Blacksmithing is one of the crafts that made modern life possible. It may even be ‘the’ craft that made modern civilization possible. It is as old as civilization. It’s been a part of most cultures for thousands of years.
Without an understanding and use of iron and steel, modern life would be impossible. After World War II traditional blacksmithing almost died out. It has been replaced by modern welding, machining and manufacturing processes. We can now make things faster, stronger and more uniformly than the local blacksmith ever could. Today mass production has insured that most everyone has the same ‘stuff’.
In making the transition, I think we’ve lost something too. In the United States we have the unspoken axiom that ‘newer is better’. When a new way to do something is developed the old ways are often largely forgotten. In an age when everything is going hi-tech, I think it’s important to remember where we came from and how we got here. It not only gives us a fuller understanding of why things are done the way they are, but it gives us an appreciation of the past and how our ancestors lived.
There are other cultures that hold different values. In Japan for example, when you take a job in say, a textile mill, you are required to learn the origins of the craft. In the case of textiles they are taught how fibers are obtained and woven, how plant dyes are rendered and utilized and how successive technologies gradually modernized the craft. They consider it important to understand how we got to where we are.
Some people in our society today can operate the most advanced computers but have no idea how to grow their own food or build their own homes. Our culture has seen many traditional crafts simply die out in favor of new ways. In sensing that we’ve lost something, making the transition to our modern mass-produced culture, many are turning their eyes back to the traditional ways. A whole new generation is rediscovering what it means to exercise their will in steel. Blacksmithing is being reborn. The anvil has been infused with new life by artists and craftsmen seeking to learn the old ways.
Tools that were once unidentified relics in dusty old barns, and skills that were once forgotten, are being rediscovered. Modern artist blacksmiths are preserving the knowledge for future generations. They are finding that they are limited only by their imaginations. And what some of their imaginations have produced would amaze you! Traditional philosophies once held that there were five basic elements in the universe…earth, air, fire, water, and wood. The blacksmith works with all of them and he also adds a sixth…his will. He creates something new and unique in the universe every time he forges. Everything he or she forges is, by definition, one of a kind.
I can tell you from experience that in the forge it’s easy to feel a deep connection to the elements. You become one with them. The joy one feels in using air, water, fire, wood and earth in creating something new is almost indescribable. It’s like putting your fingers on the pulse of creation. You learn its rules and its boundaries. You learn to move with it. You learn to stretch your own imagination and your own will. There is something primal in it that speaks directly to your soul. With every hammer blow you can also feel a connection with thousands of years of history and with the struggles our ancestors faced in getting us here. Some of us embrace the past and the old ways. Some of us still love the ‘low tech’ ways. We won't let them be forgotten. A new day is dawning on the hammer, the anvil and the forge!
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