roll the knuckle tight and then hammer the drift into it to open it up. The second method is to almost close the knuckle, trap the drift and then hammer the knuckle closed. We found the second method easier. The drift is pointed for easier removal. By quenching the back end of the hinge in ice water, you drive the heat towards the knuckle which makes it more malleable. We had to break the ice in the bucket with a hammer. A finished strap hinge with a knuckle. Note that the tip was beveled to an edge before rolling it over to form a better inner circle without the edge cutting into the metal plate. Starting to shape a knuckle on the hinge plate. Notice that there’s a slight upward bulge to the knuckle. As the knuckle is hammered on the outside, it will only flatten instead of denting inward. Forming the curl of the knuckle. Tightening the curl. Further tightening the curl. Comparing a strap hinge and a half-finished hinge plate to make sure they fit together.
MAKING MY OWN STRAP HINGE
Starting my strap hinge. The edge has been beveled and I’m curling it over to form the knuckle. The drift was in use forming someone else’s hinge, so I used the actual pin. I had trouble getting it back out! 😀 Not tight enough and teardrop shaped instead of circle shaped. I had to open it back up and try again. Comparing my hinge to first hinge. It needs to be a smaller diameter. Success! We used a cold chisel to push the beveled edge further in. Non-blacksmiths would recognize the chisel as an old railroad spike. 😀
DEADEYE SHACKLES
A wooden deadeye with shackle. Making shackles for the deadeyes was the first project our chapter tackled last fall. [2005] A wooden deadeye with steel shackle, u-clamp and temporary nuts and bolts in place of permanent pins. A pin through the U-clamp is how it will be fastened to the side of the ship.
PINS
Making pegs for the deadeye brackets. Driving the pin into the mold to form the shaft. By hammering down on the end, you force the end to mushroom out so the shaft can go through but not the head. This is called ‘upsetting’. Removing a finished peg from the mold. A deadeye with a pin through its U-plate. Side view of the pin through the U-plate.
FINIALS
A decorative finial with its blueprint. In addition to the practical ironwork, we’re also making decorative pieces for the ship. Starting a decorative finial. Shaping the neck of the finial. Centering the diamond shaped head on the neck of the finial. Forgemaster Tim examining the finial after the first heat. Tightening and curving the neck on the finial. More work on the neck of the finial. Forgemaster Tim with a finished finial. A completed finial resting against an anvil. Drafts for a finial and a deadeye bracket.
At the BMDL 12th Night Celebration, TRM Gareth and Juliana granted the petition from Master Anias Fenne and Earl Byron of Haverford to create a Moneyers Guild for the Kingdom of Æthelmearc. The Guild’s first coin (a recreation of a 1st-century Roman copper As) had already been struck and given to TRM at Their Coronation.
With the formal acceptance of the Guild, a plan for the next Royal Coin was set in motion. The culmination of this plan was seen at this year’s Gulf Wars. In the middle of the Æthelmearc encampment, the dies were set in a stump, and every citizen of Æthelmearc who was present at the War was encouraged to strike a coin (or two or three) for TRH. People found time to strike coins when they were preparing dinner, relaxing in the tent, visiting from other encampments, or just passing through. There were even some Royal participants!
About 50 people joined in, striking around 300 coins.
The community of moneyers at Gulf Wars was supportive and knowledgeable. They were elated to hear that their art was being formalized in the Sylvan Kingdom. Some of the best-known coin makers in the Known World were present and teaching at the event, providing the new Guild with much-needed guidance and advice.
The Shire of Heronter has regular A&S gatherings. For our most recent gathering, Lady Edana the Red came up from Debatable Lands to teach pewter casting.
On Saturday, June 24th, 2017, members of the Shire assembled at the home of THL Keinven Ragnarsdottir and Baron Malcolm Fraser at 10 AM. Fortunately, it was a clear and sunny day, pewter hates rain and high humidity. Everyone had glasses or other eye-protection and paper dust masks were issued to all. Soapstone creates dust easily and it’s not something you want to breathe in. Long hair was tied back and everyone had been instructed to wear long sleeved tops to expose as little skin as possible. We worked outside to not leave stone dust on the furniture. Picnic tables were covered in old towels for easier clean up.
