HANCOCK — John Graney, a blacksmith from Sheffield, described his work as "the last of the craft resurgences," joining once-neglected crafts such as weaving as an alternative to manufactured products, where process and craftsmanship are too often lost.

He was one of dozens of area blacksmiths on hand at Hancock Shaker Village yesterday, where the usual early summer calm was punctured by the rhythmic clanking of hammers on anvils and the smell of coal smoke wafting through the air.

Most of the blacksmiths, many hobbyists, members of the Berkshire Blacksmiths Association and the Capital District Blacksmith Association, set up forges and anvils to demonstrate the craft of heating, bending and banging iron into useful and decorative items like hooks and fire pokers.

The annual event, in its thirteenth year, continues today.

Blacksmithing is 'a novelty'

Graney runs a five-person shop, John F. Graney Metal Design, and designs mostly ornamental and architectural metalwork. He began blacksmithing in 1976, a time when the craft was at a low ebb and he felt like "a novelty." But it has had a resurgence of late, with more people understanding the value of hand-crafted materials.

He said many are drawn to the work, which requires a unique set of skills, including great attention to detail and process, the patience to try and retry things, and intense concentration to avoid any accidents involving super hot iron.

"You have to stay in the present," he said. "That's one of the things that drew me to it."

Activity for children too

Helping Graney was Daniel Lowenstein, a fifteen-year-old from Sheffield who has been blacksmithing for two years, starting when his parents tried to find an activity for the summer after school let out.

As he worked making a letteropener, he said he enjoys the opportunity to work with his hands, the sense of movement that the work involves and the reaction he gets from people when he tells them about it.

"It's very different from a lot of things," he said. "People's typical reaction is 'Wow, that's interesting.' "

Jim Stapleford of Shokan, N.Y., said events like the blacksmithing weekend help explain what they do to people, who too often think blacksmiths are just the folks who put shoes on horses (those are specialized blacksmiths called "farriers").

"It helps for people to see what ironwork can be," he said.

Relieves frustration

He said many professionals are becoming interested in blacksmithing out of frustration that they don't work with their hands. "They want to be able to do something for themselves," he said.

But Stapleford acknowledged it is a difficult craft. "It's dirty, heavy and just plain work," he said. "But like a lot of other things it's worth the effort you put into it."

Nick Urquhart of Stephentown, N.Y., who has been a blacksmith for more than 50 years, explained that much of blacksmithing is experimenting with new techniques.

The craft went far out of favor after the Second World War, and though it is coming back, it isn't entirely the same.

"I think quite a bit has been lost," he said.