[TheForge] Blacksmith YAK

[John Husvar]

Jerry Frost wrote:

<Story about guy and kid at demo snipped>

Geez, Jerry, does that guy travel the country looking for blacksmiths to 
harrass or what? :)

I had an eerily similar experience at a local Settlers' Day celebration 
here in Ohio. Same kind of thing: It's all fake; not a real fire; not 
really hot iron; there are no real blacksmiths any more, it's a lost 
art; nobody knows how real blacksmiths did things; etc, etc.

Don't think I handled it as well as you did, but did manage to refrain 
from trying to strangle the SOB. (Or hand him the end of a piece that 
had been in the "tinfoil" fire)

Instead, I took some time and told him that it was in fact a real fire 
and real iron, by-hand blacksmithing wasn't _quite_ a totally lost art 
just yet, and is experiencing a revival thanks to ABANA and a few old 
timers teaching "us kids" (I'm 57 this year) how it's done, etc.

Hmmmm -- maybe we need to post a picture of that guy so everybody can 
keep a lookout for him? :)