We were each issued a ‘carving kit’, a small Tupperware tub containing a marker (black), a plastic template for drawing circles (quarter and dime sized), a mechanical pencil (red shaft), a carving tool (wooden handle, scraper at one end, point at the other), a dental pick (brass), a crayon (red) a few scraps of paper (blueish due to shadows), a small piece of soapstone (I’ve already started carving mine), a few curls of sandpaper (at base of mechanical pencil) and a coin level (at top of box, on its side). The latter is a small piece of metal mounted to a small scrap of wood.
The first step is to design the badge. It had to be something small enough to fit on a quarter sized coin. The final token will be the mirror image of the drawing, so anything like letters should be done backwards. Geometrics, unless perfectly carved, tend to look a little lopsided. For this step, we used the scraps of paper, the template, and the mechanical pencil. My design can be seen in the picture above, my badge is a slipper charged with a vair bell. (Yes, it’s a pun, work on it!)
The next step is to start carving the mold. Above, Lady Edana demonstrates how to use the plastic template and the carving tool to inscribe a circle on the soapstone mold to about the depth of a quarter. Once the circle has been inscribed into the mold, the coin level is inserted into the groove and gently pulled toward the center of the circle. The small block of wood rides across the face of the stone while the metal point scrapes the coin shape to a uniform depth. Do not force the level, it will leave a groove. Just keep lightly scraping a thin layer at a time until the coin shape is complete. Lady Edana demonstrates using the coin level to Duchess Dorinda. Dorinda’s token design, a cross bottony from her badge, is by her left wrist. In the first photo above, my completed coin shape can be seen on the mold next to the kit. The pile in the center is the soapstone dust from carving the coin and will be brushed out with the paintbrush onto the towel.
Pirate Ginevra (left) watches as (right, front to back) Duchess Dorinda, THL Keinven, and m’lady Apollonia all work on carving their molds
Once the coin blank is complete, the next step is to carve the design onto the coin. Remember that the design is backwards, so letters need to be reversed. The deeper into the mold, the higher the image will be above the coin blank. A single layered design is best for a first attempt, however my design was a vair bell on a slipper, so the slipper was carved into the coin, then the vair bell was carved inside the shoe, deeper into the mold. The small curls of sandpaper are used to smooth out designs and erase tool marks on the mold. To test your carving, Play-doh™ is your friend. Press a small piece into the mold, then gently pull it out by the edges. Shown below, a small piece of red Play-doh™ is pressed into Dorinda’s mold and gently pulled out to reveal the final design. If you are not satisfied with your design, you can continue working on the mold and testing until you are content with the design.
The next step is to create the sprue, the channel that the pewter will be poured through. Lady Maggie Baxter, above uses a large metal file to begin the sprue. Knife cuts will bring the channel up to the design without damaging it. The location of a sprue hole depends on the design. You want the pewter to pour into the entire mold, not rise into the smaller details. If you’re going to have a loop on top of your token, the sprue should probably enter the bottom of the coin.
Next, vent holes are cut into the mold to allow air to escape as the liquid metal enters. Otherwise, air pockets and bubbles will form and the pewter won’t fill the entire mold. For safety considerations, Lady Edana’s assistant did all the pouring. A second piece of soapstone was held against the first, to provide a back to the medallion. The second piece had a cross-hatch design which created a texture on the back.
A metal catch basin to hold the pewter while it cools, a camp stove starter, wire cutters for cutting sprue, and several bars of pewter waiting to be melted. Notice that we are using an ordinary camp stove to heat bricks of pewter in a steel crucible. Pewter has a melting point around 230* Celsius. The exact temperature depends on the specific blend of metals that make up the alloy. The pieces are small enough that they can be held them together in a welder’s gauntlet. If we were doing a larger piece, the mold halves would be tied together and placed on a table. Note that there is another mold on the stove near the burner. A warm mold keeps the pewter liquid for a few moments longer and allows it to flow more easily into small details in the mold.
