DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – My grandfather in Babbitt was the last in a long line of Danish blacksmiths who had big hammers and big dreams but the dream is still alive as other people are continuing the art.<\/p>\n
Ever wonder where the heavy metal band Metallica got it\u2019s name? It\u2019s the title of a book on metallurgy published in Latin in 1556 and translated into English by President Herbert Hoover. Duluth\u2019s Forging Community keeps those ancients techniques alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Forging Community is a blacksmithing school on London Road and we take people from age 11 to infinity.\u201d said Paul Webster.<\/p>\n
Under age 11, a child\u2019s arm is still growing and constant hammering will stunt it. Mars Walls isn\u2019t quite infinity old and he says blacksmithing is therapy that gets him over being caught in a forest fire as a child.<\/p>\n
\u201cControlling fire rather than having it control me takes the fear away.\u201d said Walls.<\/p>\n
A respect for the fire is needed, though, as it goes over two thousand degrees. The forgers from the community tell us that blacksmithing still comes in handy for handy people who need to repair something that is hard to find commercially.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do a lot of things with blacksmithing that you can\u2019t do or buy down at Menards.\u201d said Webster.<\/p>\n
Paul Webster is a former shop teacher in McGregor and Cromwell and thinks smithing is an introduction to the trades for those over 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to get young people interested in making things with their hands.\u201d said Webster.<\/p>\n
Everybody over the age of 11 is encouraged to check out the blacksmiths. They meet every evening except Sundays and Wednesdays on the 1300 block of London Road in Duluth.<\/p>\n
In Duluth, Dave Anderson, Northern News Now.<\/p>\n