The Teachers
Dale Morse
Dale Morse is the proprietor of Clay Hill Forge. He began blacksmithing in 1976 at the age of nine. His early training took place in the forges of the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Franklin County, VA, where he and his family exhibited historically accurate demonstrations of everyday life in the rural 1860’s era tobacco plantation. Dale then established a blacksmithing shop at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business administration.
Dale further built on his knowledge of blacksmithing at the Penland and John C. Campbell craft schools as well as at other professional shops across the nation. He has studied under Manfred Bredhol of the Vulkanschmiede in Aachen, Germany and Gabrielle Curtolo in San Servolo, Venice, Italy. Dale’s ironwork creations grace homes and businesses all over the U.S. and abroad, including the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in Paradise Island, Bahamas, and in the private palace of the Emir of Qatar at Um Qarn.
David Tucciarone
David Tucciarone has been blacksmithing since 1987 and runs his own shop in Rustburg, Virginia. He has studied his craft with Francis Whitaker among others in North Carolina and teaches each year at the John C. Campbell Folk School. He is a member of ABANA as well as the North Carolina Chapter of the same. David specializes in making decorative ironwork for the home and garden.
Bruce Dembling
| 1975 to present | Self-taught amateur blacksmith beginning 1975 using Alex Bealer’s “Art of Blacksmithing” and the few other publications available at the time. Have maintained a working forge continuously since, now in Charlottesville. |
| 1976 | Met David Court, professional smith from Northfield NH and began attending informal meetings of the New England Blacksmiths. |
| 1984-87 | Part time US park Service blacksmith for the Saugus Ironworks in Massachusetts. Mentored by Steve Nichols, later chief smith at the USS Constitution Museum in Boston. |
| 1986 | Attended First World Congress of Artist Blacksmiths in Aachen Germany. |
| 1990 | Became founding member and incorporator of New England Blacksmiths Assoc. Inc. |
Main Blacksmith Interests: basic hand forging techniques using mild steel, tool steel, and wrought iron for practical applications in edge tool and hardware fabrication. Coal forging and some gas welding expertise, basic high carbon steel edge tool welding and hardening techniques.
from the instructor's portfolio
