A couple of guys and I are doing a "primitive skills" get together in the coming month. We decided that blacksmithing would be an interesting topic for some of the younger kids/teens that are going to be there. We are also tossing around the idea of letting them do some basic work to demonstrate some of the fundamentals. So what would be a small and easy project that would demonstrate this? I was thinking some hooks, but that's about as far as I could think. Suggestions?

Key fobs - leaf and other simple designs
bottle openers - several designs on IFI to chose from
horse heads -Brian Brazeal shows how to do them in one heat in videos (Brian Brazeal has presented several items that can be done in just a few heats)
hearts several designs available (including from Brian Brazeal)
S hooks, drive hooks, nails...
split crosses
BBQ tools, forks, steak turner, skewer...

There are several threads on demo and craft fair items



Don't forget crowd management and safety.

Phil

why not ? A door hook (hanger) will have the anvils heal used to make the box on one end for placing the unit on the door itself, without the need for making holes in that door, as well as being movable and transferable to other doors easy.

It will make them pay attention to details, because the size will be important size, because if it the box end is too tight or too small it wont fit, and of course the curve for hanging the bath robe or shirt on the other end can be done on the horn, even add a twist to get pretty, and a curl at the end of the curved part to prevent snagging the fabric.

Excellent suggestions, keep them coming.

chain links. You would do the welding, of course.

"primitive skills" this cries out to make steels for flint and steel sets

I used to demo quite a bit and would prepare certain items ahead of time. For example, a 10" piece of 1/4 rod makes a nice S-hook when pulled around a 1-1/4" pin mandrel so I would pre-cut and deburr 15-20 in that size at home. The viewing public has a very short attention span and you have to allow for that. The longest demo I ever attempted was a Friedrich cross in 3/4 square; by the time the splitting was completed and the bar ready to open, I had a completely different group of onlookers than those who started and a different set of questions.

Nobody cares if you pick up a precut piece and go to work so don't pass up any time advantage you can obtain. On another occasion, I was required to do a quick demo at an art show with about a hundred spectators. I planned to make a simple riveted cross so I forged both pieces at home then drilled the rivet holes. At the demo, I talked a bit about the process and hot-riveted the two pieces together, then wire brushed and finished it with paste wax - took all of 15 minutes. Afterwards, a man walked up and offered me $100 for the piece, even though I openly told him that I normally sold them at my booth for $40. His rationale was, "I saw you make THAT one"...

I understand about the viewing public but this is more of group of friends and their plus 1's and +2's, 3's, etc. It's also being setup as a weekend thing with camping involved so I'm not too concerned about the loss of attention.

go out there with a truck leaf spring and forge a bowie knife blank!

I did that once and made a Roman dagger, not something I want to do again lol.

So this is a participation event? Same list of stuff, except the one-heat bits (take longer)

Phil

Steel striker for flint and tinder fire starting, like Thomas suggested, and in the same vein perhaps a patch knife. One of the style with the tang drawn out and twisted then doubled back to form a handle.

So this is a participation event? Same list of stuff, except the one-heat bits (take longer)

Phil

Yes, that is correct. Probably should have made that a little more clear but I was at work and trying to shoot off a question real fast.

It's more or less a way for some of us who have some hobbies such as blacksmithing to show off some skills and maybe get some younger people involved or interested in a different activity that isn't video games. So the projects need to be something easy enough for a young'en to do (with guidance and help) and not get frustrated.

Yes, that is correct. Probably should have made that a little more clear but I was at work and trying to shoot off a question real fast.
It's more or less a way for some of us who have some hobbies such as blacksmithing to show off some skills and maybe get some younger people involved or interested in a different activity that isn't video games. So the projects need to be something easy enough for a young'en to do (with guidance and help) and not get frustrated.

Ah, I see...then J and S hooks and/or nails are good for kids. I would stay away from edged weapons and such - keep it simple and as few heats as possible.

Ah, I see...then J and S hooks and/or nails are good for kids. I would stay away from edged weapons and such - keep it simple and as few heats as possible.

That's what I was thinking. My friend and I are going to do some or one blade and maybe a RR spike tomahawk but that's demo only.

