David Fisher of Fisher Forge of Hamburg makes a copper floral arrangement with iron stems at the Iron Pour and Forge Fest held at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading. (SPECIAL TO THE READING EAGLE – SUSAN L. ANGSTADT)
A crowd gathered around David Fisher as he slammed his hammer into the warm copper, creating sharp lines in the metal that would transform the clear surface into what appeared to be an intricate flower petal.
“You have to work fast,” he told his audience, explaining that he only had a few minutes to complete the process before he would have to place the metal back into the forge to return it to a more malleable state.
Daniel Tothero Jr. was fascinated.
The 8-year-old was among the crowd watching Fisher showcase his blacksmithing skills at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts’ annual Iron Pour and Forge Fest Saturday in Reading.
His father was enamored by the demonstration as well. While he has become pretty good at blacksmithing himself, Daniel Tothero said he was excited to see what Fisher and other members of the Pennsylvania Artists Blacksmith Association would do next.
“It’s really impressive to see what they can do,” the Exeter Township resident said. “I wish I would have seen something like this when I was younger because I would have probably gotten into it much sooner.”
Natalie Fenner, manager of signature events for the GoggleWorks, said that is one of the primary reasons why the Iron Pour and Forge Fest is such a fun event for the whole family. The free experience, which is held in collaboration with Albright College, is meant to celebrate artists who work with heavy metals and show the community how they can take part in the activities.
“This is a cool way for the artists to interact with the community,” she said.
During the event, visitors had a chance to participate in workshops where they could create their own small casted iron artworks and design copper pendants to take home. There were also demonstrations, music, food truck fare and craft beers on tap for those in attendance.
