Forging iron
Youth and seniors come together to learn forgotten trades
The ringing of the hammer hitting metal echoed across Spinnaker’s Landing Tuesday, as Tristan Campbell picked up his heated piece of iron and put it back on the forge. Campbell, an 18-year-old Holland College student in Georgetown, had never tried blacksmithing.
“I study welding and fabrication.”
Looking for a change of pace, Campbell decided to try out blacksmithing. “I heard about the program through my aunt. She told me how Wyatt Heritage Properties was having blacksmithing and wood-turning classes.” Campbell added, “I wanted to try something new. Well, in this case, old.”
Lori Ellis, manager of the Wyatt Heritage Properties, spearheaded the program with hope to bring focus to the history of the Bishop Machine Shop. “The bishop family had a machine shop in the 1800s, so it featured blacksmithing as well as wood turning,” explained Ellis. “We wanted to create a project for people who have the skills for these old kinds of art to pass on to seniors and youth.” The idea was to have classes happen out in the public, said Ellis. That’s where the mobile blacksmithing and wood-turning carts came into play.
“It’s the perfect location. People will come and watch and listen in to the classes. I’ve seen people immediately drawn to the area because of the fire.”
To get the project started, Ellis placed an ad in the Journal Pioneer and spread flyers around, calling for mentors and participants who would be interested in the program.
“I was nervous putting it out there, in case no one had come forward but we had people sign up.” Steve Reaman saw the ad and volunteered to be a mentor. Reaman, who has been involved in blacksmithing since he was 15, got his start horseshoeing. “Through horseshoeing I took a few blacksmithing courses and then continued to learn ornamental iron work,” Reaman explained. “I was fortunate enough to have a really fantastic instructor. Some of the stuff I’ve learned these guys wouldn’t be able to learn now. I’m just trying to make it easier for them to get into.” Reaman said students seem to be enjoying themselves, including Gina Markov. “I heard about the program and was like ‘count me in, sign me up’,” she said. Markov, 67, has taken some metal working courses with high school students, but the energy with this program is different.
“It’s so youthful. It’s taking old people, like me, and bringing us together with young people like them,” she explained. Markov admits she was a bit hesitant when she first started, but she feels differently now. “I’m more confident now. It’s just everything is so hot it would be so easy to accidently brand someone. We have to be careful.”