All the above, and if you do decide to demo a knife, you might want to try one of these:



Its a little patch knife made from a masonry nail. I've made several of these and they always go over well...bart

If you want this to be somewhat of a prepper event (Zombie apocalypse), you could do nails, basic knife, or fishing spear point. Tree climbing hooks, or other woods tools.

All the above, and if you do decide to demo a knife, you might want to try one of these:



Its a little patch knife made from a masonry nail. I've made several of these and they always go over well...bart

I like that, what size masonry nail is that?

I like that, what size masonry nail is that?

16d. Got mine at the local big-box hardware store. Dont know about carbon content but they will harden. Had a guy tell me he had an old box that said they were 1095 but I cant confirm that. There was a guy on ebay selling some 20d nails from the old Wheeling Labelle plant. I bought a couple boxes of those and found them to have good edge holding when hardened/tempered in oil. However, I bought a box of really big (50d ?) nails from the same guy and could not get them to harden so maybe the larger ones are mild steel? Im not an expert but have played with the 16d and 20d ones quite a bit so let me know if you have any questions.

If you look on this site. Right on back into this part. and then go to hom e page,,,pages and then into the bps...There are a whole lot of basic forging items that woiuld be great for this event.Keep in mind thatg the time of attention will be really short. If yoiu do prep pieces youi can pass out now and then it will help. For intance if yoiu are forgin a fire strikere. when you complete wot you can do in the first heat have one done to that point and cool so you can pass it around. And do that several times along the way..I would consider passing around a complete one before you start to forge so they know wot you are making. And if it is a fire striker,might nto hurt to staret a small fire with one before yoiu make one. Keep them foucuse or theyw ill begin to text each other. And some of them will likely video you and put it on u tube before yoiu can take a sip of water............Have fun!

16d. Got mine at the local big-box hardware store. Dont know about carbon content but they will harden. Had a guy tell me he had an old box that said they were 1095 but I cant confirm that. There was a guy on ebay selling some 20d nails from the old Wheeling Labelle plant. I bought a couple boxes of those and found them to have good edge holding when hardened/tempered in oil. However, I bought a box of really big (50d ?) nails from the same guy and could not get them to harden so maybe the larger ones are mild steel? Im not an expert but have played with the 16d and 20d ones quite a bit so let me know if you have any questions.

Ok that's close enough to what I needed to know. The picture really didn't give me an idea of scale. I might PM you later tonight and ask you some further details on the project though.

@Rich. Isn't that the truth. Hopefully this will be a no phone weekend, not likely, but one can hope.

Those big masonry nails are good starter stock for flint strikers. Garage door spring can be good starter stock for patch knives, but I haven't figured out the HT for the striker (Oil didn't spark reliably, water cracked...haven't tried in a while)

Visit your local garage door installer and you can probably have a couple. Run something through the spring (broomstick?) and go up one side with a cutoff wheel to get nice size rings. The broomstick is just so the springs can't go flying if one catches the wheel.

Phil

Yeah, I've made strikers from the 16d and 20d nails. Quenched those in water. Never could get the really big 50d or so to harden. Bart

Phil water harden the springs but just quench the edge maybe 1/8 inch no more and hold it until all the color is out of the rest of the edge and a little more. then let it air cool the rest of the way. Also I flatten the area that is being used for the striker. I make them 50 at a time and I probably get about 2 or 3 that will crack.

I had the pleasure of a 10 year old and his first session at the anvil yesterday. We made nails and he was so excited he was trembling, literally. His Mother was present at my insistence and his Grandfather was visiting so he was too, took both to keep Alex's younger brother at a safe distance. It was really a good day for both of us. The point of this little sideline is, The kids aren't going to care much WHAT they forge, it's the forging itself that'll be the THING.

Camp out forging screams out for fire tools and toasting forks, I've never known anybody who could sit around a campfire and NOT poke it with something.

Drive & S hooks are good, tent stakes for the larger younguns are good and don't forget the stake puller. Knives would depend on the kids, wild ones (probably) not.

I envy you the weekend it's going to be a howling big blast for all. Nothing but Kodak moments.

Frosty The Lucky.

Frosty-

What's a "Kodak"? (grin)

you could forge out a spoon , watch a youtube vid of a guy demonstrating that to a crowd.