PHF Late August Newsletter

PHF Monthly News and Announcements

Recent News

Special Events

Volunteer Opportunities

Classes Available in August & September

Teen & Tween Classes

Open Smithy

Words from the Smith

Recent News
PHF is now represented at the Fuller Craft Museum! OK, we don't have anything on display in the exhibit halls. But In connection with the Iron 2010 exhibition (a fine exhibit that we urge you all to go see!), PHF is now represented in the museum's gift shop. We *don't* recommend this as a way to buy our work, though, as there's the typical retail 100% markup.
http://fullercraft.org/event/iron-twenty-ten/

Special Events
Smelt Iron Ore in a Bloomery!  
August 25    9am - 9pm
The oldest and most intriguing way of smelting iron ore, a bloomery is a primitive furnace made of some sort of refractory material (in our case "cob"), fired with charcoal and iron ore for 6-8 hours (including a barbecue around lunchtime), at the end of which, with luck, one has a "bloom" that looks like a meteorite and consists of a mixture of chemically pure iron and melted silicates, which can be processed further to form the material known as wrought iron.  We've arranged to build our bloomery in Stowe, at the home of a friend, overlooking a lovely lake, if the weather is nice -- if the weather fails us, we'll do it indoors in Waltham.
http://www.prospecthillforge.com/classDescriber.php?className=Bloomery

Saugus Iron Works Founders Day
September 8 10am - 2pm
The oldest ironworks in the country, this national park is of course one of our favorites.  They hold cast iron demonstrations throughout the summer, and the last one for the year is scheduled is on September 8th, which is also the town of Saugus' "Founders Day".  We plan to head up for the Iron Pour -- we went last year, it was a lot of fun, and you get to design and take home your own cast iron tile - what's not to like?  Did I mention that it's free, and that we will be demonstrating smithing there this year, with our Striker Team?
Saugus Iron Works Iron Pour: http://www.nps.gov/sair/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
Saugus Founder's Day: http://www.saugus.com/component/option,com_extcalendar/Itemid,93/extmode,view/extid,970/

New England Blacksmiths Fall Meet September 14, 15, 16
Always worth attending, this particular Fall Meet will feature our own Carl West demonstrating Foldforming for Blacksmiths. Bob Bordeaux will be demonstrating Bladesmithing and Bob Valentine will be presenting Forged Hearth Items. Lots of good information to be had. Plus the opportunity to buy equipment in the tailgating area.
http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/spring_&_fall_meets.htm



Volunteer Opportunities
We would love any of our students or fellow smiths to join us in demonstrating at any or all of these fairs, festivals, and special demonstrations.
   Saugus Ironworks - 9/8/12 (details above)
   Blacksmith House - 9/15 (details below)
   Codman Farm - 9/16 (details below)
   Garrison House - 9/30 (details below)
  Topsfield Fair - 9/28-10/8 (details below)
 

Blacksmith House, Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA September 15
Under the spreading chestnut tree...well, the tree is long gone, so we'll be standing on the rotted remnants of the roots of the tree, but in front of the very house,  "Blacksmith House includes the Dexter Pratt House, built in 1811, where Longfellow observed the famous Village Blacksmith at work under the Spreading Chestnut Tree in 1839."  How could we resist?
 

Codman Farm Harvest Festival, Lincoln, MA September 16, 1-4 pm.
If you're not going to be at the NEB Fall Meet, .
http://www.prospecthillforge.com/classDescriber.php?className=Striker
http://www.codmancommunityfarms.org/

Garrison House Colonial Days, Sunday, September 30, 1-4 pm
Join us and other interesting craft demonstrators -- usually there's an 18th century woodworker, dying, butter churning, cider squeezing, and other craftspeople.  Garrison House also features an old smithy with a double-chambered bellows and side-blown masonry forge  in good shape (the bellows is a reproduction, but the original is right there to compare) and their own smiths will be there demonstrating as well as us.
http://www.garrisonhouse.org/craftday.html
 
Topsfield Fair September 28-October 8, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
It's that time of year again, when we head up to Topsfield to be the official blacksmiths at the nation's oldest agricultural fair, which this year runs from Friday, September 28 through Monday October 8 (Columbus Day). Look for us in the 'Craft Village' (there might be signs) which is near KiddieLand (for which there _are_ signs).

As usual, we will have LOTS of opportunities for you to help out and have fun -- the fair is open to the public from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm for eleven days!  We try to recreate the ambiance of an early 20th century small-town blacksmith's shop, but at the same time we're a fair exhibit -- so we need folks to demonstrate smithing, barkers to bring the crowd in, salespeople to sell ironwork and talk about what it's like to take classes, gophers to keep us fed and watered, etc., and of course we switch jobs around to everyone gets to do a little of everything they want to.

Free admission to the fair and parking is included, but we need to have names and contact details in advance so we can apply for the tickets.  It's not too early to tell us if you'll be able to join us.


August Classes
As of this writing, there is still room in the August classes listed below.  More detailed information can be viewed on our classes pages on our website listed here:
 

  There's still space left in Rudiments II Monday evenings, starting August 20th
  http://www.prospecthillforge.com/classDescriber.php?className=RudimentsII
(the first meeting has passed, but it can be made-up at a later date)

  There's Open Smithy space during Blacksmithing Camp from 11am - 3pm the week of August 20 - 24.
  http://www.prospecthillforge.com/classDescriber.php?className=Blacksmithing
 
  There may be space in Advanced Blacksmithing Camp (making dragons) August 27 - 31.
  http://www.prospecthillforge.com/classDescriber.php?className=AdvancedBlacksmithingback to Table of Contents

Teen & Tween Classes
We've been enjoying having more and more young smiths around PHF, and are continuing to increase the number of opportunities for teens and tweens to start learning about how to work hot iron. We are offering our youth-oriented versions of "A Taste of Blacksmithing" periodically throughout the year, and are looking to form up another section of Zero to Blacksmithing, our home-schooling program, on either Tuesday or Thursday late-mornings/early-afternoons, starting in September or October.

A Teen's First Taste of Blacksmithing $60. (maximum 8 students) A version of our popular "A Taste of Blacksmithing" just for teens.
This class is not currently on the calendar, but is available most weekday mornings and afternoons starting in September.  Drop us a note if interested.

A Tween's First Taste of Blacksmithing $85 (maximum 4 students) A variation on our "A Taste of Blacksmithing" adjusted for younger students.
This class is also not currently on the calendar, but is available most weekday mornings and afternoons starting in September.  Drop us a note if interested.

Wrought Iron Bracelets
Saturday November 10, 2 - 5pm $75

Make a wrought iron bracelet in just a few hours. Use traditional blacksmithing techniques to make a distinctly non-traditional item.

Open Smithy ($25/hour)  - A Taste of Blacksmithing or equivalent required. Most Thursday evenings 6:30 - 9:30


Words from the Smith
We went to Pennsic and I learned a slight variation on how to make a bodkin arrow point. The new recipe takes me an extra heat (3 instead of 2) to make a head, but it gives a deeper socket for a little more work. I also got to look at (through their plastic bags) actual medieval bodkin points at one of the merchant's stalls. Some of the seams were butted, some were lapped. And it appears that some of the shafts were nearly 1/2" in diameter!    - Carl

(have I mentioned how much I hate hate hate the MoveableType editor? Never again. Never.)