Maritime blacksmiths come together for some hammer-in this weekend

The Deanery Project in Lower Ship Harbour, N.S., will be host to a lot of heat and hammering on Saturday.

Blacksmiths from across the Maritimes will hold a traditional hammer-in event where techniques will be shared.

Event organizer Sarah Wechsler told CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia there will be five forges set up. She said there will be opportunities to speak to many blacksmiths.

Wechsler said she started getting heavily involved in blacksmithing in 2017. She now also makes her own blacksmithing tools.

"I make hammers, tongs, chisels, drifts," Wechsler said.

"Instead of going out to the store and buying something, you can take something ... and actually make what you need, which is part of what I love about the craft."

Women blacksmiths

According to Wechsler, there is a long tradition of women involved in the trade. She said there are a lot more women blacksmiths than most people think.

She said there are at least nine women blacksmiths in Nova Scotia alone.

Chalmers McAllister will be helping at the event. He said he found himself wanting to learn more after taking a one-week blacksmithing course.

He went on to apprentice under master blacksmith Tony Huntley at Sherbrooke Village provincial museum.

McAllister said he's fascinated by the attention to detail involved in the craft.

"It's such a fine line between perfection and destroying a piece in the fire," he said. "It almost feels like a dance around the fire."

Interest growing

According to McAllister, working with metal is very similar to working with clay once it is up to temperature.

Although many people think blacksmithing is a dying art, Chalmers said he is seeing a lot more interest in it coming from young people.

He said the television program Forged in Fire, where bladesmithing is featured, has sparked a lot of interest.

The event starts at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.