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May 18, 2015
Grant Haverstock is a blacksmith who owns Firehouse Ironworks, a blacksmithing business in Nova Scotia, Canada. He forges ornamental architectural ironwork as well as teaches blacksmithing classes to the public, which is the only blacksmith training facility of it’s kind in Eastern Canada. Grant is also the president of the Cape Breton Blacksmithing Association (CBBA), a non-profit organization that has over 50 members. CBBA will be hosting CanIronX, the largest Canadian blacksmithing conference, in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada.
What We Talked About
- Grant makes both architectural and sculptural pieces in his shop, his preference would be to have customers asking for sculptural gates that call for the traditional blacksmithing techniques, such as the organic twisting vines with forge welded leaves.
- When I asked Grant what blacksmith he would like to spend a day with, he said Philip Simmons. Philip Simmons was a prolific blacksmith who spent 78 years producing work in the South, Charleston, South Carolina. He died on 2009. Grant has nominated Phillip several times for the ABANA Alex Bealer Award though he has never won it.
- Grant was on the board of directors of ABANA for the year of 2013. He wanted to get ABANA to be more involved in the Canadian blacksmithing efforts while he was there.
- Grant has a cool old belt driven rivet forge from the early 1900’s. He ended up buying it from a little old darling lady that still had it from when her husband was alive. She called Grant and asked if he would be interested in it.
- When talking about computer ability, Grant is pretty good on the computer and with social media. He has help from his better half, Jessica, who owns a business that builds websites, Beach Pea Designs, www.beachpea.ca . She has built Grant’s website (http://firehouseironworks.com/), the Cape Breton Blacksmiths Association’s website (http://cbblacksmiths.com/) and the CanIronX website (www.canironx.ca).
- Grant started as a hobby blacksmith back in the 1980’s. He finally ended up turning his hobby into a career in 2010 because he needed the creative outlet in what he was doing.
- CanIronX is the largest Canadian blacksmithing event that is held every other year. This year Grant and the CBBA (Cape Breton Blacksmiths Association) is hosting the conference in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on July 2nd through July 5th. The venue is a resort called the Inverary Resort, a waterfront property situated on the Bras d’Or Lake. The demonstration tents will be on the sandy beach of the lake. Lobster, beer and bonfires at night.
- CanIronX will have 3 to 4 larger demo tents and 8 to 10 smaller ones for hands-on/teaching blacksmithing skills. Lorelei Simms will be teaching a beginners course for the youth.
- The other demonstrators include Ian Hope-Simpson, Zeevik Gottleib, Uri Hofi, Mark Aspery and Albert Paley will be lecturing.
- Grant mentions that the CBBA has worked out a promotional discount with Air Canada and West Jet for the conference, email them through the CanIron website to receive the promo code for the discount (but you have to be registered for the conference first).
A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – Cape Breton Blacksmiths Association, http://cbblacksmiths.com/.
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