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Blacksmithing in Jackson County What exactly does that mean, “going at it hammer and tongs?” Like many expressions that we may hear from time to time, it comes from a distant past that most people have all but forgotten. Many of us may understand that the expression means working in a blur of energy and activity but how many of us know that it literally refers to the everyday activities of a blacksmith? Few people are still practicing this centuries-old craft but several of them who do have their irons in the fire here in Jackson County. This craft can be traced to the dawn of the Iron Age (archaeologically speaking, the time when iron became the primary material for tools and weapons) around 1,500 B.C. In the Greek and Roman civilizations Hephaestus (Greek) or Vulcan (Roman), the blacksmith, was one of their gods: god of fire, metalwork, and craftsmen. Many Greek and Roman myths feature not only this character but also the amazing weapons and tools that he was said to have created for the other gods and heroes. Originally the smelting of iron ore to yield wrought iron was done in the same furnace used to help fashion the raw metal into useful products. Iron rich earth was placed in a stacked-stone furnace with coal or other fuel. With the addition of oxygen, usually from a bellows, the fire would reach a temperature of 2,800 F. At this heat the iron would “bloom” from the base materials and the smith would extract the glowing hot lump of iron from the heat. Quickly hammering it into the shape of a square rod, the raw material known as wrought iron would be formed. With further heating, hammering and shaping the wrought iron could be fashioned into a wide variety of tools, weapons and household goods. Today, the smith’s raw stock is a variety of steel alloys well suited to the project at hand as well as the more traditional wrought iron. The hammer and the forge (or furnace) are the primary tools of the trade, and the anvil, which according to Stan Strickland “is not a tool,” aids the blacksmith. Additionally, tongs to grasp, hold and position the hot metal, swages (in to which the iron is hammered) and fullers (that are hammered into the iron) to help shape the iron complete the most basic, traditional set of tools. Of course, there are many types of these tools developed specifically to create particular shapes and the range of fixtures that can be created is limitless. The blacksmith was an important figure in pre-industrial communities. The tools of farming (the scythe, axe and hoe to name a few), building (the hammer, chisel, hinge and nails) and cooking (pots, pans, kettles and spoons) that made good harvests, nutrition and relatively comfortable and safe homes possible were the work of the smith. Perhaps equally important was the smith’s role as arms supplier. It was the blacksmith who made armor, knives, battle axes, arrowheads, swords and eventually guns. The smith also helped with transportation, providing the horses with shoes, the wagons with durable wheel rims and eventually the luxury of suspension springs. On ships the hardware and, more critically, the compass needle were a product of the hammer and anvil too. As the industrial revolution took hold the many products of the blacksmith were replaced by mass-produced, manufactured goods and the talents of the smiths fell into obscurity. When the nation was young almost every settlement had at least one blacksmith, but the dawn of the 20th century saw the number of smiths beginning to decline steadily and rapidly to the point that in the early ’70s it is estimated that there were fewer than 200 working blacksmiths in the entire country. Many of the older practitioners and some young enthusiasts recognized that unless proactive preservation steps were taken, the skills of the blacksmith might be lost entirely.
One man who worked as a professional blacksmith for over 53 years has been a resident of Jackson County since 1993 and eagerly shares his passion with those who admire the art of the blacksmith. Stan Strickland still forges the iron and makes the hammer sing to create beautiful pieces of commissioned architectural ironwork. His work graces many of Buckhead’s finest homes and includes all manner of architectural hardware, furniture, lighting fixtures and even staircases. Stan’s passion for creativity and the marriage of technology and art was handed down from his father who was an expert welder in the naval shipyards of Virginia. In 1954 Strickland joined the Army and went to welding school. It was there that he first learned the basics of blacksmithing as a means of effecting field repairs of military machinery. In 1972 he found himself with the means to set up a shop behind his family’s new home in suburban Atlanta and from that forge he kindled his passion for the work of the blacksmith. A hobby quickly became a side business and by 1986 the side business had become so successful that Strickland left his “regular” job and became a full-time architectural blacksmith. In addition to his vast body of work, Strickland has contributed greatly to the education of countless other smiths and enthusiasts, rarely passing up the opportunity to share the knowledge that he has accumulated over the years. Much of his sharing took place at the Atlanta History Center’s Tulley Smith House where he taught classes and demonstrated the skills of the trade for 20 years. His shop in Jackson County features both a gas-fired forge and a coal-fired forge. Coal is the traditional fuel of the smith but for reasons of convenience and cleanliness, it is the gas forge which sees the majority of the work. These days the coal forge is only fired when the piece to be worked is too large for the more user-friendly gas version. The gas furnace is regulated to reach temperatures no greater than 2,300 F but the coal can generate temperatures up to 3,000 F. Since iron will melt at about 2,600 F, care must be taken to mind all those irons in the fire lest they form a molten puddle at the bottom of your forge. Perhaps the most obvious element of the blacksmith trade in Jackson County is the farrier. Every well dressed horse needs a new pair of iron shoes about every six weeks. As many as a dozen farriers service the area but none more passionately than Chuck Bussey. Always an animal lover, Bussey started the journey to professional horse-shoer out of frustration with finding someone to shoe his wife’s horse. After several short courses, talking to experts and an apprenticeship, Chuck became an accomplished farrier and his reputation and clientele grew by word of mouth.
Eventually, it became clear that Chuck had to choose between his “day job” and his rapidly growing side business and for him there was no question. Since that day over 10 years ago Chuck has dedicated himself to being a master farrier. Part of that dedication led him into the broader art of blacksmithing. In order to excel at shoeing, Chuck needed to make his own tools in addition to creating and tailoring the horse shoes. From there it wasn’t far to creating architectural hardware and knives when clients and friends would present him with a challenge. Like Stan, Chuck loves the creativity and the process of creating beautiful metalwork. Chuck takes care of about 180 horses and shoes as many as six a day. Part of the challenge of being a farrier is bringing your shop to the horses. A Ford F250 provides his shop-away-from-shop. The standard pick-up bed has been replaced with something that looks like a caterer’s wagon carrying all the tools and materials he needs: up to 400 pounds of shoes, portable propane forge, 65-pound anvil, belt grinder and a drill press. Back in his home shop, Chuck turns out beautiful knives and hardware. Much of his raw material is recycled car parts and the knife handles are made primarily from local wood. Today the blacksmith is no longer the backbone of civilization. No longer a source of essential items, today’s smith is an artist whose creativity and passion inspire us, reminding us of the past and enriching the present. Chuck Bussey believes that in any realm when you can develop a style, you have craft and when your style becomes recognizable, you have art. There is little doubt that the blacksmiths of Jackson County are artists. As long as there is beauty to be admired, passion to create and iron to be forged, a few citizens of Jackson County will continue to joyfully “strike while the iron is hot.” Dave Lynn is a graduate of Art Center College of Design and has a master’s degree from Georgia Tech. His specialty is automotive design. Lynn has worked for Panoz Auto Development and Élan Motorsports Technologies.
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design:digitaltom - ©Copyright 2006-2008 Living Jackson Magazine
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Going At It Hammer & Tongs!
A movement began to preserve the craft and teach its skills to a new generation. A fundamental shift was made in order to give the trade a new vitality. Historical smith work had a remarkable and distinctive beauty but the vast majority of the products were meant to be extremely functional. In one way or another most of the products were necessary for survival: tools to harvest and prepare food or build shelter, and weapons to combat adversaries. The modern blacksmith’s primary calling was art.