The pewter solidifies within a minute and the mold is opened. This is Lady Helena’s stylized H and the sprue enters the medallion at the bottom. The medallion is dumped into the metal basin and allowed to cool to the point it can be handled with bare hands. The excess metal that fills the sprue hole, and vent holes, is also called sprue and must be removed with tin snips or wire cutters. The edges of the medallion are then filed or sanded smooth. The cut off sprue, and mis-cast medallions, are simply dropped back into the cauldron to be melted down for the next medallion.
Below we see Duchess Dorinda’s finished pewter tokens. The loop will need to be drilled out on a few of them.
Shown below is a medallion that has both a front and a back. Notice the pins and pinholes in the mold so that the images line up.
Here are the two medallions cast from the mold above, showing the back and front of the completed design.
Shown below is a mold allows you to pour five medallions at once. Again, note the pins and pinholes to make the front and back line up correctly.
Completed tokens from every member of the class. Left: m’lady Othilia’s candle in an archway, Lady Helena’s stylized H Center: top; Duchess Dorinda’s cross bottony, l-to-r; THL Keinven’s triquetra, Lady Maggie’s linden leaf, Lady Ginevra’s swan, m’lady Diane’s fret Right: top; Lady Cigfran’s raven, m’lady Apollonia’s wolf, THFool Dagonell’s vair slipper
Master Thorpe displays the African blade he made in his home forge for the third round of the show Forged In Fire. Photo by THL Fionnghuala.
By Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina (Chris Adler-France)
Æthelmearc fans of the History Channel’s metalsmithing competition, Forged In Fire, recognized a familiar face last week: Master John Michael Thorpe.
One of four competitors in the sixth episode of the fourth season of the show, Master Thorpe was named the champion of that episode’s challenge and won the $10,000 prize.
In each episode of the reality TV competition show, four entrants forge bladed weapons in a three-round elimination, with the first two three-hour rounds to create and improve a specific kind of knife out of a specific kind of metal in a Brooklyn, NY studio. The two finalists then have five days to create a specific historic sword in their home workshops before returning to the studio for their creation to be judged in a series of sharpness and sturdiness tests. Past competitions have challenged contestants to create such blades as Japanese katanas, Elizabethan rapiers, Norse battle axes, Scottish claymores, German katzbalger, and cavalry sabres. (See the Wikipedia article here for more about the show’s history.)
A metalworking Laurel and an SCA member since 1982, Master Thorpe has lived in Myrkfaelinn, Nithgaard, Thescorre, and now Delftwood for the past 13 years. He has three apprentices and is the founder and guild master of the Royal Guild of Æthelmearc Metalsmiths. He has served in a number of officer roles over the years, including kingdom chronicler, baronial seneschal, and several rapier marshallates.
He talked to The Gazette about the competition experience:
Q: First, congratulations on your win! Second, how long have you been a practicing blacksmith/silversmith and what experience do you have with metallurgy?
I have been making knives since I was about 14 and forging them since about 1990 or so. I am mostly self taught as a blade smith, but have learned a lot about metallurgy and blade performance from ABS Mastersmith Kevin Cashen, and Tim Zowada, and have had long discussions with Dr. Roman Landes, who literally wrote (in German) the authoritative book on the metallurgy of sharpness. I started working with metal professionally as a bench jeweler at 19, although my first exposure to the jewelry trade was in fourth grade (when a silversmith visited his class as part of the American Bicentennial celebrations). I learned enough by watching him that I was able to teach myself chasing and repousse from memory eight years later and started making jewelry in my dorm room at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology).
When I dropped out for a year on sick leave I went to work at a wholesale jewelry repair shop in Ithaca, where I worked my way up from polisher to bench jeweler. Repairing thousands of chains and sizing hundreds of rings is a great way to refine the fundamentals of your craft!
