My Connection to Blacksmithing
My start to blacksmithing came about when my son, started asking questions about what his 'pop' did for a job, to which I replied: "he was the local blacksmith, but now there are not many left". My son and I then began heating and shaping metal for fun, using some of my dad's blacksmithing gear. Then it hit me, "this is a dying art". Five years down the track we are still hammering away and this is my story.
My father was a blacksmith and worked for thirty-plus years making and repairing leaf springs for trucks, cars and trailers. This involved using a coal / coke forge fire, rolling and hammering red hot steel with large sledgehammers and on occasion, a huge power hammer was used to shape the metal. He also made crowbars, cattle and stock brands, decorative fire pokers, railings, gates, and jackhammer tools for the local council.
When I was a kid, I remember watching dad working exhaustingly hard over the hot forge - “The art of shaping metal over a hot flame, there was a real dance to it. There is no wasted movement, he had to work fast and efficiently, when he took a piece out of the forge, he needed to know exactly what he was going to do with it.”
I recall: "going to dad's shop after school and being mesmerised by the physical and hot work, his strength and skill to shape steel into any tool or article that he could think off. These items would often be created by eye with very few measurements, just pure skill – he was a master of his trade. I loved watching him make cattle brands, this is where you saw a real artisan at work".
Our communities don’t depend on smiths like they used to. Mechanisation and mass production have made the term 'Blacksmith' redundant but surprisingly the craft still draws a curious crowd. Blacksmithing today has morphed into something else-a challenging and consuming pastime.
With modern technology comes new opportunities for a blacksmith where I can share my skills, hobby and passion through the internet and social media. This has enabled new business opportunities. All I can say now is ‘Strike while the iron is hot".
Join me in the mission to keep this artisan skill alive. Like and favourite my shop, my products and even better, maybe purchase an item. Thanks for reading my journey.
