Moving with the times

The purpose of restoring the forge is to capture a slice of time, but the most regular work a blacksmith did in the old days was shoeing horses. It’s very rare for people to bring horses in to be shod these days. Instead, the farriers use a small portable gas forge, so they can shoe the horses in their paddocks, and the blacksmiths at Nichol’s forge make things like trowels and trivets, pokers, and garden tools.

No matter what you’re making as a blacksmith, says Judy, the work is strenuous and dirty from the earthen floor, the coal smoke, and the sweat.

“Most smithies use their left arm to pump the bellows, and with the right arm they’re banging metal, so they get really good arm muscles. There’s no need to go to the gym. I find it very physical and can’t forge for too long.”

She makes fire tools for her own use. “I’ve got an outdoor fire, so I’ve made a good long poker with a hook at the end because I find it easier to poke wood around and turn logs with a hooked end.”

She also makes small hand tools for digging out dock and dandelion roots from the garden.

“Lately I’ve been making trivets for holding a pot or pan above the heat source when I’m cooking on a log burner and even on a gas cooker because sometimes it’s hard to get a very low heat. I’ve got a low, medium, and high trivet; each one gradually takes the vessel higher above the heat. The high trivet is wonderful on the log burner. You can put your kettle on it after it’s boiled, and it stays hot; and for pickles and sauces where you want that slow, long cook. I love doing spiral trivets. They have a lovely heft to them. I have a relatively small one that I’ve used as a hammer, but I also put it on the fire and stick it in my pocket as a hand warmer.” 