Story of the Blacksmiths – Focused on a single wide blade

by Karl Bareis (adapted from The Wooden Post, vol 13, September 2019).

Story of the Blacksmiths - Focused on a single wide bladeThe flurry of movement and the excitement of the competition usually hides something quite different which has been evolving over time and is far from center stage. Many of those who participated in the 2019 El Cerrito event probably saw the wide plane blade sitting on Sayuri’s sales table all day Saturday. What they didn’t know was that the buzz around that blade was centered on one man who had made the long journey to California to demonstrate his blacksmithing skills along with two other smiths. His journey actually started in his garage several years earlier when he decided to fool around with knives and Damascus steel. The forge he put together was right off the Internet, and fit into his narrow space, but his interest in excellence kept him at it, refining his raw steel, and adding knowledge of the way the steel he was pounding could be made to perform like the famed Japanese blades. Jim is the first to say he has a long way to go before matching blades with the Japanese smiths, but his Yankee gumption and spirit of experimentation kept him learning new tricks and trying bigger projects.

We all know that the current state of toolmaking didn’t just come about–consolidation, marketing, and mass production all resulted in the demise of the open forge throughout the world. Great tools went the way of all hand work; by the middle of the last century, most shops had closed and their talent scattered to the wind. The loss of a great North American tradition of forging iron into steel products nearly disappeared, but not quite. In North America the nascent group of hippies and old timers joined up to revive blacksmithing, and in Japan the government supported artisanal craftsmen–so the dying arts were saved, and with them the techniques of high quality steel making. Indeed our Kezuroukai movement is the result of the attention paid to tool makers in Japan over the past two or three decades. Jim Blauvelt represents part of an American revival in interest of quality handmade tools. One of the most important side stories of the El Cerrito event was the quiet conversations of craftsmen sharing their techniques with one another.

When Dave Burnard came down from Oregon, he brought a small forge and many tools with him, and shared his experiences of living and working with the Japanese blacksmith Yataiki. Dave demonstrated the use of sen (steel scrapers) to shape tools – large ones used to flatten saw blanks and smaller ones used to shape the backs of planes, chisels, and knives. He also brought five small pre-drilled hammer heads that interested attendees were able to smooth out with a file and then harden (and temper at home) as an introduction to toolmaking. The precious time these folks had to share their life experiences, with others who had more than just a passing interest, really made our event consolidate the links between American blacksmiths and the woodworkers.

At the 2018 event in Kurume Japan, the Japanese Kezuroukai organization produced a Tenuqui, head scarf, with a poem written by a famous blacksmith in sixteen characters, describing the joy of completion a blacksmith feels when watching one of his planes being used in the hands of an accomplished carpenter. Tomoko Ikeda said of those words “they epitomized the spirit of the words Kezurou-kai, a joining of those who meet to celebrate their connection through floating wood shavings”.

Story of the Blacksmiths - Focused on a single wide bladeEventually, we come back to the story of Jim’s wide plane blade, and its unique journey. During 2018’s event in New York, Jim was out back pounding on steel, and Sayuri of Suzuki-ya Tools asked him if he’d make a wide-plane blade. She knew that there would be interest from her customers in something like that. So Jim set to work on a blade, and finally came up with one he could be proud of. His blade was actually considered by the competition committee for the “grand prize”, but it quickly was revealed that both Jude Noteboom and Kagan Sound were interested as well. It needed work, it wasn’t ready to be tested. Jude quietly began to refine the blade and polish the steel edge, and was excited to see how it worked. Eventually Kagan purchased the tool and quickly discovered it had opened up a potential for him to increase the width of his magic interlocking boxes. Other people touched the plane, many helped with advice, a few wished silently that they had been aware of Suzuki-ya’s offering sooner.

We have many people to thank for this opportunity. Especially to note Blacksmith John Burt’s contributions. John’s wealth of smithing and demonstration experience made him the perfect interpreter/translator for folks watching. Many of the tools used were ones he brought from home (anvils, hammers, vises, etc). We couldn’t have done it without him. Jay Van Arsdale, with his indomitable spirit of welcome, got them thinking of the possibility. With Jay’s help the California Blacksmiths Association (CBA) came together on short notice to loan us forges and other valuable logistical support. And of course Suzuki-ya, for thinking up the idea of having high quality American-made hand tools at the event. We want to thank the three blacksmiths who brought us the unique opportunity to see a forge in action and allow many of our members to actually get some experience handling the red-hot steel. Finally to Jim Blauvelt who shared his story.