Demo Participation Ideas

[Prokopto]

Greetings smithy-types, I help teach a 2 hour class at a summer camp in NC called Pioneer and Heritage where we let the campers make corn bread in dutch ovens and churn their own butter, use two-man saws and draw knives to make stools and benches and such. We teach them the history of the old tools used to pioneer the country and this year we are adding blacksmithing.

We have two anvils, a rivit forge, and a post vise. I have gathered about 20 feet of 1/4" square stock and my thoughts were to let them put the finishing touches on some wall hooks.

Does anyone have any other ideas about what they could easily make in about 10 minutes? Our camp begins July 17th so any suggestions would be great.

[Junksmith]

I hope you have an ironclad (no pun intended) insurance wavier.

That said, I often make little horseshoes for kids and I guess they'd be easy enough for them to do with a little help. I start with 4 1/2 inches of 1/4" square and tap each end about 1/8" oven the anvil edge at each end to make heels. Then I bend it over the anvil horn - though for simplification with the kids you could make a bending jig. As a finishing touch, I take a cape chisel and cut a few vertical lines in each side. Drill a hole in the top center and you can make it a keyring even. There's one in the upper right hand side of this pic.

Good luck!

[Francis Trez Cole]

things that take me 10 minutes would take your campers a lot longer. a Leaf is simple a nail is also good. What are you hoping to accomplish? are you trying to give each camper a chance to hit metal?

[Junksmith]

For what it's worth, this is a link to a machine conceived by Jim "Paw-Paw" Wilson that let kids twist metal from a safe distance:

[ThomasPowers]

19 year old engineering students can't make a drive hook in 10 minutes! (I teach a into to BS class at the local Uni).

If you work 1 on 1 and trade hammer blows---whomp, tink, whomp, tink, you might get close.

I also find that a student made nail takes a lot longer than you would think as they have troubles with the accuracy needed to be sure it fits the header.

For another simple farm related idea how about a seed corn storer, which can also double as a squirrel feeder? Have them hold the hot cut and you provide the whomp!

[Frosty]

As Francis says there's a great discrepency between how long it takes an experienced smith to do a thing and how long it takes a new comer. For example I usually start a student with a leaf coat hook, draw the hook end to a long even taper, draw the shank to a smaller cross section, laterally draw the leaf, vein it, twist the shank do a finial scroll on the hook and bend the hook. When I was in condition I could do the demo while explaining each step and answering question in between 7-10 minutes. Then I pull out my stool, assume a comfy position with coffee cup at hand and kibitz for the next couple hours while the student makes their own.

What might be good youth first time projects will be simple, small guage stock for less hammer control (not so much strength) and entail one or two processes. For instance, nails, "S" hooks, drive hooks, pot/lid lifters, are good simple projects with nails being probably the most demanding.

If you think they're responsible enough toasting forks can be very simple. Figure how long they need to be, double it, add 2-3". Have the student draw a point on each end, heat the center and bend it into a nearly closed "U" about 1/2"-1" in dia. bending the shanks parallel and together. Heat it all, clamp it in the vise with an inch or two of the tines in the jaws, slip a round bar, say the piece of pipe they bent the end of the skewer over and twist the shank so it looks like a piece of cordage. That's it, a little file and brush work and a spray of Pam or wipe down with olive oil and some hot dogs or marsh mellows.

Steak turners are good, draw the point, bend it into a close hook, say 3/4"- dia. Bend it 90* to the shaft so as you're looking down the shaft the hook is broadside to you. I like the point to my left but it's a matter of preference. Then make a handle, something like I describe above, bend an eye, double the shaft hand width and twist it. Something to make it easy to hold onto is all you need.

Maybe on later dates tent stakes and fire sets would be appropriate but for a first time a lighter hammer is easier to control.

Frosty the Lucky

[David Einhorn]

Depending on the ages of the campers you might want to avoid any projects with a point or a sharp edge, etc. Maybe Albin will chime in, he prepares a bunch of one item, has each kid do a simple bend, cleans it up and checks for safety and the kids have something safe that they helped make.

Another option is modeling clay. Make a couple of wooden anvils and wooden hammers, provide each kid with a bar of modeling clay and show them something that they can "forge" in the clay.

[Prokopto]

Thanks these are great ideas. I especially like the clay, and yes we have a $5,000,000 General Liability Policy. That being said we do not want to use it.

[D-ski]

We do 3 projects for the Living History Camp at the Farm Museum for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. For each group we prepare the blanks. The only thing that the campers do is put a twist in item. The youngest put a twist in a tab hook; next group puts a twist in a "C" hook so that it ends as an "S" hook. The oldest campers put a twist in a screwdriver (the reason we do the screwdriver is that at one time the campers made small hand looms for weaving potholders. They would use the screwdrivers to adjust/assemble the wooden loom. I am not sure if they still make the looms, but we still do the screwdrivers.) All the items are made from 1/4" square.

I heat up the iron work, place it vertically in a post vice and postition the 2 handled twisting wrench. At that point the camper comes into the forging area, places their hands on the wrench and simply walk around the post vice until I tell them to stop. At that point they leave the forging area and go outside the railing. Next I straighten the item as best I can,(If the camper can hold his/her arms straight, the item comes out pretty straight). Next, I wire brush vigorously and apply a coating of beeswax. As each item is finished it is placed on table next to the campers initials. They are sternly instructed not to touch the iron work until I hand it to them. The camp gives me 2 counselers who mind the campers, keep track of the initials, etc.

