Plant Hanger

Check out my plant hanger in its new home!  This plant hanger was bought by a visitor to the American Horticultural Society, where many of my pieces are for sale in the gift shop.

Thanks so much to Jane for sending over the photo!  I love seeing where people use my work.  It is always nice to see the pieces in their environment.

The Mesmer Baquet, Part 2

In early January, I helped a local teacher build a Mesmer Baquet for the teacher's "living history" class.  It was a fascinating project and I was pleased to be a part of it.  Recently, we got to see the students demonstrate Mesmer's baquet at a local apothecary museum as part of  program about science in the 1700s.

Not only did the work look wonderful on display, but the students were quite impressive with their knowledge.

Did you know that Ben Franklin was the person who showed Mesmer to be a hoax?

It was great fun to see how the baquet would have been used, complete with incense, flowers, and powerful suggestions!

Leaf Bottle Opener

As time permits, I invites friends out to spend some time in the forge.  Earlier this winter, Matt joined me and we made a leaf bottle opener.  

Since I rarely makes things more than once unless folks request items, this is the only photo we have of it since it went home w/ its new owner.  In fact, we'd pretty much forgotten about it until Matt sent the photo over.  Thanks!

A Mesmer Bacquet

As anyone who knows me will attest, I am not a fan of making the same thing over and over, so I was thrilled when a local teacher contacted us and asked if I could help make some materials for his living history class. 

I started with a replica of a Mesmer Bacquet, an odd "wooden bucket with iron rods coming out of it that people (who wanted to be Mesmerized) would hold in order to be connected to a large magnet (and magic potions) within" as the teacher explained to us. 

Here's a link to an article for more information, if you are like us and didn't know much about this part of the 18th century! 

A Back Scratcher in New York

We love to receive photos of my pieces in their new homes. 

This back scratcher now lives in New York.

Claude Moore Follow-up

One of the nicest things about doing demonstrations is meeting lots of great people.

One such family contacted Jeff prior to last weekend's Claude Moore Market Fair to verify that he was going to be demonstrating there; the father wanted to show his son the art of blacksmithing.  It was really wonderful to meet them, and they sent us the following photo of Jeff in action:

Likewise, it's also great to reconnect with folks who have bought some of Jeff's work and hear how they enjoy what he made for them.   Not only did Jeff find out that a colonial-style trivet (to be used with an open fire) worked wonderfully for this family, but he later received this photo of the piece in use:

Thanks so much!

Colonial Cooking Trivet

I recently completed a nice colonial cooking trivet for some friends we met through Claude Moore and I was glad to see it turned out so well.

It was the first time I have made one of these, so I ended up making two because I didn't like the first one, but it was a great learning experience and also a tremendous opportunity to dig into the research on how these things were used.

After much thinking while I was making the piece and a couple long conversations with a couple of colonial period cooks at Williamsburg, I was very pleased to see this come to fruition.  Like I often say, one of the reasons I love blacksmithing so much is because of the "infinite learning curve".

Can't wait to see what I will learn next!  :-)

Scroll Candlesticks In Use

I made some scroll candlesticks for a friend from Claude Moore recently and he sent me a shot of them on his dining room table next to a trencher they got from the Mount Vernon Craft Fair, so I was pleased to see them in use in such nice company!

Lots of Hooks

I was greeted a Market Fair this year by a few familiar faces, who came with photos and measurements for items they wanted me to make for them.  I love that sort of thing and was happy to make their custom items.  I made a bunch of things during the Fair and have since made a custom hook for a tent for another demonstrator, a series of S-hooks, and drapery hooks (to hold back drapes)...

Here are some shots of these hooks:



The Rooker

Even as we were loading the cars with all sorts of tools, colonial-style clothing, and everything else needed for tomorrow's Market Fair, I was finishing up the "rooker" (sort of a fire poker) for the new colonial bake oven we made at Claude Moore.

We'll test all these tools this weekend, so I will likely have revisions to make for July's Market Fair. No one we know has ever actually used tools exactly like this, so we are all expecting to learn some things as we try them out.  But, for now, we've run out of time in the forge, so these will have to do for this weekend.

Tools for the Colonial Bake Oven

With a covering of mud, clay, sand, lime and dung over the bricks (and plans to put another layer of the same materials, plus some straw, on top of the 1st layer), the oven is pretty much finished....just in time for this weekend's Market Fair where it will be put to work baking bread.  It looks pretty amazing.

