Simon Bushell is a guerrilla blacksmith. He’s the dreadlocked Vietcong of ironwork. He sets up his forge wherever he wants, swings his hammer and then he’s gone again in to the night. Or something like that.
The truth is, Simon’s an incredible and incredibly passionate blacksmith who believes entirely in taking his craft out in to the world, and showcasing blacksmithing to people who may otherwise never step inside a forge.
He build The Nowhere Forge in order to do that. The portable workshop runs electric off solar panels, and is big enough to run workshops in, or do demonstrations at music festivals that have not yet introduced metal detectors. It can do everything, and it looks cool as hell.
He’s been taking it on the road for four years. So we caught up with him ahead of his pop-up residency at Ferrous Festival in Hereford to talk about what kind of reactions he gets, and why it’s important to take his work out in to the streets (or fields, or shopping centres).
What’s the best reaction you’ve had to someone seeing/using a forge for the first time?
Best reactions are either the astonishment that blacksmithing still even exists (each time is like another step away from the common misconceptions) or the pleasure in seeing this craft taken out of the dingy workshops to become so transient and social. I think above all though is the kids that become so keen and engaged with it, which gives me more pleasure than anything else in what I do.
So where did the Nowhere Forge come from - what drove you to take your work on the road? (And what do the solar panels power?)
The NWF came from my own bare and battered hands. I build it from scratch over two months and have modified and refined it every year since.
The idea was conceived when I got screwed over by an employer at a difficult time In my life and decided to strive for more independence and freedom within my work. I totally vibe more with the simple life and have always preferred to be quietly independent rather than go through the systems - there are plenty of legitimate variations of life patterns, but unfortunately they're not all catered for in our society.
I wanted to maintain some transience so to have a workshop on the road, I run it off a solar panel and a small battery bank which powers an electric fan, lights and charging port for battery drills. There's also a pedal powered sharpening stone and which might one day power a pillar drill?
What was it that made you want to start swinging a hammer professionally? And where did you learn your craft?
I don't think I ever thought about doing anything 'professionally' - if I can make money at it to keep it viable then I'm pretty happy and if I can save some money too then I'm winning.
I have always been very artistic and built things in all sorts of materials. I did a work experience at Terry Clark's while in school and loved it so headed straight for Hereford. After that was a bucket load of working for other smiths around the country - a very good way to learn the variable skills and how to work efficiently to make it viable.
Blacksmithing seems to be enjoying a bit of a moment – how much (if any) do you think is down to shows like Game of Thrones putting swords and hammers and forges on the screens of millions around the world?
I can't say I've ever melted a chocolate crown and poured in on someone's head to teach them a lesson...
What’s the most surprising thing about working metal that you wouldn’t know unless you’ve had a go yourself?
After you have a go at forging yourself I think you get a full appreciation of the complexity of the skill. You are working with a material that you can almost never touch while forging it so you have to be very dexterous with the tools. There's an awful lot of metalurgy and science behind it and it can be completely knackering on the ol' body.
What’s the feeling like when you step away from a completed project and know ‘yeh I made that’?
There's a great sense of achievement every time you complete a real quality piece, walking away knowing that it will last hopefully longer than you maybe to inspire many people in the future....also that you'll never have to grunt that bloody thing on and off the work bench ever again.
What’s the good and the bad about being a blacksmith in 2019?
The best thing about being a blacksmith in 2019 is the passion that comes with it, whereas back in the day - although there was still definitely passion - it may have been much more a necessity.
This in itself is a double-edged sword (pun not wholeheartedly intended) as the craft is almost a novelty now for clients due to the fact that nearly everything can be made cheaper and faster by machines which everyone seems to love, it's harder to get the appreciation or understanding of exactly what it is we do. Which is why we put on these events, to bring it out of the dark and show people everything what it takes to make a finely crafted piece of hand-made ironwork.
How do other blacksmiths react you’re your nomadic workshop?
I have fortunately had almost 100% positive feedback from other smiths about my portable forge. It's always a worry when you present something new to a group but itinerant and transient blacksmithing has been such a major thing in the history of blacksmithing and everyone vibes with it and we all love perving on each other's workshops and tools so all in all everyone been very complimentary.
I have also had a good number of pre-graduate and established smiths keen to come and join me or use the rig at events which truly makes me feel like my efforts in the creation of the Nowhere Forge has been worthwhile.
How big a part of taking your craft out to where the people are is reminding the world of the heritage and importance of historic practices like blacksmithing ?
I would say that the vast proportion of the reason I bring the Nowhere Forge out to public events is to spread the knowledge and experience of blacksmithing. Whether it be teaching the skills to keen craftspeople and hobbyists or just being there for people to see and talk to about what we do.
Any inside tricks on treating a burn?
We all get burnt, it's part of the game.
One does naturally grow thicker stronger skin when you work a job such as this but we are in no way completely fire proof. Depending very much on the severity of the burn, but for a minor sizzle the best thing is always straight under cold running water for a good 10 mins then I tend to always have some lavender oil which stops the pain later on and heals the skin, or gunk of aloe vera.
But if you're not a disgusting hippie like myself then probably some kind of burn cream from a shop or something...
What are a few bits of blacksmithing jargon people can use to sound like they know what they’re talking about when they’re at Ferrous?
Top/bottom Suage - a tool you form the metal into
Fullering - a forging process like 'pinching' the steel to stretch it
"About yay" - a rough measurement
Upsetting - a forging process where you forge the material back into itself to gain thickness or swelling.
Munclewazzie - the sweet old-boy that comes up to you while your working and reminisces "my uncle was a blacksmith..."
What kind of work (and who’s work) inspires you?
There's many inspiring smiths out there at the mo, a lot of great work coming from Europe as well. I personally love the work of Heiner Zimmermann who I think is really pushing the boundaries of blacksmithing within the art world. I am also always inspired by the interaction between steel and stone in the work of Christian Vaughan Jones.
Generally it's the work of artists such as Cristo and Jean Claude who make you really reconsider the structure and position of a piece within it's surroundings.
I saw you’ve taken the forge to festivals like Shambala – what was the reaction like with that kind of crowd, and aren’t open flames and that number of dreadlocks a dangerous proposition?
The festival work I do has been super successful. It's taken a while to become financially profitable but it's certainly been the best form of promotion I've had.
The festival folk love to get the opportunity it to try a bit of blacksmithing in a field, I know a few other blacksmiths that regularly work festivals and it's always a nice thing to see. ....and I can personally confirm, dreadlocks are flammable, but we always take the appropriate precautions.
Keep an eye out for Simon's pop-up throughout Hereford this weekend.