At the next Deep Talks, Sanford Lab is going medieval! Join Dr. Michael West, head of the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SD Mines), and students from SD Mines’ Blacksmithing Club on Thursday, April 12, to learn more about the impacts blacksmithing and bladesmithing have on the program and their role in the modern world. The event takes place at the Sanford Lab
Homestake Visitor Center, 160 W. Main St., Lead, South Dakota.

“Tying the curriculum with hands-on experience of blacksmithing and bladesmithing helps our students connect the science of metallurgy with real-world applications and gives our students an appreciation for the impact of metals on society,” said West. “It’s also just plain fun.”

There’s a great deal of information about blacksmithing and the history of swords on the Internet. Most sites agree that iron swords were likely first forged in about the 12th century B.C. Swords were not widely used until the 8th century B.C. but became the weapon of choice for knights during the Middle Ages. Swords come in many shapes, sizes and metals. To learn first-hand about how they are forged, attendees can watch a demonstration by the
SD Mines blacksmithing club, who will use a portable forge, on the Observation Deck of the Visitor Center.

Deep Talks: The Science of Swords begins at 5 p.m. with a social hour; the talk begins at 6p.m. Light refreshments will be served (along with free beer from Crow Peak Brewing Company in Spearfish for those 21 and older). The presentation begins at 6 pm.

Deep Talks is sponsored by Sanford Lab, Crow Peak Brewing Company of Spearfish and Northern Hills Federal Credit Union of Deadwood.