Hand-forged metal hearts at USU Blanding

A symbol of love, crafted with care. USU Blanding welding students are bringing life to the quad with their hand-forged metal hearts, which will be displayed during the beginning of February.
The metal hearts will be displayed on The Quad from Feb. 9 through Feb. 13, leading up to the Valentine’s Day holiday. 
During that time, each heart will be labeled with a number, and online voting will be available to community members by scanning a QR code. Prizes will be awarded to the winning students.
In addition to the public display, some of the hearts will be available for purchase. 
If a community member sees one they especially like, they can contact USU welding instructor Chloe Wilson to discuss pricing and availability. Proceeds will go directly back to the welding program, specifically the welding sculpture class.
The welding program has seen success in previous student competitions and display events so they are excited to use the event as a fundraiser for their classes.
“Any funds that we raise through this will be used to purchase items for welding classes in the future,” Wilson said.
This is one of the first projects of the semester for welding sculpture students and features fundamental blacksmithing techniques.
“It’s fairly complicated, especially when you’re first getting started,” said welding instructor and professional blacksmith Adam Simpson.
Students have been practicing four core blacksmithing skills through the project: blending, scrolling, upsetting and tapering. These techniques teach students how to manipulate hot metal by shaping curves and swirls, compressing metal to make it shorter and thicker, and drawing it out to make it longer and thinner.
“These hearts incorporate all four of those aspects,” said Simpson.
The class is taught by Wilson and Simpson and this project has been organized by Simpson. He designed the project to be accessible to students both in the classroom and at home.
“If they have an ASO (anvil-shaped object) and a campfire, they can replicate this project at home,” Wilson said. “It’s very accessible, even if you don’t have a lot of expensive equipment.”
To prepare students for the project, Simpson started the semester by having students practice basic blacksmithing techniques with modeling clay, anvils and hammers. The modeling clay behaves similarly to hot metal, which allows students to build confidence with the techniques in a safer, lower-stakes environment before forging with hot metal in the shop.
Once students developed familiarity with those techniques, they began to excel in the shop environment. Sculpture class students crafted their own tongs and will be using student-made tools to create their hearts.
The event also coincides with a middle school and high school Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) competition hosted at USU Blanding on Feb. 9. Students attending the competition will have the opportunity to view the sculpture display, vote on their favorite pieces, and explore the welding program.
Faculty hope the event will serve as a recruiting opportunity by giving prospective students a firsthand look at the projects and hands-on learning happening in the welding shop.
Along with teaching theory, the welding program at USU Blanding focuses on tailoring the curriculum to the students and providing a hands-on learning environment.
The accessibility Simpson incorporates into the projects allows students to build confidence and skills outside of class, further expanding the welding program. 
The goal is to maximize the hands-on time to provide students with more opportunities in the shop to practice their techniques and find out what works for them.
For more information, contact USU Blanding’s welding department faculty.