Tom Willoughby is a blacksmith working in Crowne Point Indiana. He is a multi-talented gentleman who is a woodcarver, blacksmith, has hand drawing skills and songwriter. He holds classes in his Willoughby Forge and Anvil shop in Crowne Point.
What We Talked About
- He was a farrier for 34 years and he believes that horseshoeing and blacksmithing go hand in hand
- He learned most of his blacksmithing techniques from Clifton Ralph and Roy Bloom
- A childhood story about his lazy eye and having to wear a patch when he was a little boy shaped who he is today and what kind of a blacksmith he has become
- The story about the anvil vultures he makes and how he makes them
- Feb 19th Anvil Vulture Class in Tom’s shop
- We talk about the size of his shop and what the layout looks like
- He thinks a post vise that is mounted correctly one of the most important tools
- The metal chicken’s he has made that have over 400 horseshoe nails for the feathers
- How he keeps time on each project
- His pricing strategies include the difficulty of the piece and the costs to run the shop
- The “Blacksmithing Blues” song he wrote and how he wanted to go to Nashville for a music career!
- Hoot Hester and Tom’s song they wrote together called “The Blacksmith Song”
Guest Links
Tom’s Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/tom.willoughby.9?fref=ts
Tom talking about his vultures on YouTube: http://youtu.be/ImOX5tFHfv8
Blacksmithin Blues song on YouTube: http://youtu.be/vO73Em2u0R0
Blacksmith Song on YouTube: http://youtu.be/XVgkUPXGGSI
ArtPrize Event in Michigan - http://www.artprize.org/
A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – Nimba Anvils, www.nimbaanvils.com
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