I taught myself metallurgy so that I could make better knives, and so that I could make a metallurgically correct 13th century knife to prove Laurel wrong when he said to someone that you could make a perfectly accurate 13th century knife that would work as well as the period ones by filing a blade out of the welding steel you get at a hardware store. I learned enough metallurgy in the process that despite my math education effectively ending after 9th grade, I was hired as a metallurgical associate engineer at an aerospace superalloy manufacturing plant, testing the metal that spins at high temperatures inside jet engines, and at one point was literally doing rocket science with tools that Benvenuto Cellini would recognize (using a chasing hammer and miniature carving chisels to collect samples for chemical analysis from the castings that became the main engine nozzles for the last three space shuttle missions).
Q: From watching the episode, it certainly appeared that you were very familiar with the competition’s specific expectations, such as the tests to gauge that the weapons were actually usable and not just impressive looking. So, how did you learn about this competition show and when did you begin watching it?
I initially learned about Forged in Fire when my wife (THL Fionnghuala inghean Diarmada) stumbled on it somewhere in the first season. I came down to watch the “cooking show about bladesmithing” and recognized one of the contestants from one of the bladesmithing hammer-ins I am a regular at. I went back and watched all of the episodes that were available and started watching regularly.
As to the specific expectations of the show, at one level, my focus in bladesmithing has always been on performance. A knife is a tool, I have always put function first, edge geometry (which determines sharpness), edge metallurgy (which determines how long an edge will continue cutting), and blade geometry (which determines how well a blade will pass through the medium it is cutting), how it will dissipate stress, etc.
The society of bladesmiths I have been a member of for over a decade, the New England Bladesmiths Guild (http://ashokanknifeseminar.com/), is a group of bladesmiths who organized the Ashokan Seminar as a vehicle to allow advancing knowledge of metallurgical science and bladesmithing outside of the heavily hype driven atmosphere of the more mainstream knife communities.
Q: What made you decide to enter this competition?
I am a horrible person. I sat and watched the show, armchair quarterbacking as the competition progressed with my wife (she can now recognize problems developing and strategic errors almost as quickly as I do, and as time went on I started bouncing some of my strategic ideas off of her for input).
As time went on, my ego got the best of me and I began to think that I could stand my ground against at least half of the winners skill-set wise, and that I had a better grasp of metallurgical knowledge than the majority of the competitors I had seen. I know and have shared an anvil with more than a few of the past episode winners, and I have a great deal of respect for the ones I know, but I felt that I had about a 50/50 chance in any given group and challenge.
Q: How did you prepare for the competition?
Since I don’t typically make blades over about five inches in length, before I even considered applying, I tested myself by forging a series of three blades giving myself a two-hour time limit from bar stock to quenched. I figured that if I could do that using all hand tools reliably, that would leave an hour for dealing with whatever material challenge curveball was thrown at me. When I proved to myself that I could do that, I sent in my application.
Q: First, you had to forge a Kukri (a large angled knife from Nepal) within a couple of hours in the studio with the other three contestants, then you and the other finalist had several days to make a specific blade in your home workshops. Had you ever made a Kukri or bent blade before? What were your thoughts about the in-studio challenge? Had you ever used the specific type of metal you were given to use?
Funny that you ask… I had never made a Kukri before, and in previous seasons competitors had always been tasked with “making a blade in their own signature style” for rounds one and two. I do not really have large blade signature style that would be appropriate for the typical performance tests, so I was planning to do a Persian style with a curved, tapered blade and trailing point, as that would perform well in the typical performance tests from the previous seasons. Then, they served up a curveball having us make a knife in (show judge) Jason Knight’s signature style. I had never intentionally made a blade with that kind of curve before. During the application process, the producer asked me if I had ever made anything “curvy or weird” before, so I ran out to the forge and made a quick serpentine dagger blade and emailed her the picture.
The Akrafena.
As to the type of steel, W1, I have used it to make little hand tools for chasing and repousse, but not for making a big blades. It is chemically similar to some other steels I have used, it is one of the most basic common tool steels, but not one of my usual choices for anything big.
Q: Had you ever made an Akrafena (an Ashanti sword with a perforated bulbous blade) or other large blade with cut-outs before? Your immediate response on the show, when told what you had to make, was that it was “scary.”
