The Shop’s Beginning
It started in 2012 with a group of energetic volunteers headed up by Bob Gordon to build a blacksmith shop by moving an old farm shop to the Lorain County Fairgrounds. It took about 2 years from laying the first sandstone foundation block to completion of the building.
Bob Gordon and Matt Richards busy laying brick while John Temple and Tom Burrington clean the brick.
Many thanks to Greg Dugus for the chimney photos
The Chimney
A second chimney at the Blacksmith Shop was completed in time for demonstrations at the 2018 Fair.
This chimney was built to vent multiple items like a gas engine to run the line shaft, a stationary steam engine, another forge, or maybe another wood stove. This is in preparation for the expansion of the shop.
The masonry crew that was headed up by Bob Gordon was Bob Bauman, Bill Burkart, Bob Schworer, Tom Burrington, John Temple, Mark Diederick, Keith Enoc, and Matt Richards.
Additional Forges
April 2019
Our monthly Hammer-Ins have become so popular that a new forge was built and completed this month which will easily accommodate the work of 3 blacksmiths. Also a rivet forge has been added to the 6″ flue in the new chimney for the work of another 2 blacksmiths.
The dates and times of the Hammer-Ins are posted on our Facebook page. In the winter they are held on Sunday and start with a demonstration of a technique, a break for a potluck lunch, and then open forging till around 2:30PM. In the summer the Hammer-Ins are held in the evening during the week.
Portable Blacksmith Shop
July 2023
The blacksmiths are in the process of purchasing and equipping an enclosed trailer for the portable blacksmith shop.