In the news again

[Rashelle]

Well I am mentioned in the news again for blacksmithing. It's an article by a reporter who went to works camp fair yesterday.

As though roles had switched on the first day of summer camp, the parents seemed more anxious than the kids at the annual Trackers Earth Camp Fair Saturday.

For parents, the open house was a chance to meet their kids' potential summer camp counselors, get a feeling for which camp might fit best and whether their child would fit in with a name like Kale or Atticus (they would).

But for the kids, it was a direct look into how awesome their summer could be. Activities were laid out like an adventure buffet line, with enough irresistible choices to fill more than one plate.

Archery, normally on obvious highlight at any traditional summer camp, was easily rivaled by fire starting practice, spy missions, ninja training and an introduction to blacksmithing.

Blacksmithing? What kind of camp is this? The kind that abides by three simple rules: "No one dies. No wounds that don't heal in four days. Follow the Code of Common Sense."

And blacksmithing may be one of the best examples of what Trackers Earth is really all about.

When camp blacksmith Rashelle Hams teaches kids to hammer glowing red steel into wall hooks and decorative leafs, she's teaching more of a soft skill than a hard one. Most kids aren't going to go home after camp, fire up their own forge and practice what Hams showed them that day. But they are going to come away with the notion that they can make something with their hands, that not everything has to be bought from a store.

There are plenty of lessons like this to be learned at Trackers Earth and its year-round camps, whether in the form of fishing, wilderness survival or homesteading. Some are more practical than others, but all are meant to build a kid's independence and connection to nature.

As it happens, Trackers Earth hosts some adult camps as well, so it oughtn't be entirely surprising that an adult might learn a thing or two at the camp fair. Here are some field notes we're pocketing for a time when they might come in handy.

For a blacksmith, "cold" is about 1,000 degrees.

Some thieving sailors are misidentified as pirates. During the golden age of piracy, governments would contract with seafaring pillagers to intercept and steal from other nations' trade ships. These legally sanctioned pirates were called privateers.

You can eat dandelions, and they make decent fritters or doughnuts when fried in batter.

Inuit people in Greenland have used seal bladders as buoys attached to their harpoons to keep their kills from sinking.

When starting a fire without matches or a flint and steel, the bow drill technique is often best suited to Oregon's damp climate. It allows for use of a stick with more surface area, which translates to more friction and an easier time creating the ember you need to start a fire.

Unessential knowledge? Perhaps so. But isn't summer camp supposed to be fun?

--Dillon Pilorget

 

[Mark Ling]

was their any filming?

                                                                                                          Littleblacksmith

[Rashelle]

No filming this time. There were pictures but I can't figure out how to get any into here.

[Glenn]

Post them into the gallery. Then use that URL or a URL from the internet to post them into the site forum.

[seldom (dick renker)]

sounds like a good time

[Rashelle]

Ok whew there are three.

It was fun seldom.

For most of it since it was a camp fair and time wise I was busy all day I limited it to two heats per participant. I'd hold and hit it where they were to hit it following my hits. Which included the reporter, heehee he mostly made a leaf but then back to the kids. Caleb was also there and was just as busy.

 

[ausfire]

The young fella has a serious grip on that hammer! Great to see the young ones interested and being encouraged to have a go.

[Rashelle]

What I'm hoping is that somewhere in the next several years I'll start seeing previous students popping up at events. As is I'm starting to see a little bit of that now. One person I mentored took second place in a hammer forging competition, another has been hired as my Summer assistant and is already helping out, a youth I taught has now been going to NWBA events and took a workshop with Mark Aspery. So I am on the right track, just have to keep on keeping on and in time I'll be able to look back and think I helped get these people started. The thought is a good feeling.

[Frosty]

I'm thinking I'd like to go to camp! You have one gloriously excellent job Rashelle I'm in awe and envy.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[Mark Ling]

I wonder how many asked if they could make a sword. sounds like a ton of fun!

who are those anvils made by in the background of the third pic?

Littleblacksmith

[notownkid]

Now there is a Camp, I was sent to a Military Style Camp by my Father the "Colonel"  sure would have preferred one like this.

12 hours ago, Rashelle said:

These legally sanctioned pirates were called privateers.

We call them Politicians Today  

[natenaaron]

Picture number 3 looks like dad has his lawyer on speed dial.

I like the four day healing rule.

[Rashelle]

Thank you Frosty. It is fun and I get to upgrade the shop as I go.

Littleblacksmith a "couple" asked about swords, I made the mistake of admitting having started a gladius (has a little more file work on one sides bevels before hardening to go) and started a foil. That kept one particular child talking for quite awhile, lol. Those anvils were made by Berkley Tack out of 4140. We have a bit of a selection of anvils.

Notown I periodically go out with other groups and am trying to get a "knights" camp going. Heehee they don't know it but they'll have a daily leader, will do ambush patrols on the other knights, and possibly a bopper attack on the pirates. A little bit off from my blacksmithing but it is good to have a change of pace periodically. Most of the time I go out I try to learn more outdoor skills such as increased knowledge of wild edibles, but I really like the idea of having kids making bopper arms and armor.

Nate yes I believe that was his dad. Trackers has a good set of rules there. As they acknowledge that there WILL be cuts, scrapes, burns, bruises, etc. We are a outdoor survival school minor injuries will happen. Just cause a lot of the stuff is kids oriented doesn't change that fact. I have a couple extra rules for the blacksmith shop.

1. Wear safety glasses.   

2. It's hot don't touch it.

3. Don't pee on the toilet seats.

 

[Daswulf]

Looks like great fun Rashelle. Sad as it is, all through my time in the boyscouts there was never any one in our area teaching forging/ blacksmithing. Almost no mention of it even.  It's great these kids( and adults) are getting the opportunity.  Keep up the good work. 

[ThomasPowers]

20? something years ago I was on a forum where a fellow doing a kids Viking camp was looking for projects for them to do.

I sent him my "Making a Copper Penannular Brooch" instructions and he reported back that it was a great hit and included a write up on it in the local paper---with translation from the Finnish (IIRC) that stated that they had made these items using the instructions left by the "Ancient Smith Wilelm"  felt good but very very aging....

I like that they got the point about kids actually *doing* stuff rather than just be onlookers or clicking on a computer.  I hope my eldest grandson and I can try a lot of stuff this summer together. 

[Rashelle]

Thank you Das. I actually enjoy my job. Other then the drive each way . grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr peoples gGGGGRRRRRRRRRR. I'd have loved to of been able to learn all theses things as a child. Blacksmithing, bladesmithing, bow making, fire starting, etc.

Thomas I had one of the blacksmiths I'd occasionally demonstrate for show me a Penannular Brooch and it promptly became a student project when I started teaching this. Will do closed and passed over versions for belt buckles also. Though I like the "iron age/viking belt buckle" the most. Any idea that floats by that can be done in relatively short periods of time are good ideas. Any ideas that anyone has I'm always welcome for more. Somewhere along the lines I'll have Caleb take a picture of the project wall and we'll post it in here. Though I may want to take some of the extra repeated sample projects off the wall so it doesn't be so crowded.

[ThomasPowers]

I generally use heavy gauge copper grounding wire. The first one I did I used a gas stove burner to anneal it on; Use propane torch a lot of times with soft firebrick under it and for teaching "medieval classes" I use a charcoal forge and a bellows.  I've done a bunch in silver back when it was cheap too.

[Mark Ling]

3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

"Ancient Smith Wilelm"

yeah, and you said that was 20 years ago, I wonder what you would be "classified" as now!

                                                                                                Littleblacksmith

[Rashelle]

Silver would be nice, same as bronze. I'll be doing a copper jewelry class sooner or later. Still making tools and Summer is coming. The words for Trackers aren't Winter is coming it's Summer is coming. When we are inundated with gremlins .......... I mean todays youth, heehee.

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, littleblacksmith said:

yeah, and you said that was 20 years ago, I wonder what you would be "classified" as now!

                                                                                                Littleblacksmith

More ancienter.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Fine silver is a bit easier to work than sterling but not as tough.  It also doesn't have much issues with fire scale like Sterling does.  I used to buy ingot by the troy oz and cut off slices and hammer them to sq stock---HOT, (Hot forging fine silver is a joy as long as you avoid MELTING it---if it does melt grab the bits from the ashes and remelt them later into a ingot.)   Now some fast ones some places pull: selling sterling ingot at the same price as fine---naughty naughty naughty as you are paying for the Silver not the copper!

Also saw one place that was selling silver in regular oz pieces for the same cost as troy oz---troy oz is larger so again: naughty naughty naughty

I often bought silver at pawn shops in the 1 troy oz fine silver "coins"  pay not a penny more for what's stamped on them you are buying silver not "collectables".  A good place will give you the price as "spot + their fee"  makes it easy to compare places as many places are trying to rip you off.

[Rashelle]

I'm with you Thomas, I really enjoyed the time I forged pure silver. I took Jim Austins Viking age silver armband class. I forged two armbands each four troy oz. The first one I did like everyone else and did cold. Jim came by and said he'd not seen anyone forge it hot before so I said I would. It squashes good. And that's a technical term. (During demo's and stuff after I mention the word squash or squish or similar I say "and that's a technical term", always gets a chuckle.)

[Frosty]

Yeah they're technical terms. Do you talk about a metal's: Stretchicity? Some metals are more Stretchity than others you know. Squozeyness? Bendaciousness? Some metals are Bendeliscious while others are Bendicky. Twistaciousness is a subcategory of bendaciousness of course. You Noodlefy it in the forge naturally or it'll be all snappy splitty.

Demos with kids in the audience are fun I tend to go Muppet for them. Kids having fun learn and retain more. They tend to associate the correct terms with fun ones more readily than sticking to Book terminology.

Smoosh, Smash, Squish, Aye Aye Maam.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

It's interesting how a shop can get their own lingo set up---is a piece going rhomboid on you when it shouldn't caddywumpus or whopperjawed?

[Steve Sells]

if you ever had it squoozen in a doo-dad you would understand