Bright, red hot sparks whiz in all directions as sophomore Grant Wettrick removes his project from the hot forge. The swinging of his hammer on a steel anvil produces a metallic bang, complemented by the crackling fire of the furnace. With blow after blow, the metal bends and starts to take shape.
For the past six weeks, Wettrick has attended Conner Prairie’s blacksmith workshopping class. Here, he has learned the basics of the craft.
“The most fun part is absolutely hitting the metal, seeing how it bends, how it folds, shaping it, making it curved with the other parts of the handle. There is a bit of technique in it as well,” Wettrick said.
These techniques must be learned, though, and that’s where Wettrick’s instructor, Nathan Allen comes in. Allen oversees the blacksmith shop at Conner Prairie, among other historic trades, and teaches classes for beginner blacksmiths.
“We take students who really have not done any blacksmithing before, introduce them to using a traditional coal forge, talk a little bit about metallurgy, how to properly use a hammer and an anvil and walk through a series of basic projects, just to teach some of the elementary steps of blacksmithing,” Allen said.
Those early skills are then honed, and the blacksmiths are able to see their work improve as they practice. Wettrick himself recognizes the evolution of his pieces.
“[The early pieces] had all sorts of dents sort of, and they’re very rough around the edges, but obviously, with the experience, you know, they’re [now] very smooth,” Wettrick said. “So this, more than anything, requires a lot of just practice when you can.”
This practice takes lots of time and effort, but according to Wettrick, the rewards are easy to see. English teacher Connor Buhl, a guest engagement interpreter at Conner Prairie who, like Wettrick, has experience with blacksmithing, understands the daily rewards that come with learning the trade.
“It’s hard work, but the best part is when you start to realize how things are put together,” Buhl said. “I was looking at this ornate fire poker the other day with a twist in it and thought, ‘Hey I know how they did that.’”
This knowledge of the process is the key to a positive journey through blacksmithing, according to Allen. He creates an opportunity, after his students have learned a variety of blacksmithing skills, to put it all together.
“So they’ve learned some basics, and now they’re on their own, if you will, problem solving and using creativity to come up with a product that is uniquely their own, using the techniques that I’ve taught,” Allen said.
These techniques are not for the faint of heart, requiring a fair amount of physical labor, as Wettrick explains. But Allen has seen Wettrick and found that he is up to the challenge.
“Grant’s been fun, very energetic. He’s got a good personality and is quick to learn. He stays after it, which is good,” Allen said. “Blacksmithing is a physically demanding job, and if you’re not used to swinging a hammer for three hours, it’s exhausting. But he’s kept at it.”
This determination is not lost on Wettrick. His drive for creation is guided by his vision of the final product.
“A lot of it is about putting the work and the process into something, and then finally having that sort of reward at the end,” Wettrick said.
For Wettrick, the reward does not end at a finished metalworking project, however. His foray into blacksmithing closely ties Wettrick to his grandfather.
“He used to teach a shop class, like a metal work class, and he is obviously ecstatic that I’m doing this,” said Wettrick. “He absolutely loves that I’m getting into blacksmithing. If I needed to know anything, he’d probably be the one I’d ask.”
Not only does Wettrick gain another blacksmithing resource from his grandfather’s expertise, but he also says he gains a closer relationship. By bending metal to their will, Wettrick and his grandfather have embarked on a new shared passion and closer bond.
“I’ve talked to him a bit more [now that I’ve started blacksmithing] because now I get to share with him, ‘Hey, this is what I made today.’ Or ‘These are some things I’ve been working on this day,’ things like that,” Wettrick said. “And he’s like, ‘That’s cool. That’s really cool. Love to see that you’re enjoying this.’ And I’m like ‘Of course I am.’”
