blacksmithing demonstration ideas for first timer

[blacksmithtech]

...........

[Mills]

Demos that are quick. Or small parts that will make up a larger piece. If the demo is informational I don't worry about completing anything but will talk to the crowd wherever I may happen to be at in the project. it is more gratifying for them if you start and finish something though, while they watch.

If it is for students then a rose or leaf or wizard that can be made and completed then given to the teacher for future classroom use is a nice gesture.

[HWooldridge]

People have a real short attention span. Do things that are quick and show the end object. Many people make nails but I prefer S-hooks and J-hooks over anything else. I did a big Friedrich cross one time and it took about an hour to make but there was no one around from start to finish. If your buddy is the main demonstrator, watch him and follow his lead. You can also work the fire, get coal, cut stock, etc.

Whether forge welding or not, I am a fanatic about roping off the area because I've had lots of kids come charging up and put their little noses right in the way. If the rope is there, the parents will usually work to keep them behind it - if not, they'll complain that you should have protected little Willie from the mean old hot metal. :?:

In regard to dress, wear whatever is period correct and comfortable. I almost always wear blue jeans, a black T-shirt or blue chambray work shirt, leather work boots, red suspenders and a cap. I have a pair of safety lenses with no correction in an old wire glasses frame so it makes me look the part but is eye-safe at the same time. However, it's funny what people think a smith should look like - I have a friend that works with me at folk craft fairs and he dresses in 18th century clothes with a wide brimmed floppy hat. People invariably go up and start talking to him as the "blacksmith".

Have fun but don't BS anyone - it's amazing who might be in the audience. At the same folk festival where I made the cross, I looked up to see a nationally known smith watching me. Needless to say, my knees started knocking but he graciously stepped up and made a few leaves for the crowd then quietly left. We joked that the recipients never knew what those leaves were really worth... :lol:

[ThomasPowers]

Simple dragon heads are pretty fast and easy---with practice and you can get the kids involved "naming" it, choosing which eyepunch to use---I have a prick punch for the pupils but I also have a very small star drill that makes "sleeping" or "in love" dragon eye pupils; etc. The can be made into simple S hooks if wanted.

I usually finish with plain paraffin wax, food safe and makes the piece feel smoother as the scale is a bit rough.

Thomas

[Glenn]

As a helper to the smith, it as your job to keep him watered down (read hydrated), fed (usually fruit, cheeses etc., but have a candy bar handy) and keep him working comfortably.

Keep the proper length stock on hand, coal at the ready, and supplies and tools close at hand so he doesn't have to search for them. A wet hand towel to either wipe the face and arms, or to hang around the neck, both help keep the smith cool and commfortable. Watch him and have whatever he needs ready for him.

The easier his job is, the better you will look at the end of the day. :wink:

[Ralph]

Thomas, re dragon eyes. after punching eye, place a tiny piece of green or red glass in and slump in place...... 8)

[ThomasPowers]

Actually on my little dragon candle holder I used a red seed bead for each eye, my wife has a bunch with a "foil inner layer" that makes them glow in the light. I didn't slump them but just glued them in place.

Thomas

[Ralph]

foil idea has been appropreated...

A few years bacjk I was at a hammer in and since I had talked to a few of the gents about glass iron combos I was asked to demo. It was really cool as the group I was normally with all said it could not be done with out lots of special equipment etc. I pointed out that as a kid while in Europe I remember seeing a LOT of iron work with slumped glass. from many years before the 'special ovens etc) SO I tried and found you can do it. despite the neg attitudes. But the se new guys took my basic idea and went nuts, never once naysaying. One fellow mas a longhorn head and we inserted red glass slivers and slumped them in. it was given to the hosts of the event. Looked nice if I sed so myself.

[HWooldridge]

I read an article some years ago about adding glass to iron inside punched holes. The author just crushed beer or soda bottles and put the dust in the hole, then heated it with an O/A torch until it started melting. As it cooled, it would often flake a chip or two, which added to the look.

[ThomasPowers]

Some glasses are more prone to spalling than others, you want a "soft" glass and adding borax does *not* help.

I did some enamelling using my forge as a heat source---when I learned that a terracotta flower pot will *melt* in a forge fire and tried a bunch of different glasses from a stained glass worker, They all spalled badly what finally worked for me was a broken brake lens from a 30's??? truck---found it in a spoil pile along the river. It worked great for enamelling a knife guard I was working on.

Foils behind gems to give them a bit more sparkle is an old technique; Benvenuto Cellini mentions them and the textured backings to the Sutton Hoo work I would count too.

I was lucky in that the beads already had the foil built in so to speak.

I will have to try slumping the glass sometime but I really liked the beady-eyed look...

Thomas

[Ralph]

The way I found works best is to heat the iron to a DULL red and then add glass. BTW I use clear glass marbles.heat til glass slumps. Then remove form direct heat, set aside (on a coal forge this means place on top if coke/coal pile neat the heat but not on it, no air and let cool till you can touch it.If using a gas forge place it on top. ) all this will allow the glass and iron to cool and keep the iron from contracting too fast which will spall the glass. Just my 2 cents worth

[Ten Hammers]

Demos are fun. I will be at Midwest Old threshers in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on Labor day weekend. For the new guy, Glenn has pretty well covered it. Most importantly, listen to your mentor. ask HIM what you wish and make him feel important. He is ( I assume ) providing you with equipment and consumables to learn from. Hooks are fast and if you have skills making them this might be good idea. Old horseshoes make good pot hooks for lifting stuff from open fires or steak turners. Horseshoes also make lotta other stuff (if you have some take-off's hanging around). I suspect that your mentor will have something for you to do. Celtic crosses ( pre-cut ready to forge) are pretty fast too. Have fun and be safe.

[blacksmithtech]

..........

[Glenn]

When you double-team and a croud shows up, let one talk and the other work. The talker can explain what the worker is doing, how he is doing it, etc. The worker is usually a bit less distracted, and can concentrate on the task at hand.