Came across a stat about medieval forge temperatures that caught me off guard

I was reading through an old blacksmithing journal from the 1800s and found a note saying charcoal forges could reach 2,300 degrees, same as modern ones. Never realized they got that hot back then with just bellows and basic setups. Has anyone else run into old records that surprised them about early smithing methods?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.mia1mo agoMost Upvoted

It's funny you mention that because it kind of fits a bigger pattern i've noticed. People act like old technology was primitive and weak, but so much of it was just as capable as modern stuff, just different. Like, you look at medieval cathedrals and they figured out how to build things that hold up for centuries with just stone and math. Same with smithing I guess, they had the fire know-how, they just had to work harder to get there. It makes you wonder what other everyday skills we've lost or forgotten that used to be totally normal. Kinda humbling really.

taylorcarr1mo ago

Yeah I saw a documentary once where they tested a medieval forge and it hit 2300 degrees no problem.