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Local smiths keep the fire alive By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings In the 1800s, Ashland was still a stage stop, and with horses in vogue, blacksmiths found their services in demand - not just for shoeing nags, but also for making farm implements, logging hooks and repairs. Nowadays, the only time you'll find a horse on the street is during parades. But Dennis DeBey - the proprietor of Ashland Forge since 1974 - continues to keep the fire alive as a working blacksmith, one of several in Ashland. And he continues to take apprentices, makes journeymen out of them, as he also continues to hone his skills. DeBey said his interest in blacksmithing came out of a passion for collecting old wood stoves. "I was working for Head Start, and driving a school bus around Medford, and I kept seeing these old wood stoves in people's backyards," DeBey said. DeBey soon began to collect the stoves, and worked on restoring them. That led him to a welding class in Central Point, and after the first week he bought his first anvil. Within a year after the anvil purchase, DeBey met his mentor, a Yreka man named Al Bart. "(Bart) came along after I'd been at it by myself for a while, and told me he had six months to live. He had apprenticed as a blacksmith when he was 13, and had become the mentor of the scene for the whole area. He wanted to pass on his skills, and so I studied with him. He lived for a lot longer than six months, though. He just passed on about five years ago," DeBey said. The market for a blacksmith's wares has clearly changed. Horseshoes, log hooks and plowshares aren't the smith's stock in trade. Instead, it's wrought iron gates, window frames, fancy fencing, as well as more prosaic items like pot racks, hooks and decorative hinges. "These days it's mostly home stuff for the wealthy. But we still do lots of repairs - we'll never stop doing that. I try to service everybody from people pushing shopping carts that have a bad wheel to customers that drive up in Mercedes and Jaguars," DeBey said. While being interviewed in his shop, DeBey shows off a massive iron window frame patterned off a design popular in France during the 1920s. Beside the frame are several examples of DeBey's attempts at reproducing a delicate leaf motif in hammered steel. He dismissed his early efforts as "not what I was going for," and shows off his latest version, which is both slender and sinuous. "Every time I learn a little more," he said, clearly pleased with the final result. Two of DeBey's assistants - DeBey said they've graduated into journeymen - assist him in the shop. Robert Oaks, 29, has been with DeBey for the past six months. A former welder, Oaks was attracted to blacksmithing after he lost work. Malcolm Schubert, 28, had his own shop in Colorado, and has been working with DeBey for the past seven years. "I've been very fortunate," DeBey said. "The people who come here have good experience, and they're young and eager." In addition to making journeymen out of apprentices, DeBey has also been instrumental in creating Ashland's next generation of blacksmithing talent. Jason Bueter worked with DeBey before striking out on his own. Now Bueter makes tables, mirrors, as well as anything else his client's desire. "I think I can make anything," Bueter enthused. "My dad taught me how to weld when I was 10, and DeBey was a mentor for a time. He's a great guy, and in the time I worked there, I learned a lot of the old fundamental blacksmithing. It really helped to be able to do more than just fabricate metal," Bueter said. Last Friday, Bueter's work went on display at local gallery Nuwandart. More of his work can also be seen at Jega Gallery and Workshops. Last year, Bueter opened up his smithy in Ashland's industrial area on Hersey Street. Eric Sislow, another area blacksmith works next door to Bueter, and has had his smithy there since 1996. According to Sislow, all of Ashland's metal workers find their own niche in the city. Sislow designs gates, stairs, fixtures, and even dabbles in casting bronze pieces to supplement his work. Recent projects include a set of handrails for a bed and breakfast, and exhibits for Medford's Home Show. "It's a struggle, but I manage to stay busy. I've got a good base of clients, but I'm not getting rich by any means," Sislow said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -