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Blacksmith hopes to attract more people to shop

T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM
John Hall of Marshalltown works at the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in Haverhill on Saturday.

HAVERHILL — Once a month blacksmithing is alive and well in Haverhill.

Phil Cox and John Hall, both of Marshalltown, were present at the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop on Saturday. Cox was helping Hall with a forging project and said anyone who is interested in learning the art of blacksmithing should attend the monthly event.

“It’s pretty informal,” he said. “Anyone can come down and work on stuff or watch. That’s fine. It’s a good place to get a feel if this is something you’re interested in.”

By testing it out, Cox said people can prevent investing a lot of money into materials that they might not use. One of the primary materials that have risen in price in recent years is an anvil, which is a heavy piece of metal with a flattened top on which metal is struck.

“Anvils are expensive,” Cox said. “You will spend a fair amount of money to get started.”

T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM
John Hall of Marshalltown works at the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in Haverhill on Saturday.

The main purpose of the monthly blacksmith shop is to teach people about the craft. Cox said while people no longer make as many plow lathes or wagon wheels they still make knives. That has become a popular hobby since the competition series “Forged In Fire” started airing on the History Channel.

In “Forged In Fire” four contestants compete to see who can make the best forged bladed weapons.

Cox has not made blades but blacksmithing is a hobby he enjoys and wants to continue teaching people every month. He said anyone who shows up needs to be aware that safety is a top priority.

“We got to get more people involved in it and keep this going,” he said.

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