Blacksmithing Calculators

Forge temperature, fuel, hammer and anvil matching, quenching. 9 calculators for the forge. Machining, welding and sheet work sit under Metalworking.

Steel heat colour is why a smith with no pyrometer in the shop can still land inside a fifty degree window. Heated steel emits light that shifts predictably with temperature, so the colour is a live thermometer. Faint red at 900°F is barely enough to bend mild steel. Orange around 1,725°F is a good general forging heat. Light yellow at 2,100°F is where forge welding starts, and white is past all of it, where steel burns instead of moving.

Anvil mass ratio settles an argument that comes up in every beginner forum. The old rule of 50 times the hammer weight is about energy, not tradition. A heavy anvil reflects the blow back into the work. A light one absorbs it as rocking and vibration, so you swing harder for less. 30:1 is workable for portable setups, 75:1 is comfortable, 100:1 is a striking station.

Read the colour in shade. Sunlight through an open door makes yellow look orange, and that is how good steel gets burned.