When I went down to the Dallas Heritage Village and the Cedars Food Truck Park I took a little walk around the village. Back in the corner is a blacksmith’s shop. The master blacksmith was giving lessons to two students.
I stood and watched for a while. They had a coal fire going and would reach overhead and pump a huge pair of bellows to feed the fire and get the heat they needed. The students would pull their iron out of the fire and hammer it red-hot against an anvil.
This was really interesting. Maybe I’ll save some money up and buy myself a blacksmith lesson some time. It wouldn’t be very useful, but might be an interesting experience.
A blacksmith student hammering his work.
The teacher and the student.
Working at the forge.
Near the blacksmith’s shop -a woman running a spinning wheel.
I was reminded of the blacksmith shop when, a couple weeks later, I was riding my bike around Fair Park. I was looking at and trying to photograph the series of amazing art deco murals on the six porticos along the Esplanade (I’m working on a blog entry… patience).
One of the murals shows a bare-chested smith hammering a piece of iron against a huge anvil. He is holding his hammer over his head, while next to him a helmeted welder is working away. A little more dramatic and artistic than the little blacksmith’s shop – but it’s the same general idea.
Art Deco mural from Fair Park in Dallas
Bill Chance 
The best part is finding ways to make it feel useful. =)
Spending an hour or two making something unique that you could buy an equivalent to for a couple dollars is far from the normal standards of usefulness but it’s very rewarding.
Myhusband has almost completed welding certification through Hill College in Cleburne. During the course of his studies they offered a one day Blacksmithing class. It was on the weekend, 7hr class for about $69. Not sure when the next one will be held. Shared this article on hubbys Facebook with his Welding folks over there. Loved the mural! My husbands decision to persue welding as a career originated in welding. We will have to come up and visit the Museum and take a look at the mural for ourselves sometime!
*ops originated with an interest in Blacksmithing (misstype)
Blacksmithing lessons? That would be cool!
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