Forge Men

Forge men work to form steel or iron into a set shape - most often by heating it to extremely high temperatures and then pounding the hot metal into whatever shape is called for in the finished product. In effect, forge men perform the same duties as blacksmiths.

Forge men learn basic techniques including hitting hot metal with a hammer by hand. Many forge men also learn drop forging - when molds are mechanically placed on both sides of the hot metal and then driven together with mechanically propelled hammers. Others learn press forging, which uses hydraulic presses rather than hammering the molds into place. Still others focus on roll forging, a process that rolls hot metal between two rollers either to flatten it or to score the metal to make it easier to shape, or cold forging, which uses pressure to shape metal without the use of heat.

Because almost all forms of forging require extreme temperature as a part of preparing the metal to be shaped, some sort of insulation is necessary in order to contain the heat to the ovens and the metal itself and, of course, to reduce the risk of fire. Prior to the 1970s, when the risks associated with using asbestos became well known, the inexpensive, readily available and highly effective substance was often used in the areas where forge men and blacksmiths worked. Additionally, asbestos-containing products were used to shield the forge men from the heat and to protect their work surfaces.

Risks on the Job

It is widely known that certain jobs are riskier than others. Even so, most people in today's society expect worker safety to be an important priority of employers, enforced by government regulations. Unfortunately, even in recent history, these expectations were not always met when it came to asbestos exposure, and workers were placed in situations that jeopardized their health.

Asbestos and Its Effects on Human Health

What we call asbestos is actually a group of minerals that is divided into two types. The most commonly utilized was "white" asbestos, or the serpentine type. Generally not associated with asbestos cancer or mesothelioma, this type is a relatively pliable variety of the mineral. However, when breathed in, serpentine asbestos can result in abrasions on the inner surfaces of the lungs. Asbestosis may then be the result when scar tissues accumulate in the lungs.

The second type is called the amphibole group and is much deadlier. Lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma, an unusual and all too often lethal cancer affecting the mesothelium (the tissue that lies between the lungs and the pleural cavity), are the most common malignancies that are caused by being exposed to amphibole asbestos. Less common types of mesothelioma include peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma; these diseases are also linked with exposure to amphibole asbestos.

Why It Was Used

It is somewhat ironic that asbestos was utilized in erecting plants and factories and when manufacturing many items because of its ability to save lives. Chrysotile asbestos is one of the most effective insulators known when it comes to fire and high temperature and has been used for the purpose throughout history. In addition, amphibole asbestos possessed other useful characteristics. For instance, "brown" asbestos, or amosite, has a high iron content, making it resistant to caustic chemicals. "Blue" asbestos, or crocidolite, is a particularly good insulator against electricity and was often chosen when high voltage was an issue. By combining different types of fibers, many different ACMs (asbestos-containing materials) could be made that protected people and property against combustion, extreme temperatures, electrical contact and chemical burns.

As long as it remained solid, asbestos posed almost no hazard. As these ACMs aged, however, they became friable, or able to be reduced to powder by hand pressure alone. When friable, asbestos particles are easily dispersed in the atmosphere, where they can cause health problems after they are breathed in or drunk. Asbestos fibers that landed on employees' skin, hair, or clothing could also place others at risk unless effective safety measures, including using on-site showers, were enforced.

The Time Bomb

As opposed to most workplace injuries, which are easily observed and known about immediately following the causing incident, asbestos-related diseases may take ten, twenty, or even thirty years to develop. The symptoms of mesothelioma and asbestosis - pain in the chest, a chronic cough and shortness of breath (also known as dyspnea) - can easily be mistaken for those of other conditions. New ways to combat mesothelioma are being discovered, and early detection provides patients and their doctors the best chance to combat the previously always-fatal form of cancer. Accordingly, it is very important for all that worked as forge men, and anyone who resided with them, to tell their doctors about the chance of exposure to asbestos. Traditionally, the mesothelioma survival rate is grim, yet treatments like mesothelioma radiation and early diagnosis can improve the prognosis for this disease.

Sources

AnvilFire.com - A Resource for Blacksmiths and Related Metal Workers
http://www.anvilfire.com/

Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos (New York: Touchstone, 2003)

eHow - How to Forge Metal: Basic Metal Working Techniques
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_5008_forge-basic-metal-working-techniques.html

JSTOR Archives - Industrial Classes in the United States in 1940
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2280629

Queen City Forging - Answers to Questions About Forging
http://www.qcforge.info/

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) - Laboratories and Shops
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages3.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Disposal
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/HAZEXCEPTIONS/a.html

WiseGeek - What Are Different Metal Forging Techniques
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-different-metal-forging-techniques.htm