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I Forge Iron

Do you want to play with fire?


Hay River

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Hey everyone.  I'm very noob to the craft.  Not a whole lot of experience but really enjoy every minute I get to play with fire.  

Today a couple neighborhood kids stopped by to see if my 14 year old wanted to go do something.  I knew Kid 1.  A neighbor kid.  A good kid but has had  a rough home life.  I didn't know Kid 2.  

I was just heading out to make a hook to secure the door on the rabbit cage and got an idea.  I asked the boys what they were up to.  "Nothin ".  Did they have plans?  "No".

"Do you want to play with fire?"

They looked at me like I had two heads then looked at each other like they just found gold.   Kid 2 says "YA" with more enthusiasm than I expected.  I was concerned but just said follow me. 

As we walked I asked them if they knew what a forge was.  Kid 2 says yes.  "That's what a blacksmith uses to make swords and stuff". 

My thoughts, maybe he is a pyro but he might have a brain.

We dragged everything outside and i got to do a demonstration.  I showed them what coal was and what coke was.  Then I showed them how to light the forge.  I demonstrated how to do a two sided taper, a four sided taper,  then a round taper.  Then I  finished it up with doing a scroll.  They asked good thoughtful questions.  

When I  was done I asked if they wanted to try it out.  Kid 2 was enthusiastic and said  he did.  All three ended up taking a turn at a two sided taper and scrolling.  I cut off the scroll for them to take home. 

During their turns we talked about hammer control and swinging the hammer instead of pecking at it.  

I may have planted a seed.  If nothing else I kept them all out of trouble for a couple hours and maybe gave them a little knowledge.  They said thanks and rode their bikes out the drive. I made my hook and packed up.  I had to go to work.  If they get real interested I'm going to need a lot more coal.  Oh well.  There is worse things. :-)

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Just make sure you have eye and ear protection for them, and the parents are cool with it.  

When I was a Scoutmaster we had to get parent permission for a shooting activity. I dealt with a lot of single moms and one was unsure, then said if I thought it would be OK for her son she would sign. I told her I thought he would be fine, so she signed off on it. He was a good kid, and had a lot of fun at the range. 

 

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