Young blacksmith’s love for a craft now seeing a comeback
Some people may consider blacksmithing a lost art, but one Henfield teenager has fallen in love with the craft.
Roger Simeons, 19, took a course at Plumpton College and started blacksmithing in 2018.
He said: “I fell in love with it.
“Right now I’m working on a couple of hand rails. I will be at the forge – forging away the components, assembling them, painting them.
“A lot of work goes into them if you make them the traditional way.
“It’s extremely demanding. You toughen up very quickly.”
Blacksmithing ‘doesn’t take any prisoners’ according to Roger.
He added: “I have had quite a few injuries – nothing fatal.
“I have scalded my left eyelid quite badly.
“I have had shards of metal going into my hands. Endless burns. Other than that I try to be careful.
“I can’t say when I would like to stop. I would like to retire when I have had a good few decades doing it. I love it so much.
“I’m going to keep going until either I can’t or I change my mind about doing it.”
Blacksmithing nearly died as a craft, according to Roger, but he said the trend is now beginning to reverse.
He added: “You don’t need a blacksmith – you choose the blacksmith because of the artistic and authentic abilities.
“It’s quite easy to spot something handmade.
“People want something that has a genuine personality about it.
“Something someone poured a lot of effort into making.
“It’s very fulfilling to see people react to my work like it’s a breath of fresh air.”
Roger said the best piece of work he has made is a baroque candle holder.
He added: “It took me about a week and a half to do. I poured everything I had into it. It looks, I like to say, quite good.”
Roger said anyone who wants to be a blacksmith needs a huge amount of tenacity and that he has made pieces costing between £20 and £2,000.
He added: “It depends on how much time, how much effort goes into the piece.”
To find out more about Roger’s work please contact him on email at adurforge@ outlook.com