Show and tell

[Lou L]

So, the school in which I teach is a Paideia school....which means that there is a lot of project based learning.  Kids basically are given a broad outline and are challenged to figure the rest out on their own.  The tenth grade studies the Renaissance and one of their coached projects is that they hold a Ren fair for the school.  Three kids apparently chose blacksmithing as their topic and their English teacher sent them to me.  I educated the best I could on the history, purpose, etc.... Foolishly, I told them I'd make some forks and/or spoons and some other items that smith's would make a living on during that time period.  I started today with high ideals of making some forks, spoons, nails (and a new header) and a load of S hooks.  Well, after setting up my post vise (finally), grinding and prepping the spoon dies in my swage block and the. Acting like I was helping my wife with the leaves covering our yard.....I managed to only make three items.  

I basically started each without much of a plan and went by feel.  I read some old IFI threads about making spoons and learned that even Tho as files his spoons to make them right so I just went for it.  I learned quickly that it is harder than I thought it would be to get the right amount of material to form the spoon blank.  I learned a lot today and had a lot of fun.  Good times.  Mandatory pictures attached.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Not bad work, especially considering you were dodging the missus and the leaf rake...

[Daswulf]

Spoons and forks can be fun. Have to keep an eye on them once parts start to get thin.  Sometimes there is just not enough time in a forge day to do all you wanted to. 

Nice job. 

[Lou L]

3 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

Spoons and forks can be fun. Have to keep an eye on them once parts start to get thin.  Sometimes there is just not enough time in a forge day to do all you wanted to. 

Nice job. 

I had to shut down and couldn't finish them.  I have an old wire wheel grinder that was left in my house when I bought it.  It is dubious at best and I haven't set it up.  I don't have a wire wheel for my grinder for some reason so I just left them half finished.  I figured the raw nature of them would be beneficial for the kids using them as props for a Ren fair.  Since they are using cardboard flames and a fake forge for their props I think these "props" will win the day.

Thanks kindly for the support.  I'm relatively proud of my first go at flatware despite the fact they are unfinished.  I left the fork "not quite pointy" on purpose because it is to be used in school but otherwise my fork came out symmetrical in short order. 

[Daswulf]

yeah those will win the day, and also hopefully get them thinking a little. In that respect it's good for them to see how things progress. That the hand forged stuff dosnt just pop out all finished and shiny. That takes more work and effort.

[ThomasPowers]

Unfortunately iron eating ware was not real common in renaissance times as folks think today; poor folk made theirs from horn and wood, (all those long winter days crafting around the fire...) Middle classes used pewter or brass, upper class silver and very upper glass silver gilt or gold---got interesting too with carved ivory handles and rock crystal spoon bowls....  The eating knife was wrought iron or steel (or steeled wrought iron)   BTAIM I still forge them for the "market"---and myself.  One of my favorite forks was based on a 100 year old squab fork I managed to pick up---very long two tines.

I have bracketed a simple twisted wire two tine fork with one in a roman find of bronze and one in an American Revolutionary find in iron.  Still looking for examples in the 1500 years between them.

[JHCC]

18 hours ago, Lou L said:

I left the fork "not quite pointy" on purpose because it is to be used in school 

"Mommy, Mr. L was teaching us how to make a shiv!"

[ThomasPowers]

"Mommy I was teaching Mr L how to make better shivs!"  depending on the neighborhood.   I spent 15 years in the inner city

[Lou L]

I teach in the inner city...but times have changed.  Modern children in all neighborhoods have learned deviance earlier than previous generations.  The internet and modern TV programming have set them up for failure....they know too much.  The children of upper class elites could now school me in dysfunction.

 

Thomas, I did try to get design ideas for Renaissance era forks before starting and learned as much.  There were a number of fancy silver forks with design embellishments but not a single iron one to see.  The website I was perusing made the point that wooden eating utensils were rare due to decay.  I ended up just cranking out something archaic looking and added twists and drifted out a hole in the fork to create some of that "how the heck do they do that?" effect.  I'd say the best part about making the utensils was that I spent about ten minutes standing at the anvil holding the stock and visualized the steps in making them.  In the end I was able to predict some challenges and ended up, I think, doing the various steps in the right order.  This time I didn't have to learn everything the hard way!

[gote]

13 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

..  The eating knife was wrought iron or steel (or steeled wrought iron) 

There is a pocket in the left lag of what is usually referred to as "Lederhosen" - we said "lederbuchsen".  In that you stick a knife (with antler handle). I have eaten at tables where half the crew was using that knife instead of a flatware knife because of the shortage just after the war. No I was not around during the "real" renaissance  this was early fifties in Bavaria.

[ThomasPowers]

I was forging once when I lived in Columbus OH in the city and a fellow came around and was interested.  I told him I would teach him smithing with his parents permission; and bladesmithing with their written permission.   Parents didn't seem to care, I learned that he was the leader of the pre-gang gang and for some reason my detached decrepit 1920's garage stopped being vandalized.  I doubt he ever finished his first knife---the hours of filing discourage many at that age; but at least he learned some aspects of work and craft.  Funny thing; that garage that spent 15 years with a coal forge in it with no problem, mysteriously burned down a couple of months after we sold the house and moved to NM. The new owner was then able to build the garage he wanted....