Thread: World Blacksmithing Championships

Finally some pics from the finals.

The winner was Englishman Steven Beane, second was Texan Jake Engler, Scotland’s Derek Gardner was third (Engler placed ahead of him because one of shoes was a slightly better fit to his horse) another Scot,David Varini, was fourth, and Texan Gene Lieser, fifth.

Shots from the semi-finals
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Shoe made in the semifinal - just a single front clip
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One of the Scotts getting into it
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Shots from the finals
Jake Engler in action
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Check out how close the champ works to the job, and no face/eye protection either.
In the first two shots he's using the ball head of the hammer to shape the twin shoe clips required in the finals shoes.
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The champ awaits the judges checking of his shoes before finally nailing them on.
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Bob last photo of the carriages no thats not me in the back ground.......wish it was though camera would be like ours working OT.

Love the photo of the red hot shoe being fitted all a good but its fantastic worth $$$$ a shot like that.

Ray

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Bob last photo of the carriages no thats not me in the back ground.......wish it was though camera would be like ours working OT.

Yeah I notice the facilities seemed to be quite wheelchair user friendly.

Love the photo of the red hot shoe being fitted all a good but its fantastic worth $$$$ a shot like that.

Yeah - I quite like that one - that competitor was the only one to get his shoe that hot for fitting

.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Any farriers I've met would be more than a little miffed to be called blacksmiths!

And vice versa, my Dad was a Blacksmith and would turn in his grave at the thought of being compared to a Farrier.

I wonder if those Farriers could put a steel rim around the timber spoked wheels

Originally Posted by Lignum

I wonder if those Farriers could put a steel rim around the timber spoked wheels

I doubt it, that's wheelwrights' work!

Originally Posted by Woodwould

I doubt it, that's wheelwrights' work!

Not everywhere. My Dad was apprenticed to a Cartwright when he was 14 in Denmark. He said they did everything for wagons/carts including some cooperage work on wagons with a water tank on them. All their wheels went to the Blacksmith to have the tires put on the wheels they fixed or made. Blacksmith also made or repaired all the metal parts for the wagons they worked on. The "old man" retired when Dad finished his apprenticeship, and he went to work in furniture factories.

Good thread. I recently got a small propane farriers forge, anvil (hundred weight) and leg vise, along with a few tools from a guy on Craigslist for $400Can. Just waiting for a propane tank a buddy is giving me when he gets his new barbecue. I'll be able to bring happiness to my neighbours making woodworking tools. :

Pete

I was being facetious. I restored several horse-drawn hearses that belonged to a publican/funeral director back in Ireland. I had to remake four wheels IIRC. One of our local blacksmiths had a huge tire plate and he and I dropped new tires over the felloes on the plate.

My maternal grandfather died before I was born and lived in a small village of a few hundred people about 50 km north of Venice. As was typical of small villages he was a self taught "blacksmith" that did everything from cart and carriage work, shoeing, farm and house fixtures and fittings and animal care. His real passion was to attend monthly horse sales and buy sick horses and nurse them back to good health. His knowledge of farm animal illnesses was considered one of the best in the district and some of the local vets would sometimes call him in for a second opinion. Maybe this is where my interest in smithying comes from - but curiously I have little affinity for farm animals.

Originally Posted by BobL

I took heaps of pictures of carriages today - I'll post some later on
Check this one out for now.

I like this one... but I like the shed its in more

Its almost as big au yours Harry

Originally Posted by Harry72

I like this one... but I like the shed its in more

It's actually a big long tent - they call it the BIG TOP. Even with 10 smithies going at it full steam it coped with the forges and fumes but it was not big enough when they did the tractor pulls inside it and even though there are two huge extractor fans at each end I still got a headache.

This is about a half of it, it's as long the other way.