Closing up shop, September 18
As usual, the weatherman was wrong. Today the weather was perfect! The number of visitors to the fair was relatively small, so it was a relaxed day. Ray arrived early, shortly after Larry completed an emergency run for another 50 lb of coke. Thank you Larry!
Couldn't have asked for a better day. Ray and I traded off, each assisting while the other did demos. At least three and possibly six serious prospective students hung out for an hour or more at various times throughout the day. Ray made horse heads, a candle holder and a leaf; and I made the usual pile of bronzed leaves. Ray also did his first successful forge weld on a commissioned hanger ring for a 40-lb brass bell. A friend, Branden, had his first forging experience and made a leaf.
For me, the day's highlight was discovering that Ray has talent as an artist. I was tied up talking with visitors, when a youngster asked Ray to draw -- not a kitty or a flower, but an image of Mickey Mouse! Ray rose to the occasion:
Mickey and Ray September 18, 2011
Ray and I got the trailer packed up around 8:15 pm. We agreed that we're both looking forward to next year's Spokane Interstate Fair!
Day 9: September 17, 2011
Larry and Ray on September 16
Today was terrific! Lots of people visited our smithy at the Fair, and lots stayed to watch demos and ask questions. The weather was nearly perfect, and it showed in everyone's mood. Countless smiles, polite thanks from all the children and parents for the flowers and kittens on log sections, applause for our demos, and enough oohs and aahs to keep our egos inflated until next Spring.
Larry showed up early, and Ray arrived mid-afternoon. Larry forged a handsome blade. Ray made a hoof pick, horse head, pipe tool, and a few other things. I made some corkscrews and a bucket full of bronzed leaves.
It looks like a bumper crop of new students will go through my shop this Fall and winter. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm for learning blacksmithing and knife making. I'm often asked how I got into the craft, and I'm proud to tell people that the Intro to Blacksmithing class I took from Tim Middaugh, was a liberating and empowering experience.
Tomorrow will be the last day of the Fair. The weatherman promises rain all day, and the satellite imagery supports the weatherman's promise.
The stove grate wrench I made on the 14th
A few kids awaiting their turn. September 16, 2011
Day 8: September 16, 2011
Hundreds of kids showed up today, lining up even before the Fair opened. Of course, the vast majority wanted kitties, dinosaurs, spiders, stars, fish, or initials burned into their log sections. After six hours nonstop, I ran out of wood and got to sit down for five minutes before launching into demos: "S" hooks, corkscrews and leaves. My wife Sharon helped out until 2:00, and son Ben helped from 1:00 until we packed up at 7:30.
Ben and Steve forging at the Fair: Sept. 15, 2011
Not much new happened today, but the number of visitors was way up. Most of the day there were 10 or 12 people looking at our displayed items, not counting the families with kids. The weather was breezy and cool; when I stopped briefly for lunch, I had to put on a jacket. Tomorrow promises to be about the same.
Some items on display at our smithy September 13, 2011
Day 7: September 15, 2011
The weather was downright pleasant, after the morning rain quit! A cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll from the Steam & Gas Kitchen hit the spot.
While I picked up the coffee, one of the kitchen folk asked if I could make a triangular wrench for the wood/coal stove, to operate a grate. They had evidently lost the original wrench. So, between demos and wood burning I hammered out a wrench. First step was to upset a railroad spike and hammer it into a triangular cross section, making a drift to match the triangular stem the wrench was to fit. Didn't have a swage block, so the step on my Papa Rhino anvil served the purpose as a swage. I forged a 3/8" x 1/5" bar to an "L" shape, rolled the bottom of the L into a loop, drove the triangular spike drift through the loop, and used the step/swage to form the loop into a triangular socket. Drew out the long part of the L into an square cross section, bent it 45 degrees a few inches from the socket, twisted the grip, and added a shepherd's hook. Done! I delivered the wrench at noon, and the kitchen folks rewarded me with a handful of delicious home-made caramel candy.
Ray participated for about 3 hours in the afternoon. He made a candle holder and worked on a knife and a hummingbird. I just made a dozen leaves, a half dozen corkscrews and a coat hook -- not to mention a few hundred kitties, flowers, smilies, German Shepherds, swords and dinosaurs burned into log sections. One lady wants a frog and I promised to make her one tomorrow. Don't know how yet!!
Another 10 prospective students hung around watching for hours, and cards & brochures evaporated as usual. Ray made a contact that might lead to a sword sale. As time for the evening concert at the Fair approached, two couples stopped to ask if I had any ear plugs to spare. I did. Those concerts are deafening!
Tomorrow should be great: 7 busloads of students are supposed to show up (probably all at once!), and my wife (Sharon) and son (Ben) have promised to help out.
A note of advice for demonstrating at a Fair: Make sure you have a steady stream of conversation and explanations. Fill in gaps with trivia or questions. Your voice keeps the audience focused and draws in passers-by even better than the ringing of your anvil.
Day 6: September 14, 2011
Even better weather today. Crowds came in surges. I must have done 30 demos today, judging from the pile of bronzed leaves and corkscrews that accumulated at the base of my leg vise. I couldn't believe it each time 15 or so passers-by stopped and watched intently through the whole 20-minute process of hammering out a corkscrew from 1/2-inch hex bar.
Didn't have any assistance until my younger son Ben showed up around 2:30. He did a great job of cranking the blower, holding the workpieces while I used veining fullers to make leaves, and chatting with visitors to the smithy.
The brochures on smithing classes continue to disappear. That is very good news!
