The Vista Forge
Students in the California Blacksmith Association's training program get hands-on training
Leslie C. McDaniel
October 2000
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Bob Nett at work at the Vista Forge. Students in the Vista Forge classes represent a diverse group: Men, women, young, old, father-and-son, welders, farriers, artists, professionals, craftsmen.
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It's not unusual to find a working blacksmith at a vintage farm equipment show. It is, however, unusual to find a full dozen ... unless you're familiar with the Vista Forge of the California Blacksmith Association (CBA).
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The Vista Forge is more than a blacksmiths' organization. It also offers extensive training in the centuries-old craft. Currently, about 50 students (age 13 and up) are enrolled in one of three year-long programs. Each class meets once a month, on Saturdays, at a barn at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, Calif. (The CBA sponsors courses at 17 sites in California.) At the AGSEM spring threshing bee in mid-June, the barn was a hive of activity.
"We had 12 forges lit here on Saturday," said Dave Vogel, a smith and instructor in the Vista program. "We're looking for five more anvils and hand-crank blowers to allow us to expand and put to use forges which we'll locate outside, under the shed roof."
In the CBA program, students learn to use hand-crank blowers from the turn of the last century.
"That's the era we're trying to represent," Dave said. "Our objective is teaching how to do blacksmithing safely. We teach the basic techniques: Using the forge, welding, riveting, punching, drawing metal out. Those are the same techniques that were used 300 years ago. But we also hope to help a person be able to select equipment to outfit a shop and be able to start out and work safely."
The attraction is simple, said Bill Stone, another instructor at the Vista Forge.
"It's the lure of getting metal to a temperature where you can move it," he said. "It's hard, you can't bend it; then you get it hot, and it melts like butter."
Each student, though, comes with a different goal.
"Some folks have already made the commitment and come to get skills and contacts," Dave said. "Some think they want to do it; some know that they want to do this, instead of what they do every day. Some want to be able to make a specific thing: Knives or special tools for woodworking, or maybe hardware to complement woodworking projects. And I've seen several, including my wife, jump from these classes to a career as an artist or blacksmith."
Beginning students come to class with little more than a pair of safety glasses and a hammer. Tongs, chisels and basic tools are produced in the class. Other equipment is available through the Vista Forge.
"A couple of the anvils belong to the CBA," Dave said. "But the Vista Forge has built, purchased and donated a bunch of the equipment, and that's allowed the growth of the program to its present size."
The Vista Forge inventory includes one four-foot cone mandrel, two large swage blocks, two Acorn tables, seven post vises, 25 small tongs, and about 50 large tongs. The group also has hardie tools (anvil tools), handled swages, and several sledgehammers, as well as a shear, a small hand-crank drill press and a chop saw.