I have made several straight-bladed swords before, but not finished any of them into complete swords as I did not have the appropriate equipment to successfully heat-treat anything big to my standards (and the one rapier where I farmed out the heat treatment came back looking like a pretzel). The day before I left to go compete, I made a 45-inch-long electric heat treatment kiln (in his workshop) on the off-chance that I might make it to the final round and have to make something big, but I had not wired it or tested it before I left for New York. I did not have a quench tank big enough for a sword either.
I was not expecting to make it to the final round as I had not had any time to actually practice between the producers contacting me that it looked like I might be a contestant and when I had to get on a plane.
Q: What were your expectations when you entered the competition?
I went down with two goals: the first being to not get eliminated in the first round, and the second being to not embarrass my wife (Okay, not getting permanently injured is was also important.) Everything else was just gravy and experience points. I was going down to have fun.
Getting to the third round and facing the challenge of doing this extremely curved African sword with weird geometry and cutouts in the blade was intimidating. Then, adding in the logistical challenges that I had not had time to build any of the equipment that would speed up the build and make dealing with the odd shape easy was an extra piece of intimidation, not to mention that I was facing an opponent who had pulled off the unthinkable comeback (in the second round). I literally wired up the temperature control and modified a pottery kiln into a top-loading heat-treat kiln and welded up a quench tank during my home forge time with the camera recording my every move and the clock running. There were tons of logistical challenges to meet, and that was before I scrapped my first blade on the third day, and forge-welded five bars together to make up a bar with enough mass for a second attempt.
Q: How did you approach the Akrafena challenge? What was your process, how was it different or similar to blades you’ve made for the Society? What went well, what was the most difficult aspect of the challenge? How much did you research the historical weapon and how did that affect your design?
I researched the Akrafena on the Internet in the 32 hours I had between finding out that I was a finalist and the time my home forge time started. I was hoping that I would find one in the African section at the Metropolitan Museum of Art the morning before I flew back, but no luck. I analyzed about 20 examples and did up a CAD template that was true to the characteristics of the historic examples, and found about 30 pages of Adinkra symbols.
Then, after three days everything went sideways and I approached it basically as an exercise in situational triage. I started out with plans to make a fancy, very historically accurate piece while still following the design specifics designated in the rules. Things started to go wrong and I had to scrap the first attempt blade because it would be 1/8-inch shy of the required minimum in one dimension after finish grinding and trying to pull it out was not going as planned. I hit a point where I was not confident and abandoned my three days of work, starting over while there was still time. At that point, my whole strategy was just trying to make sure that I had a blade that could be tested, which was going to be a challenge considering the largest piece of stock I had was ¼-inch by 1 1/2-inch in cross section.
Q: What surprised you throughout the experience?
I won. Beyond that, the number of people involved in the production of the show, who are never seen on camera. During the three-hour forge sessions, there are easily more than 10 people just operating camera and sound equipment on the forge floor, all of us have at least one, more likely two or three cameras on us at any point during the three-hour sessions.
Also the lengths that they go to to ensure that everything is fair, the rules are followed, and that what you are seeing is real, despite the fact that only a tiny fraction of the footage makes it to the final edit. Seriously!
Beyond that, you expect that a reality show-type competition would have all sorts of artificially produced animosity between contestants to make drama happen? There was none of that. The production team was very professional and did nothing to try to encourage fake drama. While the four of us ribbed each other constantly in between the timed sessions, it was all good natured and we were laughing constantly (even when someone was the recipient of a particularly good barb) and have stayed in touch in the weeks since. We have plans to continue a good-natured series of build-off competitions under the name “Drunken Monkey Brotherhood Forge” to keep the camaraderie going.
Q: Brock, one of the other contestants, wore Ren Faire garb. Did you ever discuss the SCA with him?
I asked him if he does SCA. He does Ren Faire and LARP (live-action roleplaying), and that is where he makes his money.
Q: Have you ever entered any forging competitions before this? Do you plan on entering any future ones?
