传统铁匠工艺的回归

Curt Welch and Charlie Perticari are regulars at a workshop located in a nature park near Washington.

Welch is making a rose. "This is a leaf that is going to be the end of a flower. And I am putting the veins in," he explains.

铁匠柯特·韦尔奇要做一枝玫瑰。他正在打制一片叶子，还在上面做出叶筋。

Charlie Perticari is making a letter opener. "I have sold them. I have several in use in my own home. I like to give them away to people as gifts because it is very personal."

另一名铁匠查理·珀蒂卡里正在做一把裁纸刀。把刀片镶上，这把左手和右手都能用的裁纸刀就大功告成了。珀蒂卡里说：“我卖了一些。留下几把自己用。这些东西都是个人作品，我喜欢把它们当作礼品送人。”

Both men are members of the Blacksmiths' Guild of the Potomac - a non-profit organization that teaches blacksmithing skills to a new generation. Blacksmiths traditionally made horseshoes and tools, but much of their work became obsolete a century ago with the advent of new technology and mass production. However, thanks to hobbyists like Welch and Perticari, the lost craft is having a resurgence.

珀蒂卡里和韦尔奇是这个工作坊的常客。工作坊设在华盛顿附近的一个自然公园里。两人都是“波多马克铁匠协会”的会员。这是一个非营利组织，宗旨是将铁匠手艺传给下一代。

"I immediately became fascinated with the artistic nature of the craft and all sorts of magic of working with metal," says Welch, a computer software engineer who joined the group two years ago.

柯特·韦尔奇本身是一名电脑软件工程师。两年前加入这个组织。他说：“我立刻就被这种工艺的艺术性以及用铁能表现出来的各种神奇迷住了。”

The Guild, which began 30 years ago with 20 blacksmiths, has grown to 200 members. Most are hobbyists while some are artists.

30年前铁匠协会成立时，只有20名会员，现在已经增长到200名会员了。大部分人把它当作一种业余爱好，还有一些人本身是艺术家。迈克尔·布里斯金律师是协会会长。

"I think we have a strong future," says Michael Briskin, an attorney who is president of the guild. "There are a lot more guilds forming around the area so we are sort of competing for members against some other guilds. But certainly it is great for blacksmithing as a whole that we have a lot more guilds."

他说：“我觉得我们前途光明。这个地区有许多同业协会，所以我们要和其它一些协会争夺会员。但是对铁匠行业来说，多一些同业协会是件好事。”

One of those other guilds is The Mid Atlantic Smiths Association. The group recently held its 8th annual event in Cordova, Maryland. Featuring demonstrations by master blacksmiths, it drew about 150 people.

在这些同业协会中有一个中大西洋铁匠协会，在全世界有4千多名会员。这个组织最近在马里兰州克尔多瓦举行了第八届年会。年会主题是铁匠大师的示范表演，吸引了大约150人到现场观摩。

Pey Anderson, president of the Artist Blacksmiths' Association of North America (ABANA), was among them. He says ABANA has more than 4,000 members worldwide.

"The Internet, YouTube, Facebook, these social outlets are really helping fuel the organization and blacksmithing around the world and make it a lot easier for people to find the information, to get involved, to learn," says Anderson. "Thirty years ago it was very difficult to find a blacksmith."

北美艺术铁匠联合会会长培·安德森也出席了年会。他说：“互联网、YouTube、脸书等社交网站帮了世界各地铁匠行业和同业协会的大忙，人们要查找信息、参加活动、学习手艺，都容易多了。30年前，想找到一名铁匠，很困难。”

According to Anderson, although some traditional work is still being done, blacksmithing is becoming something different from its utilitarian roots. "Now it is more of an artistic form, people doing sculptural work, architectural work, to accent homes and gardens and things like that."

安德森说，虽然有些传统的工作还在做，但铁匠手艺已经与过去那种实用目的不同了，“它现在更是一种艺术形式，人们利用它进行雕塑，用在建筑上，为住房和花园增添一些特色。”

Back in the Washington workshop, Charlie Perticari is finishing up his letter opener while Curt Welch puts the final touches on his rose.

在回头看看华盛顿工作坊，查理·珀蒂卡里裁纸刀马上就做好了。柯特·韦尔奇也正在为他的玫瑰进行最后加工。

"Oh yes, it comes out nicely, oh yes," says Perticari, adding there is nothing like turning a piece of plain metal into an object of beauty - and knowing he did it with.

珀蒂卡里说，把一块金属加工成一件美丽的东西，而且是用自己的双手完成的，还有什么比这更让人高兴呢!