[TheForge] Simple, intriguing demo?

[Bob]

     If there are youngsters involved I find making nails works well. It 
takes only a few minutes.
That is about all the attention span you can expect from elementary 
school folks. The really
nice thing about nails is that when you finish you do not have to 
explain to them what it is for.
     Tell them that a journeyman nail maker had to make 1000 nails a day 
but he had an
apprentice to manage the fire and the several pieces of iron - too many 
irons in the fire.
Then you can explain about the value of nails to the early settlers. 
That it was not uncommon
if they moved further West they would burn the house and gather the 
nails from the ashes
to take with them. This can lead to the blacksmith making all sorts of 
things from iron like
the nail header in your hand, the hammer, tongs, shovels, forks, knives 
hardware for wagons -
you get the idea.

Bob Willman
The Eagle’s Anvil
Bowling Green, Ohio
WB8NQW

And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when
we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the
minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?
That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I
tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His
justice cannot sleep forever.

Thomas Jefferson

On 4/2/2015 11:10 PM, Bruce . wrote:
> In a week, NJBA will be demonstrating at the Newark Mini MakerFaire.  (Look
> it up if that means nothing to you.)
>
> I want to come up with some simple demo that will show what blacksmithing
> is good for -- to an audience that probably has no interest in traditional
> forms and motifs, joinery, etc.
>
> My thoughts are three-fold:
>
> (1) To demonstrate that forging involves radical change of the shape of the
> workpiece.  Normally I'd make a 3" piece of 1"x1/4" into a spoon about 10"
> long with a 2"+ bowl, but I doubt that would interest this crowd.  I love
> the illustrations of the projects in Lillico's book (bell cranks, various
> locomotive parts, etc.) and may try doing one of these on a miniature scale
> (he starts with 2" stock or larger!).  They involve considerable
> drawing-out, but I may have a helper.
>
> (2) To forge metals other than steel, such as bronze or aluminum.  I have
> little practice with these, but have worked them in the past.
>
> (3) To forge a piece in black iron, then brush it with a brass brush.  This
> might catch the interest of the steampunk crowd -- which seems to overlap
> the Maker crowd.
>
> Now those are all well and good, but are only VERY general descriptions.  I
> could use some specific projects to try.  Since this will be outdoors in
> daylight, I won't be doing welding, but may punch and rivet, as mechanisms
> will interest this crowd.  I'd love to do a twist then use it for something
> functional -- like turning linear motion into rotary motion -- but I expect
> I'd need to practice to pull that off, and I just don't have time.
>
> Feedback welcome ...
>
> Bruce
> NJ
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