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If you think the art of blacksmithing is just about horseshoes, a visit to Ashley Sutton’s Poison Anvil Blacksmithing exhibition at the South East Qld Expo is sure to open your eyes about the creations that can be crafted with the anvil and forge.
Ashley, along with his sons Labe, Aaron, and Garrett, and his brother (fellow blacksmith) Ralph, will be showcasing Poison Anvil’s vast and varied wares at the expo which range from saucepan hangers, camping tools and candelabras to wine racks and sculptures.
“We’ll be demonstrating how we use the coke forge and gas forge, the anvils, leg vices and all the other tools of the trade,” Ashley said.
“We’ll be creating some small items on-site such as bullhead coat hangers, horseshoes and crowbars to show expo guests what we can accomplish in a short period of time,” he said.
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Ashley said he attended the expo last year and had a great experience.
“I got a lot of good feedback from guests at the expo, and we sold a lot of items during our time there.”
For some years, Ashley lived in NSW and had a Blacksmith Shop on his property located on the western edge of Warialda. It housed some of the most creative and artistic pieces of blacksmith work in the whole Northern NSW area.
Ashley moved to Tarampa in the Brisbane Valley four years ago to be with his partner Carol, and his family.
He aims to eventually set-up another shop on the highway which he’s hoping will include bus tours, talks and demonstrations.
Ashley and Carol take their blacksmithing products to the weekend markets at Mt Tamborine, Toowoomba, Brisbane and Nanango and have built up quite a following of happy customers.
Ashley and Ralph are third generation blacksmiths who were taught by their father Ray, who in turn was taught by their grandfather Ted; and to this day they still use many of the same anvils that Ray and Ted used.
“We started farriering in Sydney 42 years ago. Back then there wasn’t a large range of shoes to fit to horses so you had to make your own.”
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Ashley said Labe and Aaron are working as farriers and Garrett is blacksmithing at Poison Anvil.
“Over the years we kept battling and eventually turned it into an art form. In our spare time we come home and get on the forge to create different art pieces.
“You never stop learning with blacksmithing. I especially enjoy the challenge of creating custom items."
“Everyday you get up and create something different - it's another adventure. It’s hard work, but it’s an honest job and at the end of the day when you look at what you’ve made it's very satisfying.”