We have 2 men's long sleeve workshirts and each camper, in turn, puts one on backwards (so that the buttons are in the back) we have child size safety glasses (IMPORTANT, if you try to use adult size safety glasses they will keep slipping down the child's face and create problems.) Also we have small size gloves. So the camper is covered up as well as possible. By having 2 sets, one camper is "suiting-up" as the previous one is doing the twist. The 2 camp counselers are responsible for helping the campers put on and take off the safety gear. We have to move along at a pretty good pace to fit all of the campers into the allotted time. I usually get 4 groups of 12-13 camppers at a time. While heating up a piece of iron, I talk about the history of blacksmithing and answer questions

Projects which had been done in the past include making small dinner bells, and horsehoe rings. Those were done before my involvement.

[Prokopto]

We do 3 projects for the Living History Camp at the Farm Museum for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. For each group we prepare the blanks. The only thing that the campers do is put a twist in item. The youngest put a twist in a tab hook; next group puts a twist in a "C" hook so that it ends as an "S" hook. The oldest campers put a twist in a screwdriver (the reason we do the screwdriver is that at one time the campers made small hand looms for weaving potholders. They would use the screwdrivers to adjust/assemble the wooden loom. I am not sure if they still make the looms, but we still do the screwdrivers.) All the items are made from 1/4" square.

I heat up the iron work, place it vertically in a post vice and postition the 2 handled twisting wrench. At that point the camper comes into the forging area, places their hands on the wrench and simply walk around the post vice until I tell them to stop. At that point they leave the forging area and go outside the railing. Next I straighten the item as best I can,(If the camper can hold his/her arms straight, the item comes out pretty straight). Next, I wire brush vigorously and apply a coating of beeswax. As each item is finished it is placed on table next to the campers initials. They are sternly instructed not to touch the iron work until I hand it to them. The camp gives me 2 counselers who mind the campers, keep track of the initials, etc.

We have 2 men's long sleeve workshirts and each camper, in turn, puts one on backwards (so that the buttons are in the back) we have child size safety glasses (IMPORTANT, if you try to use adult size safety glasses they will keep slipping down the child's face and create problems.) Also we have small size gloves. So the camper is covered up as well as possible. By having 2 sets, one camper is "suiting-up" as the previous one is doing the twist. The 2 camp counselers are responsible for helping the campers put on and take off the safety gear. We have to move along at a pretty good pace to fit all of the campers into the allotted time. I usually get 4 groups of 12-13 camppers at a time. While heating up a piece of iron, I talk about the history of blacksmithing and answer questions

Projects which had been done in the past include making small dinner bells, and horsehoe rings. Those were done before my involvement.

Thanks a lot for the safety tips and the suggestions. The reversed shirt is excellent 100% cotton I suppose.

[D-ski]

Thanks a lot for the safety tips and the suggestions. The reversed shirt is excellent 100% cotton I suppose.

Ideally, 100% natural fiber is considered best. But in this situation where you are putting an adult size shirt on a child the fabric is basically drapped over the child and not in close contact with the child's skin. So if a large piece of fire scale were to fall on the shirt, the odds of burning through and contact skin are pretty low.

The child is holding the twisting wrench at arms length, and is only in a "forging" situation for maybe 30-45 seconds, so I think the odds are in my favor. On the other hand, if the camper were actually hammering on hot steel where there would be a greater chance of having fire scale pop up and land on the shirt, I would then insist on a natural fibers shirt.

[JNewman]

Several years ago I did a hands on thing at a Venturer Camp(Older Scouts 14-17 co-ed). I had them in groups of 3-6 for about 40 minutes I had 3 anvils and a couple of large blocks of steel that i used as anvils as well and either 2 or 3 forges. They shared forges. I did the same project that someone else had done a few years before. We had part of a coil of 3/16 round that had been donated by a local steel mill. The kids had to cold cut 3 of pieces of steel straighten them out cold, put a point on the end of the steel and then bend them in a jig that I had made. The finished tent pegs were actually pretty good as the donated stock was for making concrete nails. I stressed not to quench the pegs as they would break. I thought if I ever did it again I would have them make a fire poker. You could have them make a hook for lifting the dutch ovens and lifting the lids off, you would need a little more stock but 1/4" - 3/8" round is awfully cheap.

[John B]

Ideally, 100% natural fiber is considered best. etc etc etc , I would then insist on a natural fibers shirt.

Is not cotton a natural fibre then?

[beth]

the other way of looking at it although more an artists way than trad tool maker! is let the kids heat up a section and do what they like with it - let them experiment with hot metal, hammer and anvil and see what they can make it do. my kids like that stuff and they learn alot about how metal moves.

[ThomasPowers]

sorry but 3/16" tent pegs? Round these parts we generally go for 1/2" sq stock about 2' long! Gets windy out here...

I did a cub scout den demo once where they all took wire from election signs and twisted it into marshmallow roasters---I ran one kid at a time though it and had everything set up for them. Took an afternoon and then they cooked with them for dinner.

[JNewman]

sorry but 3/16" tent pegs? Round these parts we generally go for 1/2" sq stock about 2' long! Gets windy out here...

That's because your tent is too big, and not aerodynamic enough. Try backpacking or portaging with 1/2" square tent pegs.

[Prokopto]

That's because your tent is too big, and not aerodynamic enough. Try backpacking or portaging with 1/2" square tent pegs.

Things went well. We let the kids make a necklace from a piece of 1/4" about 2 1/2" long. We drew out the end and then let them put a loop on the end and a twist in the middle. The staff then flattened out the other end and drilled a hole for a hemp necklace cord. The campers were thrilled and no one was burned or injured and there was only one close call when a 10 year old camper almost grabbed his work piece in the vise. Even with the leather gloves they were wearing that would have been a bad idea.