Don discussing the fine points of sword making, September 12, 2011
Day 5: September 13, 2011
Aaah --- Pleasant weather at last! Today had more people than any of the previous four days, but our cooler weather made it easy. Lynn Bain helped from about 11:00 until 2:00, and I had to manage single-handed the rest of the time, but it was more invigorating than exhausting. Do a 15 minute demo, burn a bunch of log slices, go talk with 30 people whose grandfathers were all blacksmiths, explain the principles of hardening and tempering, explain the difference between coke and coal, and then do another demo. That goes on for 10 hours straight, but is great fun. Didn't have time to take any photos today.
Demonstrated how to make corkscrews a couple of times, and did the usual bronzed leaves. Seems that finding a demo that fits into a 10-minute slot is crucial. Fair attendees, unless they are already fascinated by blacksmithing, have about a 10-minute attention span.
More of those wonderful home school families came by with great questions. A few dozen people picked up my blacksmithing & knifemaking lessons brochure, and about 10 of them hung around to watch for a long time, much as I did the first time I saw a blacksmith at work. It appears that some custom projects are accumulating as a result of the fair already, ranging from oak-and-iron ladders to door hinges, and towel racks to Bowie knives. Actually made a few sales of bottle openers, leaf dishes, and railroad spike coat hooks. One fellow brought a rake by to get the tines straightened.
The Steam and Gas Buffs kitchen had home-made muffins, coffee, cherry cobbler, fudge and butterscotch candy, free for members.
All in all, a great day!
Thomas ready to crank the blower September 12, 2011
Ray showing his form September 12, 2011
Day 4: Monday, Sept. 12
Cooler again today, with an occasional breeze that made us chase business cards and brochures that blew off our display tables. Very tolerable weather!
Don Lightfoot arrived today, late morning, and stayed until mid-afternoon. Great to have him back! Ray Wilder arrived about an hour before Don departed, and that hour of overlap was when we got the biggest crowds, so everything worked out well. Ray demonstrated making a candle holder, S-hooks and a pipe cleaner. I stayed with my tried-and-true bronzed leaves.
Branding log sections breezed along smoothly until one kid asked for a dog. Not just any dog, it had to be a Great Pyrenees. My attempt was a dismal failure. He settled for a German Shepherd (some might think it looked like a cat with a long nose).
One of the real pleasures of these Fair experiences is meeting the home-schooling families. What a great educational experience for the kids, to go the the Fair, find someone demonstrating a craft that catches the kids' interest, and let the kids squeeze the demonstrator's brain dry. That happened at least three times today.
Last year a very earnest and hard-working young fellow by the name of Blaise joined the Steam and Gas Buffs so he could help us out and get some smithing experience. Today one of his younger brothers, Thomas, spent hours reaching over the ropes to crank our forge blower. He plans to join the S&G Buffs next year so he can join us on our side of the ropes and start swinging a hammer.
Our brochures on blacksmithing and knifemaking introductory lessons are disappearing fast. Hopefully that means there will be a big crop of new students this Fall and winter.
Day 3: Sunday, Sept. 11
A happy recipient of a flower, hand-burned into a log section. This little charmer was the last of about 250 bright-eyed young visitors to our smithy on Sunday, Sept. 11.
Today was very relaxing. The slightly cooler weather (around 85 degrees) brought about 40% more people. As usual, blacksmithing was the biggest attraction in the Steam & Gas Exhibit. We had a lot of return visitors, people who stopped to watch and talk last year.
Larry Schultz arrived about 10:30 and stayed all day, and the crowds never got too big for the two of us to handle them. I got to do several demonstrations: coat hooks with leaves, bronzed leaves, and a BBQ fork. We met a very impressive self-taught 16 year old blacksmith who built hit first forge at age 13 and had never seen or spoken to a blacksmith until today. We also met several other part-time blacksmiths and a half dozen folks who want to learn blacksmithing or knife making. With about forty active blacksmiths within a 75-mile radius, we are nearing critical mass to form an Inland Empire Metal Arts Association.
Don Lightfoot says his ankle is getting better and he hopes to start participating early this week.
-- photo from Fall 2010 Spokane County Fair --
Day 2: Saturday, Sept. 10
Yesterday was scorching hot! It hit 95 degrees, and there was no shade for a blacksmith. A few hardy fair-goers came; we had around 250 people stop by the smithy. Today was better. Slightly hazy skies and an occasional breeze made it at least seem cooler, though maybe the biggest difference was that we brought enough water to stay hydrated. Today brought maybe 350 adults and lots of kids who, of course, loved the free-hand flowers and kitty faces we burned into log sections for them. Every third family that came by had a grandfather who was a blacksmith, and every tenth family had the remains of a blacksmith shop somewhere in storage.
Watching people come in, seeing what catches their attention, is a lot of fun. The men like sharp things, the women like oak leaf bowls and trivets. Everyone likes BBQ implements.
Thanks to Larry Schultz who helped out and did some forging Saturday morning; thanks as well to Ray Wilder who participated Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings. And, thanks to Lynn Bain who helped out Friday morning and into the afternoon through the worst of the heat.
Don Lightfoot was a pillar of the effort at last September's Fair, but is wisely taking care of a badly sprained ankle so won't be able to participate this time. We miss him! Early this summer Don made a branding iron with a tractor image, and a lot of little boys asked for (and received, of course!) a tractor brand on their log section.
Ray demo'd making a pipe lighter and a 1-piece knife. Steve demo'd a BBQ fork, a coat hook, and bronzed leaves.
Photos tomorrow night--
Day 0 minus 1:
Blacksmithing will be one of the key attractions at the Spokane Interstate Fair, September 9 through September 18. Other local smiths are invited to join in. For insurance reasons, it's necessary to be a member of the Steam and Gas Buffs in order to be on the fun side of the ropes. Membership fee is $18. I would especially like to invite Incandescent Ironworks smithing students to participate. For more information, call Steve McGrew at 509-998-2465.
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