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Welcome to Steve's Blacksmith Shop. Open for Business.

This workshop is dedicated to my father, who is a very talented man who has educated himself in many trades, blacksmithing being one of them. His father, my grandfather, was a coal miner in West Virgina, and provided for 13 children, my father being the youngest. Because of growing up this way, my father used many of the old traditions that have long been forgotten. He passed on many old time traditions to me. For this reason, when I opened the Spring Fling project and it began to speak to me it told me to become a blacksmith shop to help preserve these traditions.

As I began researching for this project, my father gave me some background on the village blacksmith. In times past the blacksmith was a key member of the small communities since he was highly valued for making and repairing things people needed. He could make and repair: guns, farm equipment, tools, and just about anything made from metal. If given a choice small towns would choose a blacksmith over even having a doctor. As the blacksmith closed his shop for the night they would lay their hammer across the anvil forming a rudimentary cross to ward off the fire demons that may come out and do mischief to the shop during the night.

Remembering the little blacksmith shed my father has, which he set up with his forge, anvil, and tools was a trip back into my childhood. This helped in the making all of my miniatures, which 90% I hand crafted. When I began construction, I remembered all the little details around me while I played with as my father worked. I used a stump like his to mount the anvil, which I cut from a limb. I used pine needles, and wire to make a whisk like he used to clean off his anvil. The working vise is made from bolts and sculpy. The working grind stone is even painted the color of the one I peddled in my youth giving my dolls a ride. The working bellows are made from wire, floral tape, wood, and wood glue. The forge was crafted from hand made sculpy bricks and glue, brick by brick. The tools were all hand made, including carved wooden hammer handles, opening shears, and tongs.

4miniloves