Final details still remain, though, and I have been hustling to forge some tools for the baking process using colonial-era drawings and photos.  I made a "scuffle" (which I keep calling a "kerfluffle" for some strange reason), which seems to be basically a colonial-style mop - a rag will go through the iron hole and a wooden handle will go on the other end.  We have some doubts about how well it will work.

I've also made a sort of a hoe to rake ashes out of the oven:

And, now I am headed into the forge to make a "rooker", which is similar to a fire poker.  Other folks are fashioning the wooden handles, building a peal, and various other implements.  In the meantime, a fire has been lit in the oven and the mud covering is drying out. 

There are still two days before Market Fair....plenty of time!

A Campfire Tripod

About Us

Jeff Dunkelberger started blacksmithing after catching the bug in early 2008.  The idea of having his own forge came in time and now Black Forest Iron Works is a home-based forge that operates on small projects for sale at several outlets carrying his work.

Jeff has studied under notable blacksmiths Elmer Roush, Doug Merkel, Mark Aspery, Gerald Boggs, Mike Tanner, George Anderton and Albin “Albie” Drzewianowski and continues studying and practicing his craft.

Jeff actively participates in several local blacksmith guilds, but the area of his trade that currently gives him the most satisfaction is working as a living-history re-enactor.  He was chosen in 2009 as the primary blacksmith for the Claude Moore Colonial Farm’s Market Fair events, held three times per year in McLean, Virginia.  During these events, Jeff demonstrates the craft to several thousand people in a typical weekend while dressed appropriately in 1771 attire and using Colonial tools and methods.  In this regard, blacksmithing is a creative outlet Jeff can share with his family since Jeff’s wife and 2 young sons also attend the fairs in period attire.

Jeff was recently asked to join the staff of the Blacksmith Shop at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens as a part-time smith demonstrating to many of the 40,000 people per week that visit the historic estate.  In August 2011, Jeff was elected to serve on the board of ABANA, the Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America, where he hopes to make a positive impact for the benefit of the wider blacksmithing community.

Jeff and his wife also recently built a log cabin in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, working weekends and vacations for nearly three years.  They now rent Chestnut Oak Lodge so others may enjoy it also.  When not blacksmithing or building, Jeff is a Services Account Executive with Dell.  He lives with his wife, their two sons and two cats in Alexandria, VA.

As anyone who knows Jeff will attest, he has a strong desire to see the growth of the trade as together all current smiths "rediscover" what the blacksmiths of old faced each day and, in the process, serve the common good by educating people about the important role blacksmiths played in the development of our country and our shared culture.  

Jeff can be reached at 703-765-3000 or at inquiries@blackforestironworks.com.

Back Scratchers & Candlestick Mast

I have been busily working on items for the quickly approaching May Market Fair.  I finally completed a new candlestick mast for a great customer that wanted another one and I also took the opportunity to make a couple of backscratchers for a bit of warmup.

I did something new with these two - I hammered a flat spot on the handle to make room for my touchmark.  I really like this idea and I think it adds a special charm to the piece.

In the Forge: Completed Coffee Table

My latest project is a coffee table, which is still missing its glass on top and glass shelf since the client is providing those items.  The client provided the iron gate, which is forming the top of the table, and I made the base by hammering the legs and welding it all together.

After that, I sent it to be sandblasted and powder-coated to match the grill and I am very pleased with the results!

Three Legged Staff

Below is a picture of the surveyor's tripod buily by my friend and fellow re-enactor Paul Parish.  Paul plays a colonial era surveyor at various events and recently found a period compass that will grace this stand.

BFIW provided the metal tips and we are pleased to have played a small part in this interesting project.  Look for Paul and his compass at the various Colonial events in the DC metro area!

In the Forge: Repairing a Door Latch

I recently repaired a door latch for the American Horticultural Society.  It was a bit intimidating to work on something that Colonial Williamsburg originally made, but years of usage had made the latch to not fit properly. 

It now works great!

Some of My Work

A very nice note I received from a customer showing where he hung the cross I made him as a gift for Father's Day from his son last year.  It is tremendously gratifying to hear from someone who has my piece in a special place and that it holds special meaning for them.  It makes what I do special as well.