The blacksmithing shed in the Pioneer Village at the State Fair had a new neighbor this year. A guy was set up doing tinkering right next to it, hammering out tin and copper bowls and knick knacks.
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| Here he's working with a leather-faced slapper to form the broad shape of the bowl. |
Unlike the blacksmiths, who work with metals so hard they have to be heated red hot to be malleable, coppersmiths and tinsmiths work with cold metal.
While no longer used to make day-to-day use items like bowls, pitchers, and ashtrays, cold-working metal skills survive in the auto body shop.
