January 2022 Oregon Camp - Blacksmithing

A New Year, an Old Trade

This month was one of our most sought-after camps we teach, blacksmithing. This age-old trade still feeds the fire for both young and old.

Teaching the Basics

Our guest teacher and professional farrier started off by teaching our Oregon campers the basics. They learned to flatten one side, tapering the other side, twisting the material, bending a 90 degree angle, and lastly, putting a "J" in it to complete a coat hook.

Forges and Anvils

Our campers all had their own forge and anvil to work on, including getting to use the farrier's personal farrier trailer that was decked out with a sliding floor, swing-out forge, and all the tools to make some really cool things. It was the perfect environment for the young men to really see what a farrier's workshop looks like and consider it as a potential carrier.

Meat Hook

Once the campers perfected the twist, bend, taper, and flattening, they applied all those techniques on a larger scale by making a meat hook to flip steaks. We really like the young men to make tools or items that are functional and usable so it can be a reminder of the day and the lessons learned.