I do not typically do competitions, really not my style. Just like fencing tournaments, I feel most competitions bring out the worst in people and I want no part of that. This looked like fun and a unique opportunity, so I did it, not really to win, but just to do it. I had fun, and the experience was great, so I would go back and do it again given the opportunity.
Q: Is the $10,000 prize going toward any specific equipment or materials?
Medical debt. I plan to pay off some stuff, then the money that is no longer going to the creditors will go towards getting back to Florence and Munich, and taking the curator of European Weapons Collections at the Royal Armory at Leeds up on his invitation to take a close look at some pieces in the collections there.
Q: Did you get to keep either of the blades you created?
All weapons produced are property of the History Channel.
Q: Any suggestions or tips for others who want to try entering this competition?
My only real tip is this is an extreme athletic event with a technical challenge and a fire show. The round one conditions in the forge are tough, and have taken out several competitors, including one who had to be hospitalized. Understanding metallurgy and edge geometry is essential, as well as the ability to think on the fly.
If you missed the broadcast on the History Channel, you can see it here on the show’s webpage.
Master Thorpe’s metalworking business, Sunshadow Designs, can be found here on Facebookand here on the web.
Medievally speaking, what gets your creative juices flowing?
Is it getting your hands dirty making stuff?
Is it figuring out how things were done?
Delving into the when and where and why of medieval life?
Is it learning something you didn’t know before?
Is it learning more about something that intrigues you?
If you answered “YES!” to any of these questions, consider teaching at Æthelmearc Æcademy and War College, hosted by the Shire of Ballachlagan (Wheeling, WV), on June 11.
So far, we have 25 classes (that’s 31 class-hours!) scheduled, on these topics: Bardic, Brewing, Clothing, Dance, Embroidery, Heraldry, History, Metalworking, Research, SCA Life, Scribal, Youth Track, War College — Fencing (for a listing of class titles and descriptions, please visit the Æcademy website).
But sadly, there are NO classes (yet) in Cooking, Equestrian Arts, or Fiber Arts. If you’ve never taught at Æcademy (or if it’s been a while), no problem! It’s easy to register — Just go to the Æcademy registration page and supply the requested information about yourself and your class.
If you’ve never taught a class (or have taught but are still a bit nervous about teaching), I have a solution! On Saturday of Æthelmearc War Practice, from 3 to 4 pm, I’ll be teaching a class called “Documentation to Class,” which will give you ideas to turn what you know into a successful class.
If you have signed up to teach at Pennsic, consider teaching at Æcademy as a “dress rehearsal.” Teaching in June will give you time to fine-tune your class. Plus, the feedback and experience will boost your confidence.
The Buffalo Maritime Center (https://
DEMONSTRATING MAKING A HINGE
A senior blacksmith cuts bar stock for hinge plates. The BMC asked us to ‘make them look handmade,’ so we cut without measuring which varied the width of the strap hinge by as much as a half inch from largest to smallest and we left hammer marks in the final product instead of flattening them out. Forgemaster Tim holds a hinge plate in a clamp prior to heating. The clamp allows for the hinge to be more easily manipulated. An early version is in his left hand along with an uncut plate. Rolling the knuckle on a strap hinge. Using a drift to shape the inside of the knuckle for the pin. There are two ways to insert a drift. The first method is to roll the knuckle tight and then hammer the drift into it to open it up. The second method is to almost close the knuckle, trap the drift and then hammer the knuckle closed. We found the second method easier. The drift is pointed for easier removal. By quenching the back end of the hinge in ice water, you drive the heat towards the knuckle which makes it more malleable. We had to break the ice in the bucket with a hammer. A finished strap hinge with a knuckle. Note that the tip was beveled to an edge before rolling it over to form a better inner circle without the edge cutting into the metal plate. Starting to shape a knuckle on the hinge plate. Notice that there’s a slight upward bulge to the knuckle. As the knuckle is hammered on the outside, it will only flatten instead of denting inward. Forming the curl of the knuckle. Tightening the curl. Further tightening the curl. Comparing a strap hinge and a half-finished hinge plate to make sure they fit together.
Medievally speaking, what gets your creative juices flowing?