A Woodbury Blacksmith’s Work Goes Hollywood

WOODBURY — As time passes into summer months and the new millennium, it seems amazing to some that the craft of hand forging — the process of repairing or replicating original hardware — is continuing. Charlie Euston, the owner of Woodbury Blacksmith and Forge, continues the tradition using 18th Century techniques.

The shop is the only place in the region to find a complete selection of period hardware including hinges, bolts, hooks, brackets, firebacks and every imaginable style of hand-forged nails.

The forge moved to Bethlehem for about a year recently, while one of a cluster of barns behind Antiques on Main Street was renovated, but Mr Euston is back in his familiar quarters now at 125 Main Street South (Route 6). The location may seem to be tucked away behind greenhouses, but Mr Euston doesn’t seem concerned.

“The fascinating thing is that people somehow seem to find me,” he said recently. 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios have used Mr Euston’s expertise in creating props for feature films. The latest major movie studio to seek the Woodbury studio and its master was Columbia Pictures, for its new film starring Mel Gibson, The Patriot.

Set in Revolutionary War America, Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin, a farmer who was a hero following the French and Indian conflict but has vowed to never again take up arms.

However, once the British arrive in America and the fighting reaches the town where Martin’s family lives, Gibson’s character once again finds himself in the midst of the battle that threatens his home and family. The movie is due in theatres June 28, and astute moviegoers can keep an eye out for period pieces created by Woodbury Blacksmith and Forge.

Golf Digest has also been interested in Mr Euson’s work. Early American Life, Country Home and Country Gardener have all done features on the blacksmith.

The next splash of publicity Mr Euston may enjoy could come from the country’s leading entertainer and home decorator. Following the appearance of a story called “Working In The Past”_in the Connecticut section of The New York Times, Ms Stewart sent a team to talk with Mr Euston about the possibility of a future magazine or television segment.

As much as the town blacksmith loves working in the past, he is well aware of the opportunities available on the Internet. Reaching a larger customer base through the World Wide Web has enabled Mr Euston to introduce diversified products with fellow artisans.

Bob Keating of Bridgewater has designed a few original chandeliers, for instance, which have been created by Mr Euston. Mr Keating’s contemporary designs have been presented in a simplified form using 17th to 19th Century techniques, something that may never have happened without the Internet.

Now that Woodbury Blacksmith and Forge has returned to its Main Street location, Mr Euston is most concerned with getting settled back into his forge and setting up his shop in its circa 19th Century barn. The location may not be the most visible one for the casual driver along Main Street South, but Mr Euston’s “they’ll find me” attitude — like his time-honed techniques — has worked for years, so why worry now?