Francis Trez Cole

how I got started

In 1987 while in the Marine Corps I was living in the town of Jacksonville NC. I had read every book I could find on blacksmithing. A museum in Richland, the next town over, had a great curator, Albert Potts. He would bring in folk artists on Sunday afternoons to do demonstrations. One cold and icy Sunday, I read in the paper that he was going to have a blacksmith at the museum demonstrating civil war pieces. When I arrived there were about six others who had also braved the cold. Shawn, the blacksmith was just lighting off his forge. He had a bellows and all his equipment was homemade. He did his demo in an hour then everyone else left. I didn’t. I had tons of questions. He looked at me and said I could stand there all day and you could ask questions but instead he handed me a piece of steel and commented, “you are only going to learn this by doing it”. So I started hammering and we ended up talking for two hours. He asked me why I wanted to blacksmith. That was simple. I wanted a set of ice carving chisels. I explained that I was a trained chef with a degree from Johnson and Wales University and unwilling to pay thousands of dollars for something I felt that I could make. I helped Shawn pack up and I decided to just go home and do it.

I searched flea markets for tools and found a good vice and a hammer. I built my forge and bellows. I drove to Wilmington, NC and bought my first bags of coal. So Saturday morning came I had worked to do I needed tools for the forge a shovel, poker, rake and water can. Well with in an hour the wooden arm on the bellows broke. Not giving up I made one out of steel lifting the bottom of the bellows by hand I forged my first Eye then forged welded it. Feeling good yes I can do this. So now I could start on my list.

Then something strange happened. My neighbor Derwood came over. “What do you think you’re doing”, he asked. “I am blacksmithing”. “No, you are doing it all wrong”, he said. Then he picked up my rake and started pulling my fire apart. “It’s ok. You can light it up again now get in my truck”. Now Derwood was in his 90’s and I had a lot of respect for him. He was still cutting his own fire wood to heat his house. Down the road we went, off the main road and onto a dirt road through woods which felt like forever. The woods cleared and there were thousands of acres of corn. We pulled up to an old tobacco barn. “See that stand of trees over there? That is where I was born. The house bunted down years ago”. In the barn we went. “She’s here somewhere”, he proclaimed, “If you can pick her up you can have her”! There she was in a corner under a tarp… an anvil, battered, chipped and old. I walked over and wrapped my arms around her and off we went. She was now mine and I hers. Years later I found out where the anvil had come from. Derwood told me he had received it from the great great grandson of John Ford the first blacksmith in Onslow County, NC in 1774. After a lot of research I found out it was made by Mouse Hole Forge. I tended to the abuse she had suffered over the years and to this day she still serves me well.

A few years later I moved to Chapel Hill, NC to take over as Executive Chef of UNC Hospitals. This is where I met George Berrett of Storybrook Metal Shop. We became friends and I would watch what he was producing and go home and make the elements I had seen in his shop. Every time I lit off my forge I had work for hire from fixing farm equipment to making custom pieces for people.

In 1999 I moved to Sarasota, FL. I started working for the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre as the Technical Director. I set up my shop and got my first big commission. The Venice Cathedral needed a fence for a cemetery. I installed it on the morning of 9/11. Since then I have produced pieces for collectors and worked with members of the Histicorial Society recreating and expanding existing pieces from old Sarasota. I’ve also had pieces commissioned by a Japanese cruse line and Bush Gardens of Tampa.

I blacksmith for the love of the art. Who would have thought from that cold North Carolina day I would find my self 20 years later under an old oak tree in 90 degree weather with 90 percent humidity (what was I thinking) listening to that old anvil ring and boy does she sing.

thats the way I make mine except I make mine square. I use 4x4 tube for the air pipes and instead of a clinker breaker I welded in a 5/8" rebar great. works real good still working after all these years.

I made one out of 1/4" 5 years ago have been using it every day with no clay liner.

my first forge was a used bbq grill and a pipe with a 90 degree angle poured concret hearth. grill free, pipe free, and concret $3.00 made a bellows from scrap wood Free. took a few days but up and hammering in a week. The best advice anyone ever gave me was "just do it". 20 years later still doing it. my first purchases were an machinest vice with a flat plate on the back (used as an anvil) and a good cross peen hammer.

check out foxfire books there is a section on making blackpowder guns. I think it is volume 6or7. Do not have them with me.

get the neighbor to help once my neighbors find out what I am doing they want to see how it works.

depending on the steel I use super quench and a tmermal marker.

I made a hot cut from a piece of rebar 20 years ago still use it. You can always use the super quench in making your tools.

you have to make nails to hold your I-beam on to your stump. Nice job on your first Set of tongs.

great Frosty see you are keeping busy

I use pb blaster and marvels. stand by marvels have always replased 1 qt in every oil change in my cars. Engins have out lasted the body.

the wood that was used when nails were hand forged was green not kiln dryed. pre drilling helps. less taper on the nail will help also

you have to use a cut-off wheel I use them as clinker breakers when I build fire pots. Cut off a slice about 3" angle one end to a point. weld a 1/4" round rod to the other end they work great

rebar is not the best metal to start with get some mild steel. the best learning experance I had was picking up all kinds of scrap and heating it and seeing how it worked scrap yard good place to start.

Con grats you know you have a good woman when she stops and pulls stuff out of the trash.

wow nice would love on of those

I was taught that the fire is like a ball. the bottom is oxidizing the middle is the right place and the top is carbonizing makes sence like the sun to close you get burnned to far away is to cool.

both have there place for me I perfer coal for fine isolated work. Big twist, scrolls and production I use the gas forge. Wood charcoal is great fun very clean but you will burn up a lot of it.

mankle is the way to go. if you are doing production you need one with a blower

could use that down here in florida have to look into that cool

got mine in trade buffalo vice. there is a set of plans to make a vice on the abana sight for free

Just sprinkle it on with a spoon.

I built a hand crank blower I was in the same boat. There is a pic under my photos. It has to be reworked looking not high enought gearing. Looking at a bellows you can make one out of plywood, canvis, and rubber roofing paint pretty inexpensively. Granger has a dayton blower #99080464 it is Electric I have used the same one for the last 5 years works great and for $65.00 you cant beat it

Quango the Florida artis Blacksmithing Ass. South west chapter has sent you some a leaves. Hope the tree comes together well. Cant wait to see the finished tree