Yeah, there I am, driving home from my blacksmithing class just a few hours ago, face covered with soot, coal dust, chunks of burnt and unburnt coal, and red from being so hot. I took my first class after my three ‘blacksmithing 101’ classes where they just teach you to be safe in a barn full really dangerous stuff.
My forge was all ready to go, and I was so excited. This class is supposed to be much more ‘artsy’ than the other classes. I am all-art-side-of-the-brain as you know, so I figured now, I could use my artistic side to get around the fact that I have no real life skills. I do every kind of art. I should be good at this, right?
We were supposed to turn that round bar of steel into a leaf-shaped key ring ornament… or a necklace, depending on which way we bent the other end…
Oh… wait… there are more instructions on the back of the paper… The thing is… and this is a thing that I have already been learning… but trying to make metal dance to your tune is like trying to work with really hard Playdoh… with a four pound hammer… when it is red hot and you can’t touch it…
I grabbed two bars of steel. I figured that way, if I messed one up, I would still have one that would pass me on to the next project with a checkmark by this one.
It started off pretty well. I got the point and the narrow neck with no problem…
Then, I totally messed up the leaf vein pattern… but I figured it could still turn out okay…
I got them hammered off on a cutting edge… and at that point, I knew I was in trouble, but I figured I could probably save them and still pass the class… if they graded on a curve…
But I knew it was going to be a close one… More on this in the next post.
Also, can I just say that this has been the hottest weekend of my life. I had to drive my youngest daughter to camp east of Los Angeles yesterday. We set off right in rush hour traffic… and ten minutes into the trip… a two hour drive with no traffic… my car’s air conditioner stopped working. And we were in stop and go traffic… for three and a half hours… and it just kept getting hotter… and then today, a barn filled with forges. I feel like I was run over with a road grader.
Pouring My Art Out 
I hope you kept going with this, that leaf’s not bad. 🙂 I’ve recently taken up smithing myself, and it isn’t easy hahaha. BUT! Like all things, practice will do the trick.
I am hanging in there
Maybe you could turn this leaf into an arrowhead and still pass.
I thought the leaves were great. But Art won’t answer my comment – it must be the guest post thing, I’ll have to remember not to mention that any more.
Well, I was just commenting on that post of yours, and I found it through this very link.
Thank you X/ Much obliged.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
…ooo000ooo…
No… I just hit the wall and had to go to bed… I think I sweated out all my electrolytes… whatever the hell those are… I just read the post… first thing I did…
I thought of making little spears…
I think they look good Art – I’d buy one. And I will try to feel bad for you being too hot the next time it is -40 here (that;s the same temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit), Suck it up buttercup. 😀
As an aside Art I did a guest post over at Cordelia’s Mom’s. If you have the time to drop by I would be honored. Thank You. https://cordeliasmomstill.com/2016/06/04/mikey-did-it-guest-post-by-paul-curran/?c=17367#comment-17367
wait… minus 40???????
Yep, we usually get a few of those days in each winter – talk about crispy. One bonus about -40 is that it is too cold to snow,so it is almost always sunny, but not a very warm sun.
wait… isn’t winter over?
Oh yeah, I don’t stick to seasons. 😀
I guess not
That’s still an awesome job for your first go at it. You’re learning something that people used to have to devote an entire lifetime to.
thanks, that does make me feel better.
Keep it up – everything takes practice.
I know… just feeling sorry for myself… thanks…
O-Well, at least you’re a good looking man!
chris
thanks, buddy.
Yup….
uh huh
yup
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehw
sweeet
Where have you hidden the sugar?
is that a trick question???
No trick, where hide the sugar?
In the cabinet…
Which one, hell you probably got a dozen cabinets…
I do… exactly that many…
Them’s are a lot of hiding spots
We have four people to feed…