by Erik Hare
It’s performance art, it’s sculpture, and more than anything it’s very hot. It’s the Iron Pour, an annual event of West End Arts. You’ve already missed this year’s event, but if you want to have something ready for next year it’s open to anyone who wants to be a part of the scene that’s literally scorching.
The idea of a big community event came from a simple, practical matter – if you work in metal, it doesn’t make any sense to try to cast one mold at a time. The equipment needed to hit 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit is expensive to own and to make the heat. It’s also heavy enough to require several people to carry the big pot of molten iron. If you’re gonna do it, you have to get it together as a community. While everyone is at it, you can invite spectators to see the Vulcan spectacle and have a real party.
The iron is heated in a big pot, as shown, and poured out onto molds that are nothing more than impressions cast in sand – and carefully leveled. Over a few hours, the metal cools to form a solid work of art. It can then be polished and worked as needed to make something beautiful and useful that started out as a great spectacle of spark and steel.
Castings that were poured ranged from some simple signs for the front of a house to complicated patterns with delicate scrollwork. Molten iron is pretty thin stuff, so simple castings on sand aren’t disturbed by the liquid pouring over them. Fine details come out just fine in the process, and beautiful castings result. It’s all a matter of what the artist is trying to make happen.
This year’s event featured the Backseat Boogie Band and a hot dog stand to make it something of a small party. It’s held at the old Schmidt Brewery because the big expanse of industrial land is a nice safe place that has the right kind of macho feel. It’s also right at the center of the West End, so it’s easy for everyone who wants to stop by and be a part of it to just hang out for a while.
The event itself was a bit cold this year, at least upwind from the roaring furnace. That didn’t cool down the fun. If you’ve never seen the intense shimmering color of molten iron, it’s definitely worth stopping by next year to see!
