Burlington blacksmith crafts sculptures, furniture, tools, and more
CHARLOTTE - Tucked away in a small wooden shed down a winding rural road in Charlotte, Michael Harrigan's Urthona Forge is fairly unassuming from the outside, save for a lone sign that reads "Blacksmith."
The inside, however, is a different story. A gas forge heats up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, hot metal is pounded into shape by a 1,600 pound power hammer, and metal sculptures of endless shapes and sizes are on display.
"I've been doing blacksmithing for 40 years," said Harrigan, who is 74 and lives in Burlington. "I make anything out of metal, anything I wanna. Especially at my age, I just wanna create pretty things."
Candle sticks, coat hangers, knives, chairs, fireplace tools, and abstract sculptures are a sampling of Harrigan's creations. Some of Harrigan's works are on display at Northwood Gallery in Stowe, but first and foremost, the blacksmith creates for himself.
The blacksmith's process
Harrigan starts his process by heating up metal in the forge. Once the metal reaches an adequate temperature (typically around 2000 degrees), it can temporarily be shaped. Literally — you have to strike while the iron is hot.
Sometimes, Harrigan places the hot metal on an anvil and strikes it with a hammer, molding it into the shape of a hook, leaf, or anything else he wants.
Other times, Harrigan uses the power hammer — a massive automated machine that repeatedly pounds metal with heavy force. By spinning the hot metal under the power hammer, Harrigan gives metal rods sharp, pointy tapers.
While the forge is Harrigan's primary method of heating up metal, some occasions call for a welding torch. With this tool, Harrigan focuses heat on the center point of a rod, and once the rod is hot enough, bends it into shape.
The journey to becoming a blacksmith
Harrigan's creative passions started in grade school with drawing.
"My father didn't approve of the arts. He said something derogatory, so I just stopped," Harrigan said.
Harrigan's creative life was put on hold for a bit, until he went to the Modern Welding School in New York around the age of 29. Soon after, Harrigan started working on buildings and bridges, and joined the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union.
In 1983, Harrigan took a blacksmithing course from Steven Bronstein, who runs Blackthorne Forge in Marshfield. Harrigan was enamored by the craft, and started operating a portable coal forge in a friend's backyard.
Neighbors complained about smoke in the backyard setup, so Harrigan moved to a garage on Maple Street in Burlington, where he got more serious, buying the power hammer and gas forge. Still, neighbors continued to complain about noise and smoke, and Harrigan was eventually kicked out.
In 2012, Harrigan's general practitioner offered him the space in the shed on his property in Charlotte.
"It was great," Harrigan said. "It's out in the country, nobody's complaining."
Harrigan has been operating Urthona Forge out of the shed for over a decade now.
"So I'm here now, and it's probably gonna be here for the rest of my life," Harrigan said.
Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington blacksmith Michael Harrigan make 'anything out of metal"
