"Keith Nuttle" wrote in message ...

On 4/22/2013 10:16 AM, PHT wrote:
On Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:59:38 -0400, Keith Nuttle wrote:

My grandfather was a blacksmith, and I have one of his tongs that he
made to fit his hand. (Missing finger) It is bent so the one arm neatly
fits into the hole caused by the missing finger. With the bend he could
use the tongs with one hand while he used the hammer with the other.

About the closest anybody comes to being a blacksmith nowadays is those
that shoe horses. In the past this was done the the blacksmith. Most all
iron work nowadays is done with machines. When I was in high school (many
years ago) we was required to do some items using a forge as a blacksmith
would. It was a something you did not forget.

Paul T.

Blacksmithing has made some what of a come back even though it will never
be what it was in the 1900's. Yes there is a large need for the shoeing of
horses, and you can usually find one around a horse show.

The other place to find blacksmiths is the many historical recreations and
historical sites. If you go to some place like Feast of the Harvest Moon
in Lafayette Indiana you will find a dozen working blacksmiths. Some with a
simple forge to some very sophisticate set up. Many historical sites, have
a working blacksmith shops, examples are Marbry Mill on the Blue Ridge
Parkway, Connor Prairie in Indiana, Tryon Place in New Bern NC, and many
similar sites.

While they practice the historic profession, their main products are
hinges, and other simple iron items. I believe I saw one where they were
making an iron fence.

In some historical sites, they do the larger task, such as wagon repair and
construction and other Blacksmithing project to maintain the site and the
historical accuracy.

I know quite a number of blacksmiths... Some from my time working in the
gunsmith shop at Colonial Williamsburg. There are three blacksmiths within 5
miles or so of me right now. Two do commercial commissions and the third is
pretty much retired now being in his late 70s.

Peter Ross was master of the blacksmith shop at Williamsburg when I worked
there http://peterrossblacksmith.com/. Roy Underhill has had him on the
Woodwright's Shop numerous times.

I just posted some photos to abpw of some kitchen cabinets made from solid
crotch walnut with hand forged hinges, etc. These reside in one of my
friend's home in VA whom I visited this past summer on my bicycle trip from
FL to NY. My friend was a gunsmith at Williamsburg and held other skilled
positions at Williamsburg prior to his retirement.

John

P.S. If you want to read about my trip...
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/RVW2013