Metal Working

[popeyespappy]

What do you plan on making? Ornamental stuff or knives and tools. Are you interested in Damascus?

Simple stuff to start with (obviously) until I learn what I’m doing. Eventually, I’d like to get into ornamental wrought iron work.

When I was a kid, we had a Gypsy farrier come round periodically to shoe the few horses we kept. He also made wrought iron doodads - picture frames, tool racks, drawer handles, etc. Beautiful stuff.

Boru

Last week I got to visit the storage area of a NPS historic area in Louisiana. One of the things that caught my eye was an old leather forge bellows. I remember something very similar at my grate grandfather's property in the early 60's. When I recognized it for what it was the park manager asked if I wanted to see some of the stuff made on that forge. Around the corner there were several ornamental iron crosses made by former slave Solomon Williams for his friends and relatives in the black cemetery. One of the the crosses he made is currently on display at the black history museum in DC.