The association’s history dates back to 1995, when a group of 13 residents from the Alva, area decided to create a club. The initial members named the association after the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River, which runs through northwest Oklahoma. At that point, the pioneers believed the organization would remain a local affair. Although most members of the group were interested in blacksmithing, they decided the club would be open to any craftsman regardless of his or her interest.

Fifteen years later, the non-profit organization has been overwhelmed with an average of 300 dues-paying members, including blacksmiths by trade or hobby and blacksmith amateurs and collectors. The association has held annual conferences open to Oklahoma and regional blacksmiths. According to Franklin, the conferences focus on educating all blacksmiths by introducing new training and techniques. In addition to the annual conference, the organization has an average of four regional meetings every month when blacksmiths and their family members gather for demonstrations, exchange techniques and ideas, and, of course, enjoy some good ol’ Okie fellowship.

“We are a family-oriented organization,” Franklin says. “Our spouses and children are encouraged to attend and participate in all of our meetings since activities are structured to interest the entire family.”

Franklin, a retired soldier from the U.S. Army, began exploring blacksmithing nearly seven years ago. He attended a blacksmithing workshop at the Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton and became acquainted with the Saltfork Craftsmen Artists-Blacksmiths Association then. From that time on, he said, his interest for blacksmithing has only grown, which is evidenced in the amount of time he spent researching it, practicing it, buying tools, and turning his workshop into blacksmith territory.

“I now do public demonstrations at schools, organizations and community events,” he says. “I like making a little bit of everything: tools, hardware items, door hinges, candle holders, chuck wagon parts and more.”

The art of manipulating the metal is a blacksmith’s utmost passion. A blacksmith can produce various items, including wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculptures, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, horseshoes, weapons and more.

Bill Davis, vice president of the association and a Cotton Electric member, says he was drawn to blacksmithing because of the ability it provides to forge the metal.

“I like to manipulate the metal, and I like to make different items such as knives, trinkets and just exploring making new things,” Davis said.

While the majority of blacksmiths in the state practice blacksmithing as a hobby, there are still a few who do it for a living. Some blacksmiths dedicate themselves completely to the trade of horse shoeing, and a few of them can still be found throughout the state and nation; these blacksmiths are also known as farriers. But in order to maintain a steady flow of business, other full-time blacksmiths combine their skills with other trades such as welding, plasma-cutting and more.

One example is T-Town Metal Men workshop owner Bill Kendall, who is also an active Saltfork Craftsmen Association member. In order to sustain a living, Kendall said his workshop offers diverse metal services.

“[Blacksmithing] is difficult to do for a living and very demanding work,” Kendall says. “A blacksmith spends time hand forging and sealing items, and a lot of people will not pay you for your time involved; they want to buy inexpensive items coming from China.”

Kendall creates several decorative items for homes including balcony railings, hand railings for stairs, crosses and more in Tulsa and surrounding regions.

“My clients want handmade items that are very sturdy and more substantial,” he says.

After being laid off from three different jobs in the computer industry, Kendall decided to pursue his life-long passion: playing with metal.

“I remember myself as a 10-year-old boy heating up metal in my dad’s fireplace and hammering it. I enjoy the artistic part of being a blacksmith; everything I do is different from the last one,” Kendall says.

The Saltfork Craftsmen Artists-Blacksmiths Association welcomes new members at any time. There are no requirements for membership, but there is a $20 annual due. This year’s annual conference is slated for Oct. 16-17 in Perry. For more information, please visit the association’s website at www.saltforkcraftsmen.org.

SIDE BAR

Getting Closer to the Fire

A Quick Insight into Blacksmithing Techniques & History

By heating iron and steel, blacksmiths master the art of forging metal. Iron is also known as “the black metal” because a black layer of oxides forms on its surface when it is heated. The word smith comes from “smite,” which also means “to hit.” Therefore, a blacksmith is a person who smites black metal.

Blacksmiths are also known as “the king of crafts,” since most tools used by other craftsmen are made by blacksmiths, said Gerald Franklin, president of the Saltfork Craftsmen Artists-Blacksmiths Association.

Blacksmiths heat the metal to a hot enough temperature to cause the metal to become malleable, or “plastic,” according to Franklin. The metal can then be forged into desired shapes. The heating process can be accomplished by several fuels that produce heat such as electricity, gas, coal, charcoal, wood and others. Modern blacksmiths primarily use coal and gas forges because of their efficiency and availability.

Among other tools used by blacksmiths, the most basic ones include a vise, which is similar to tongs and is used to hold heating items; hammers to hit the heating metal; a chisel, which is a cutting tool struck with a hammer to cut either hot or cold metal; and an anvil, a tool used as a flat platform to hit the metal.  

Some basic techniques of blacksmithing include heating and forging, welding and finishing.

Heating & Forging

When metal is heated, its color changes. The color of metal will first change to red, then orange, then yellow and finally white.  Franklin said a bright orange heat is an ideal forging temperature. At this point, the smith will remove the metal from the fire and place it on the anvil, strike it with a hammer, and then begin to forge the piece into the desired shape.  It may take more than one trip to the forge before the desired outcome is achieved since when the metal cools from the orange color, it becomes less plastic and the smith has to re-heat the piece to continue working.

Welding

Welding is the joining of the same or similar kinds of metal. Welding is one form of joinery available to blacksmiths, and it is only done if needed on some projects. There are also other joinery methods such as riveting and collaring.

Riveting

Riveting involves piercing or drilling holes in the pieces to be joined. A rivet is passed through the holes and hammered to tighten the joint.

Collaring involves tightly wrapping a hot piece of metal around the pieces to be joined and when the hot metal cools, it tightens around the pieces to form a joint.

One or more of these or other joinery techniques may be used on a particular piece.

Finishing

The finish used on an item can vary from allowing it to rust naturally to using oil finish such as lindseed oil or vegetable oil, wax, paint and more.