Last time I went to see my current mentor, John Little, we got a bit more serious: less talking, more hammering. I like doing things well, and thoroughly, so I wanted to learn how to get better at making a taper before going on to the ‘fun’ part of shaping the metal into fancy swirls. So I did what every blacksmithing ‘student’ does: I made more nails. And more nails, and more. Until I could finally make one in ‘one heat’.
And after lunch, I worked on a bigger kind of simple exercise: forming round stock into flat, long skewers. John sent me back to the anvil three times: “I think you can get that straighter”…
At the end of the day, I finally got to play – to form the decorative handles of my new barbeque skewers! Now it’s just time for the weather to play along ;)
Curving the glowing hot metal of these handles is definitely the kind of thing I’ve been after – but I want to learn more just simply about moving metal in a different way, too, moving hot steel, which includes making nails! I immidiately want to use these shapes on the body. Maybe make links to a necklace? I don’t know yet. Jumping to conclusions early is a big mistake. Must play more!
