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Dean Howard Barzillai Forge |
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6172 Poplar Grove Road, Columbus ~ (812)988-2691 |
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Forged Steel and Copper Blacksmithing My blacksmith shop is a one-man operation. I do all of the forging and fabrication myself, though, I do have someone else do much of my painting. My designs are my own, though many of them are inspired by nature or past masters of the blacksmithing craft. My workshop is located in a rural area of Brown County, Indiana where I am little burden to others with the noise of my hammers and the smoke from my forge. I work primarily with mild steel, but I do some work with copper, brass, and stainless steel. Though I throw together a make-shift gas forge now and then for special projects, I run a traditional coal forge most of the time. I do much of my forging over the anvil with an ordinary 2.5 lb. cross-peen hammer, but for heavier forging I enlist the help of a 25 lb. Little Giant mechanical power hammer. I have made several bending forks for the many vices in the shop, as well, as hand-held bending forks that help me to create organic, curved designs. I form each piece by hand, so no two works are exactly alike. Besides the traditional blacksmithing tools, I also use a wire fed welder, commonly known as a mig welder. I also have a plasma torch which allows me to cut sheet steel into blanks for forging. As well, I use an oxy-acetylene torch for fine heating and bending operations when heating an item in the forge is impossible. Combined, my tools offer me a wide variety of possibilities for manipulating steel into beautiful, organic forms. |
 
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