Winter Forging at the Rustic Anvil Forge

  Right after the first of the year my forge has been a hive of activity. The fruits of our labor from the Monches Faire are paying off. Folks are coming in twos and threes to try their hand at forging. Right after the first of the year, Gus and Zinn have committed their selves to working with me on a monthly basis. We start every class with more and more complex techniques of hammer control. Then little by little I tailor the course to their particular interests. We made rings for the Renaissance Fair and are hammering a long-term project in riveted coffee scoops. Both of them are former baristas from the Madison area. Down the line we might even do some coal forging and mobile blacksmithing at a site or two in the area.

  Last Sunday I hosted a father and son event for the first time. Nataniel and Joe took to hammering the hot metal in no time at all. They both seemed to pick up on the idea of moving metal along with hammer control. I even had them hammer out a few Frederickson crosses to be processed at a later date. Nathaniel's enthusiasm just seemed to spill out of him. Maybe in the future, I will have the family back for a mother/ daughter forging session.

The possibilities at my forge seemed to me growing every mont. In April, I host 5 adults using two forges for a three-hour series of demos and classes. Maybe Gus and Zinn will tend the fire to free me up for demos on the #200 anvil. This time of year forging outside under a tent is dependent on the weather. Then they can bring some up to speed on hammer control and help tend the coals. Stay tuned as this summer of 2025' is the season when all things change here at the Rustic Anvil Forge.