By Sarah Page Kyrcz, Shoreline Times
Photo by Catherine Avalone, New Haven Register
Ben Cohen’s blackened hands, resting near the red-hot coal forge in the Guilford Art Center blacksmithing shop, are just one visible example of his commitment to this ancient art.
“A desire, a desire to do something with your hands,” is what it takes to excel in this craft, says bladesmith and blacksmith Mace Vitale.
“I get a lot of kids that come in here that, you know, all they do is they go home and play video games,” Vitale, 47, laments. “To take a saw and cut a piece of metal in half, that’s new to them. It may be old to me, but it’s great to see them be able to do it and learn how to use tools.”