By Jeff Sovelove
There was something for everyone at the Industrial Crafts Day at the Cooper Grist Mill in Chester last weekend.
Tinsmith George C. Pierson showed off his skill in making both artistic and everyday items such as tea and coffee pots. In the late 1700’s the first tinsmiths came to America , and the first tinsmith in New Jersey settled in Boonton. Than, as now, the tin sheets were imported from England.
Bladesmith William J. Barrett showed off his hand cranked coal forge, making small items for the kids and demonstrating the basics of blacksmithing and knife making.
He let the kids participate in cranking the forge and showed off a number of beautiful blades made from steel cable from the Brooklyn Bridge, railroad spike knives, ant s prototype tanto he’s making for a Nicholas Cage movie.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove. Hover / click on image for captions:
Samantha Hartford, the new miller for the Cooper Grist Mill, led tours showing off the workings of the mill and the tremendous water wheel that powers it all. The metal wheel, which weighs 13,000 pounds, was originally from a mill in Pottersville.
It’s fed by a man-made pond and a water flume made of white oak, which naturally seals when wet. The wheel turns a set of hears, which lead to leather pulleys and wooden gears that power the 2,000 pound French grindstone, a bag hoist, and several elevators that take grain up to the millstone and back down to the lower floors of the mill to be bagged.
The stones originally were brought over in pieces as ballast in wooden sailing ships and then assembled into wheels, with grooves cut into them by hand to slice the grain like scissors. Visitors also got to see wheat get ground into flour and to purchase stone ground corn meal and wheat flour.
There also were woodworkers, weavers and needle felters to round out an informative and beautiful summer day.
