HEAT + FORCE = AMAZING THINGS!
On December 18, 2009, a bakers' dozen of curious individuals gathered for a workshop at a forge on Missoula's Northside. These folks, most of whom were MUD members, were there to learn an ancient craft - blacksmithing.That word usually conjures images of a) sweaty burly men, stripped to the waist, toiling ceaselessly in Hades-like conditions, b) a farrier shoeing horses and fitting each shoe uniquely, or c) elaborate and intricate iron gates and arches. What we learned that frosty afternoon was the precursor of all those. Quite simply, we learned to start a hot fire, keep it hot, and utilize it to shape metal.
Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of hard work. The fire has to be built, that's right, constructed "just so" using the right materials. It must be monitored, and air must be forced into it through bellows almost constantly. It helps to have more than one person in the forge for just this reason - it is more complicated to heat and shape iron while working the bellows.
And, preconceptions of banging on metal were proven absolutely true. There is an art to it, though. The iron must be just the right temperature, glowing orange but not giving off sparks (which means the metal itself is burning). When the metal glows, immediately pull it out of the fire, step to an anvil and begin pounding the iron with your favorite hammer. The sound is purely medieval, the essence of so long ago compressed into a swinging motion that ends with an unmistakable clang.
We were warmed as much by our imaginations and enthusiasm as by the fires of the forge. The sensation of collaborating with fuel, air, heat and metal to craft useful and attractive pieces from iron is remarkable. It feels intuitive, as though your body inherited this movement and knowledge from people who applied it daily hundreds of years ago. Today master blacksmiths are a rare profession, but for an afternoon, a handful of Missoulians joined an age-old tradition.
For more information about MUD workshops, or to register for the 2010 Blacksmithing workshop:
Click here.
We were warmed as much by our imaginations and enthusiasm as by the fires of the forge. The sensation of collaborating with fuel, air, heat and metal to craft useful and attractive pieces from iron is remarkable. It feels intuitive, as though your body inherited this movement and knowledge from people who applied it daily hundreds of years ago. Today master blacksmiths are a rare profession, but for an afternoon, a handful of Missoulians joined an age-old tradition.
For more information about MUD workshops, or to register for the 2010 Blacksmithing workshop:
Click here.
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Tags: MUD, Missoula, blacksmithing, do-it-yourself, self-sufficiency, sustainability, workshops
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