COLUMBIA, S.C. — There's a place where the tradition comes alive with the resounding clinks and clanks of steel meeting anvil at the South Carolina State Fair.
Rusty Osbourne and Phillips Simmons Blacksmith Guild members are there to stoke the fires of curiosity and keep the ancient art of blacksmithing ablaze.
"Blacksmithing as a tradition and vocation makes all of the tools that are required for all of the other artists - everything from a carving chisel that a sculptor uses to the saws that carpenters use," he said.
Osbourne demonstrated the transformative power of steel as he breathed life into ordinary iron.
"This started as a piece of angle iron, and as you can see from the back of it, it's a straightened out piece of angle iron; it's cut in, then all the feather pieces are hammered into it, and chiseled," he explained. "The end is drawn out and made pretty like a mouse tail, and then when it's hot, it's brushed with a brass brush, giving it that golden look, something pretty but simple."
Beyond the artistry of blacksmithing, there's a space where young, aspiring creators can safely get their hands dirty with clay.
To see the demonstration, head to Academic Avenue, where they'll be held until Sunday.
