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The Mastermyr Replica collection will displayed at the CanIRON V Conference courtesy of Bill Clements.
The items were found on the island of Gotland Sweden in 1936. A farmer plowing a recently drained portion of a bog in Mästermyr hit something with his plow. It was the tool chest wrapped in a chain. In the excavation that followed, over 200 items were found in and around the wooden tool chest including blacksmith tools woodworking tools and a variety of other blacksmith made items.
It is not certain how the items came to be in the bog. One theory is that the items were cached there during a period when the level of the bog was low. Another is that they were lost from a boat crossing the bog when the water levels were high. In any case, the fact that they were in the bog is what allowed them to be found in such a well preserved state nearly one thousand years later. The items in the find are dated to around 1000 AD.
The Mastermyr Find is on display in The Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden. Information on the display can be found on the internet at the following website:
www.historiska.se/collections/treasures/Viking-e.html
 In 2000 members of “theforge” decided to make Replicas of the Mastermyr Find to display at the ABANA 2002 conference to be held in LaCrosse Wisconsin. The purpose was to demonstrate the effectiveness of using the internet, via theforge email list server, to allow a diverse group of blacksmiths throughout the United States and Canada to collaborate on a blacksmithing project.
Another goal of the project was to investigate and learn about ancient blacksmithing techniques while reproducing items from the find and to use the completed items to educate the public by exhibiting them at the ABANA Conference.
The choice of the Mästermyr Find, a Viking Age find of Blacksmithing tools from Sweden, was an appropriate one considering the long history of Scandinavian culture and tradition in the region of the United States surrounding LaCrosse.
The plan was to have each participating smith reproduce one or more of the items. The work was to be completed by January 2002 allowing plenty of time to assemble the collection prior to the conference. There was even discussion of how to determine which item, in the case of duplicates, would be put in the display. As plans often go astray, so did this one. January 2002 came and went with few items completed. Items were coming in at the last minute and it wasn’t which items to pick for the display but rather would there be enough items for a display. Mr. Rob Fertner from Kansas had the challenge of collecting the completed items; bringing them to the conference; and helping to set up the display.
The replicas were met with resounding praise at the conference and everywhere else they have been displayed since. There are still plans to find a permanent location to display the collection, but in the meantime it is making the rounds.
There are currently 78 items in the collection. There are 47 more items left to be made, 25 of them currently not assigned. Any and all smiths are encouraged to join in and help complete these items.
If you’re interested in making one or more of these remaining items for the collection contact:
Bill Clemens
Hound and Hare Forge
160 2nd Street
New Columbia, PA 17856
(570) 568-2158
Newky2@dejazzd.com
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