Sam Gooding's Tool-Making Class

 Jeff enjoyed taking a tool-making class this past weekend taught by Sam Gooding:

And these photos are from our friend Steve Walthall, who organized the class:

A Great Use for Our Son's 90 Degree Hook! (Gutter Cleaning!)

It was a rare spring Saturday morning, because we weren't gone from the house by 6 a.m. to a demo.  Odd, I know.  We even checked the calender a couple of times to make sure we hadn't missed something!  But, instead, we got some house projects done. The gutter cleaning totally vindicated my younger son who "created" the 90 degree hook design at a demo last year.   It turns out that 90 degree hooks are PERFECT for this task!  Who knew????

Congratulations to Jeff!

We learned yesterday that Jeff has successfully made it through Phase 1 of the juried competition to become a member of the Torpedo Factory Artists' Association.  The work I submitted was not as successful.  There are still two phases to go, but it's an honor to have made it this far!  Well done, Jeff!

Art Challenge Day 1: Forging an Iron Heart

We've been challenged to post 5 days of creative endeavors, so we're starting the week off with an iron heart project in honor of Valentine's Day.  Jeff took advantage of some warmer temps and headed out to the forge yesterday to make two hearts; this is his own design and a very popular piece.  One has been spoken for, but the other is available. Just let us know if you are interested...

And, here's how the pieces will look when they are finished.  Lovely!

 

A Few Favorites... Demo Season is Fast Approaching!

 

Ironwork Photos

Unfortunately, it's quite rare that I take photos of Jeff's ironwork -- usually, he makes something for commission and it's gone before we think to document it!  Here are a few photos of pieces he's made in the past few months...

Finishing a Trivet

When Jeff worked at Colonial Williamsburg over Thanksgiving, he made a very nice trivet.  Today, he finished the piece.  It looks great!  And, as I type this, he's got the power hammer going for the 1st time....

Holiday Travels -- A Visit with Kelly Smyth

The highlight of our whirlwind travel from DC to Florida was a visit with our friend, Kelly Smyth. If you haven't checked out her ironwork, you definitely should! Kelly is a wonderful artist with an expertise in traditional ironwork. She has forged ships’ hardware for many recently constructed historic vessels -- just last year we admired her work on the Susan Constant and Discovery, at Jamestown Settlement and the Kalmar Nyckel. We got to know Kelly years ago when we demo'd with her at Claude Moore Colonial Farm, and she's been a special part of our lives ever since. She even gave our kids their first blackmsithing lessons!  

Jeff in Colonial Williamsburg's Blacksmith Shop

Jeff had a fabulous time blacksmithing in the James Anderson Blacksmith's Shop at Colonial Williamsburg this past Friday.  It was the highlight of his Thanksgiving holiday, to be sure!  Many thanks to Fred for this photo!

Jeff Welds a Coal Forge

It's the "off season" for us, so both Jeff and I are taking advantage of the time to learn some new things and work on some projects that simply can't get done when we are teaching and demonstrating most every weekend.  Of course, Jeff is teaching a lot during this season, too (next weekend is a custom class that will make shepherd's crooks...and a few weekends ago was a custom class that made bottle openers).  And, we are already putting together our demo schedule for next year.  But, this past weekend, Jeff went to his own class and welded a coal forge.  He had a great time.

Our Blacksmithing Demo at Claude Moore's October Market Fair

We spent a lovely fall weekend at Claude Moore Colonial Farm's Market Fair.  Jeff and Vince did some great forging, making Frederick crosses and cooking implements (i.e. trivets, a tripod, vegetable skewers, and a beautiful spit).  As always, the fair offers many entertainments and artists (i.e. spinners, rope-makers, pewter-smiths, children's games, fencing, etc..).  Here are some scenes: