Manning the Forge - Night 14

Upon returning to the homestead following a short bush walk, Adrian was busy preparing a small forging demonstration for us. All of his smiting (or blacksmithing) is done on small charcoal forges in which the air is fed by hand crank. Starting with one burning ember, he added some old charcoal from his hot water heater and within minutes had a roaring bed of coals hot enough to melt a ½ inch steel rod. In fact, these small forges get so hot that you have to be careful not to burn the steel. His demonstration was comprised of him making a few large nails out of the steel rods. Nails are something we take for granted these days, but just 150 years ago they were very valuable things, so much so that many people would burn their house down when moving just to collect the nails (or so we were told). After he quickly formed a few large nails, it was now our turn at the forges. I’ll say this much, it is harder than it looks, especially forming a properly centered head on the nail. We all struggled for a bit, some of us making what could possibly be usable nails, given a skilled enough carpenter. In addition, he has allowed us use of the forges for the remainder of the week to entertain any creative fancy we may come across. After a bit of time, Adrian returned and quickly showed us how to make some ornamental leafs and arrow heads, not than any of us are skilled enough to copy this in the future. His wife then brought out a scrapbook containing photos of various items he has constructed over the years, as well as the numerous awards he has one. Swords, helmets, swings, garden tools, pots, pans, the list goes on; certainly a talented man.

In the late afternoon dark clouds gathered in the horizon, as much needed rain was approaching. Out here every drop matters and not an inch of the rooftops at Dragonweyr allow the precious water to escape. Their water tanks are nearly half empty, so the more the better tonight. This storm is especially well timed in that it allows us to the check the quality of our drainage systems along the newly constructed trail. I hope they all hold and we are not forced to do a major reconstruction project tomorrow morning. As we began to put on our extra rain flys and tarps over our tents we discovered we were a few tent stakes short. Not ten minutes later, Adrian had six new tent stakes for us fresh off the forge.

The rain held off until we were eating dinner, it poured down on us for about ten minutes and then stopped. A bit later a slower gentler rain took over. A good slow rain when sleeping in a tent is very soothing thing.

What I Learned Today: Technology has distanced us from many of the things that are so vital to our survival. This is not a new revelation for me, rather one so recently reinforced by our little blacksmithing demonstration today. We all use forged components each day of our life, but until now I hadn’t the slightest clue how much work forming a garden hoe or a nail, for that matter, once was. It makes the masterpieces of old that much more impressive. Blacksmithing is a dying art (though reviving in some circles) and some would say that is all for the best, however, I, for one, am glad that there are those who are keeping the old arts and trades alive, not only because they are enjoyable to learn and partake in, but also because they just might come in handy in the post-oil world.

written by  exumenius on October 24, 2007 from Stanthorpe, Australia
from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos
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