Fire In The Hole!

The making of a blacksmith continues. Last weekend a very nice gentleman from The Indiana Blacksmith Association stopped by and delivered the forge we purchased from him as a surprise for the kid. He even brought along some coal so the budding apprentice could use it right away. (They are such nice people.) So today the guys headed out to christen the new equipment. Unfortunately, the nice gentleman didn't leave instructions on how to get the coal fire going.

It seems it's a process of trial and error. (Kids, if you're watching this at home, do not put your hand in the fire like my husband is doing.) But where there's a will, there's a way. Through sheer determination and a lot of hand cranking it eventually started looking like this.


And as you can see by his goofy-as-all-get-out grin, the kid is happy. And that's really what it's all about, isn't it?


For now the forge will stay here in the garage under close adult supervision, eventually we'll grab some strong strappin' guy to help haul it down to the barn. Then his blacksmith shop can officially open for business.