[TheForge] Blacksmithing Demo, Projects?

[Jerry Frost]

Charcoal or propane will help you get along with your 
neighbors and keep you from being put in a back corner 
downwind somewhere. The fire marshal will prefer 
propane unless you're indoors. I'm thinking a chip 
forge with a little camo will make good compromise 
"period" demo forges.

If you have to use coal for some reason, get there at 
least an hour before the gates open and coke up a 
bucketfull or so. We did this at the State Fair I 
demoed at and it worked quite nicely. We'd break the 
coal into walnut sized +/- pieces, build a fire and 
coke a whole bucket.

This actually makes less smoke than you'd thing. Oh 
it's a big cloud until the smoke flashes, then it's 
pretty smoke free. I found the quickest way to get the 
smoke to flash was make the pile with a crater in the 
center to within a few inches of the air grate. This 
allowed flame to blow through the coal sooner which lit 
the smoke. Once the smoke was burning I'd rake the 
crater full, crank at a moderately low pace till the 
whole pile looks a little oozy then turn it over and 
crank for a few more minutes. Break the pile apart and 
quench with water.

Now you have a large pile of breeze (forge coke) that 
will give off so little smoke and flame people will be 
asking you when you're going to build a fire. <grin>

The most important rule for the good demo is: Have FUN. 
make it fun for the audience. The more they enjoy it 
the more they'll remember, (learn) the more they'll 
tell others and the more likely they'll actually call 
the number on your card when they want that something 
special for the: house, cabin, helicopter, whatever. 
<grin>

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Grover Richardson" 
<grover.richardson at gtri.gatech.edu>


> One last thing.  If you intend on doing this a bunch, 
> you might consider
> charcoal (not the food cooking kind, it sucks). 
> Nearby vendors don't relish
> the idea of sulfur invading their textiles<G>.
>
> I use propane.  Though seriously not period (Ask me 
> about the Devil's eye
> and I have a tale for you that may pass<G>), most 
> places are grateful enough
> to have a blacksmith demonstrate that they don't 
> mind.  Also propane is an
> enclosed fire and the fire people are happier.
>
> Enjoy.
>