stephen Furley Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) I'm Stephen Furley, from London, England. Age 52, work as an I.T. Technician in a large College. Last month I did the one-day beginners' course which Kath Shortland runs at her forge at Kew in West London. I believe that somebody else here has done the same course, but I cannot remember their name. Mainly interested in architectural ironwork. There's an article about Kath here:Westside - Features This is the poker which I made on the course, and also a small 'S' hook. It's not as good as the one which the other member made, I'm not really happy with the shape of the crook, and I got the metal a bit too hot, and burned it. It's not too bad as a first effort though; the twist is ok, and there's always next time to do better. Edited September 13, 2009 by stephen Furley Link not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 HI Stephen im in glos uk - just looked at the link you put up - looks great - I havent done anything with these two but have heard of Shelley from BABA mags. Looks like a nice poker you made - hope you like the forum - i think its great:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Furley Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 Hi Beth, My father was from Gloucestershire, Stroud, but he moved to London after the war. I went to the house in Stroud just once, while his mother was still living there, but I was only about three at the time, and don't remember anything about it. I've been to Cheltenham twice recently, and if I go again I'm going to try to find time to go to Stroud. I'm going to try to get another day at Kath's forge towards the end of October. It's a nice setup they've got there, very well equipped. Shelly wasn't there the day I went, I think she does mainly furniture, while Kath does just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Welcome aboard Stephan, glad to have you. Those are both nice pieces for a first go at smithing. It's a perfect example of the benefits of having someone show you how rather than trying to teach yourself. If you WERE satisfied with your first attempts you'd never make a very good blacksmith. Satisfied or not they're both darned well done. The "S" hook can be reshaped easily for better proportions and I guarantee you wouldn't be the first person to toss a "finished" piece back in the fire after taking a close look at it. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Furley Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think the next time I go back the poker will be going with me for a bit of 'tweaking'. I would definitely recommend Kath's one-day course to anybody in the London area who wants to have a go at blacksmithing; the forge is very well equipped, and Kath is a good instructor. When I did it the cost was 90 pounds, which included material, coke, instruction and loan of protective equipment if required. I had my own boots, but needed apron, goggles and gloves. I'd prefer to work without gloves, but got a blister at the base of my thumb. I've found the other member who did the same course; it was Bob JS. His review of it is here:http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/my-first-tongs-day-tuition-10774/ As can be seen, his poker was better than mine. Kath does not run these courses on a regular basis; she only takes two students at a time, and will run one when she has two people waiting who can make the same day, and she is not too busy with her own work. I first contacted her on 26th of June, and she was able to offer me a place on 15th of August. It is probably best to contact her by e-mail; her address is in the magazine article which I linked to in my first post in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Furley Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think the next time I go back the poker will be going with me for a bit of 'tweaking'. I would definitely recommend Kath's one-day course to anybody in the London area who wants to have a go at blacksmithing; the forge is very well equipped, and Kath is a good instructor. When I did it the cost was 90 pounds, which included material, coke, instruction and loan of protective equipment if required. I had my own boots, but needed apron, goggles and gloves. I'd prefer to work without gloves, but got a blister at the base of my thumb. I've found the other member who did the same course; it was Bob JS. His review of it is here:http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/my-first-tongs-day-tuition-10774/ As can be seen, his poker was better than mine. Kath does not run these courses on a regular basis; she only takes two students at a time, and will run one when she has two people waiting who can make the same day, and she is not too busy with her own work. I first contacted her on 26th of June, and she was able to offer me a place on 15th of August. It is probably best to contact her by e-mail; her address is in the magazine article which I linked to in my first post in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Furley Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 It's been almost two months since my day at Kath's forge, and almost as long since I've been here; pressure of work. Things are starting to quieten down a bit now, so I'm going to write to Kath this weekend and try to arrange another day soon. I'll post some pictures of what I make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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