“Upcycling” an interesting part of local blacksmith’s art
Local blacksmith Will Blackett. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
In a shed in his Motupipi backyard, blacksmith Will Blackett fashions all manner of metal creations.
He calls his business La Forge and refers to his work as “upcycling” rather than recycling—cutting and heat-forging his found materials before beating, grinding, hammering and welding them into his finished shapes.
His striking scroll and pattern work can be found tucked away all around town: the ornate gate at the side of First National, the loungers inside his partner’s Hair Revolution salon, the odd letterbox, even the kites outside the library, which he made while working for Guy Northover’s Northwest Farm Services.
Now out on his own, Will doesn’t regret his lack of standard engineering jobs.
“One of the reasons I came here was to do more artistic work. Not only is it more satisfying to create, but people definitely appreciate it more than a repair on a truck or a tractor.”
Local historian Nobby Clark helps him out with materials these days, notably wagon wheel rims, which have an aged and pitted patina Will appreciates. After gas-axeing the desired shapes out of them, he puts them through his LPG forge before beating the pattern back onto the reworked edges. Gates, hardware, hinges, balustrades and furniture make up the bulk of his creations, but he wants to concentrate on wall art in the future.
Will has experience on his side. After he left school in Christchurch, his first job was operating a 100-tonne press in a factory making jockey wheels. After that he made leadlight and frosted glass windows before turning his hand to manufacturing garage doors. He followed this with five years of wrought-iron work for companies in Christchurch, decorative work all destined for million dollar houses.
Will and partner Jenny Molloy moved here three years ago with their two children and haven’t looked back. Will’s dad, who is half French, came up with the name of the business when his son struck out on his own last year.
Says Will, “There’s so much local history in the materials I use here—it’s satisfying to see them stay in the Bay. Each piece has a story behind it.”
Gerard Hindmarsh
