CLA 2019 Auction: Hand-forged hearth cooking set by Greg Bray

Hand-forged hearth cooking set by Greg Bray

For many early American history enthusiasts, living with a tangible connection to the past can be a way of life. This year’s CLF fundraising auction will feature a delightful set of cooking utensils that will be equally at home around a campfire or in a 21^st century kitchen.

Blacksmith and CLA member Greg Bray has crafted a full set of hand-forged cooking implements based on original 18^th century examples. The set includes a ladle, a serving or cooking fork, a key hole spatula, and a skimmer. All the tools were forged from mild steel and the skimmer has a brass bowl attached with rivets. The hanging bar for the set is adorned with ram’s horn finials. True to the example of most 18^th century blacksmiths, Bray left these pieces unsigned.

The artist’s experience at the forge is evident in this fine set, which is attractive as well as utilitarian. Bray has been blacksmithing for nearly three decades, and now serves as the executive director of Prickett’s Fort, a West Virginia living history museum that recreates life on the early frontier.

“The CLA,” says Bray, “is vital in perpetuating the history and the importance of the early craftsmen in the building of our nation. The CLA allows todays modern-era craftsmen and women to be able to have a venue to show their talents and to carry on the traditions of the early craftsmen.”

For more information on the work of Greg Bray, contact the artist directly at: director@prickettsfort.org

Larry Pletcher, editor