McHenry County News FRE
E
11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115 • (815) 654-4850 • www.McHenrycountynewspaper.com Display Advertising & Classifieds: 815-654-4850 • Circulation: 815-654-4854 • E-mail:McHenrynews@rvpublishing.com
Volume 7 Issue 4
JANUARY 19, 2017
To Advertise In This Space Call 815-654-4850
Anvil & Hammer Blacksmithing Club
By Anne Eickstadt CORRESPONDENT
Since I first met the Northern Illinois Anvil and Hammer Club in July, 2016, I have come across members of the group several times. During the 1800s Holiday Walk through Belvidere’s Roger D. Gustafson Nature Area on December 3, I met Lloyd Bellows plying his hammer at the forge. In October, I found Sam Johnson wielding his tools at the Cider Festival at the McHenry County Historical Museum in Union. Kris Sutherland appears at the Barrington Area History Museum regularly. The Anvil and Hammer Blacksmithing Club invites experts and celebrities to give demonstrations and talks to their club. On Saturday, January 7, the guest speaker was Tim Porter. Porter has worked in machine shops for most of his adult life. He has also taught courses at McHenry County College and Northern Illinois University. His discussion is based on blacksmithing materials. Specifically what to look for and how to choose the correct material for what the final product will become. The thrifty smith will visit garage and barn sales and scrap yards for their basic materials. Therefore, they need to be able to identify which type of metal they find. For example, the iron used for horse-
ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTOS McHenry County News
Jeff Freund with his father Jerry Freund at the forge for the Anvil & Hammer Club demonstrations.
shoes is quite a bit different from the iron used to make a sword. Porter spoke in detail about the properties of the three categories of metal most used in smithies. Cast iron, which has a high carbon
content and is very hard though it is too brittle for heavy duty usage. Steel has somewhat less carbon, is very hard and is not as brittle as cast iron. Steel is useful for items that need to hold up to high levels
Members of the Anvil & Hammer Club wave their hammers for the camera during their January meeting.
of stress but it is also too hard to be easily worked in a forge. Wrought iron, however, contains low amounts of carbon, is very tough, and resistant to rust. It can be pounded and formed into a wide
variety of shapes. For centuries, blacksmiths have used wrought iron to create everyday objects. The discussion then turned to the tools which a smith uses. In order to work the metal, blacksmiths need an anvil upon which to shape the metal to their requirements. “There used to be over a thousand anvil makers,” Porter says. “Today there are only about two.” “A good anvil has a good rebound so you do not lose energy when pounding,” he continues. “The rebound will send the hammer back up after a strike so you do not have to lift the hammer for the next blow.” Porter handed me a hammer and had me learn this for myself as I reshaped a horseshoe with him. I did not have to use my own energy to lift the hammer between blows because it bounced back. Smiths can work other metals than iron. A metalsmith can work in any of ores, shaping the metal in whatever form is desired. Goldsmiths, on the other hand, specialize in the precious metals creating jewelry, silverware, goblets, platters, ceremonial and religious objects, and other decorative pieces. Located on the property of Jerry & Helen Freund in McHenry, the Northern Illinois Anvil & Hammer Club welcomes anyone who would like to learn the craft or hanging out with others interested in blacksmithing and learning new techniques or variations of techniques they already use. Blacksmiths in your area can be located by going online to groups such as ABANA, ArtistBlacksmith’s Association of North America; UMBA, Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association; or IVBA, Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association. Northern Illinois Anvil & Hammer club has a Facebook page if you want to learn about them.