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Hello! My name is Dave Custer and I would like to personally welcome you to the "about me" section of the Custer Family Farm website. I am the artist blacksmith here on the farm.
Many people in modern society have very little understanding of what a blacksmith is or does. The modern vision of the blacksmith is a brawny guy beating out a sword or nailing a shoe on a horse. Honestly I have never made a sword and I have never shoed a horse either, but I am no less of a blacksmith for it. "So what does a blacksmith do?," is the question often asked. In the old days, 150 years ago, the blacksmith made hinges, latches, fireplace cranes and hooks, horse drawn implements, and wagon parts. During the industrial revolution, the blacksmith could no longer keep pace with machines. Eventually the breed of blacksmiths died out, so much so that one would have been hard pressed to find a working blacksmith shop. In the 1970's the blacksmith was revived by the activities of the few remaining smiths when a small group of them met at Westville Villiage in south Georgia and formed ABANA. The Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America. ABANA has headed the revival of blacksmithing, not only as a craft but as a true art. The blacksmith has been reborn, but he no longer makes the items that formed the majority of his work in the 18th and 19th centuries. The blacksmith has taken his place as an artist in the field of architectual iron work, specializing in gates, railings, ornate tables, chandeliers, fireplace screens and tools, beautiful hanging pot racks, and many other items of a similar nature. This is the field in which I work! "How did you first become interested in blacksmithing?," is another common question. My story as a smith...I am a big Civil War history buff, and have been since I was nine or ten years old. I attended a reenactment as a spectator when I was about twelve, and saw a reenactor blacksmith demonstrate at the event. Several months afterwards, I saw the same blacksmith demonstrate in North Georgia, at Stone Mountain Park. Seeing this guy work provided me with an outlet for an already existing interest in heat, fire, and how they work. I started reading and within about six months I had obtained my first forge, anvil, and blower - all key components in blacksmithing. Less than six months after I started blacksmithing, I started demonstrating. My first demo took place at the Nash Farm battlefield in Atlanta, Georgia, where I showed 500 middle school students just a little about smithing. I spent my time reading and practicing all I could, but had no formal instruction for the first three years or so. It was all trial and error - you know, "touch it here, DON'T touch it there!" Another important lesson I learned is that your hand is NEVER a good substitute for a hammer. Just the important things you know! Anyway, after I turned 18, I was able to start taking classes in blacksmithing at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. To date I have been able to take seven weeks of classes at the Folk School and there are several more classes I hope to take. These have helped and improved my ability IMMENSELY. My attention to detail and finish and my zeal to work has attracted the attention of several smiths nation-wide and I have had several job offers from some very talented smiths that handle some very large scale work. Such offers have been great compliments to my work, however, I have chosen to remain here and work to establish my own business and work to accomodate the various clients I work with. Here on the website, I have some general household hardware for sale as well as some gifty and trinket-type items. While each of these items is made following a certain process, each piece retains a unique hand-forged individuality that simply cannot be found in mass-produced items. The highest attention to detail, quality of work, and finish is paid to even the smallest item so that you are presented with a piece that will retain its natural beauty for generations. Keep in mind though, the small items that are listed here on the website do not represent the full spectrum of work that I have done and am capable of doing. As an artist blacksmith, my desire is to be able to work with you to design and create a custom, one-of-a-kind piece of iron work that you have always wanted but have been unable to find. Do you need a simple historical hasp latch for an old corn crib or do you need a graceful scrolled fireplace mantle? Perhaps you are a Roman reenactor and need a javelin or you are wanting a hammer-textured pot rack fitted to custom dimensions and hanging at an exact length from the ceiling to complete your kitchen. Regardless of what it is, if it needs to be made of metal, I can help you. What do you have in mind? Let me know, and I will work with you to conform beautiful traditional iron work to your needs. Enjoy your visit here on the Custer Family Farm website and I look forward to hearing from you! |
