US-born Kelly Gragg is a scientific officer at the University of Otago’s School of Surveying, but he also enjoys practising the ancient arts of blacksmithing and using the blacksmith’s forge at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum.
He was bitten by the blacksmithing bug the first time he saw it demonstrated at a colonial heritage museum in Virginia.
"It seemed almost magical with the bright fire and black smoke, the red glowing steel and the sounds and smells.
"I am drawn to blacksmithing because of its blending of artistry and engineering — the challenge of figuring out the correct steps to craft something practical while at the same time making something with an interesting form.
"You have a narrow window of time in which to work as the steel cools and loses colour, going from orange to red to dull black."
The Dunedin museum’s forge has recently been redeveloped, making the area more visually appealing.
And other improvements, including installing a new blower to feed the fire,
have meant the forge —
previously thwarted by technical problems — is back in action and running more efficiently, after being unused for much of the time since about 2017.
Mr Gragg, who has been undertaking blacksmith work for nearly 20 years, also uses the museum’s forge to teach other people, having already run four monthly classes since last December.
Museum board chairman Jonathan Cweorth was pleased the museum forge was operating again and said it was an important attraction for the museum.
