December 5th, 2015: Blacksmiths

[xoxoxoBruce]

Blacksmiths are rare as hen's teeth used to be. The trade split, with farriers taking the horse shoeing, farm implements have interchangeable parts, and edged weapon/armor making becoming a specialty. Of course much of what they made is now store bought, except high end decorative wrought iron trim or restoration hardware. It makes me happy to see a few have persisted in the dirty, deafening, difficult art, and I have great respect for them.

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This is a small sampling of what they can do with hot iron and a hammer.

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These and more pictures were taken by a Canadian photographer Dan Bannister, very dark, kind of noir.