Students will forge and fabricate a tapered square body with a key slot in one side. The body of the lock will be held together by tenons on the ends of straps until the top and bottom can be brazed in the forge. The shackle will be forged with a flared flange to cover the top of the lock. “V” shaped springs will be forged that retain the shackle until they are compressed by the key. Various types of warding will be discussed and options for ornamentation offered.
This class will be taught by Tom Latané who started forging reproduction colonial and early American ironwork in Maryland in the early 1970s. After moving to the Midwest in 1981, he was introduced to the creative whimsy of Norwegian folk iron. Tom and his wife, Catherine, have a shop in Pepin, Wisconsin, where Tom repairs antiques and creates original pieces using a traditional design vocabulary and historic hand techniques. Tom has demonstrated for blacksmith groups and has taught at folk schools around the country. Some of Tom’s ironwork can be seen in Vesterheim’s Westby-Torgerson Education Center. He has several videos available on Vesterheim’s YouTube channel.
Scholarships including local standby option are available. Find information here.
