GET IT AND HIT IT !
I had already arranged a day off from work and found myself getting out of bed with a spring in my step because today would be the first day of a three day Blacksmithing course .
I admit that the primary reason for me going on a three Day Introduction to Blacksmithing Course is so I can write this review , but that doesn ’ t mean I can ’ t enjoy it !
While it would be fair to say I am looking forward to the course , I still have some concerns ; Will I be able to make something useful ? What if I don ’ t like it , the review could be a tough one to write , then ! So , taking my sandwiches , coffee and brand new leather apron , I head off to Westpoint Forge , just outside Exeter , to find out .
Introductions are completed and the relevant Health and Safety warnings are issued , then we got down to business . There are seven of us and John , the teacher . John is descriptive and instructive , but there is no teacher that can replace practical experience , so before long we get busy actually making something .
Westpoint Forge Premises , just outside Exeter on the A3052
I arrived at the specially fitted Westpoint Forge just before 9am on a cold February morning . Not knowing exactly what to expect , I walked into the warehouse style building to discover a room filled with blacksmithing tools , hammers , tongues and row of hearths with anvils .
Around the building were tables covered with various demonstration pieces . This place was clearly serious about what it did , it was a workshop and it would be my classroom for the next three days .
Our skillful and experienced teacher describes a basic principal of Blacksmithing , drawing down , the art of hammering out a solid to a point . We use this new skill on our first piece , to make a spiked end for our beer glass holder .
After we have all tackled this , the lesson continues with John demonstrating how to form a scroll end , a circle and a 90 degree bend .
We all head back to our hearths and try to replicate what we have been shown .
The day continues in this format , instruction and demonstration followed by practical and we proceed to make our own versions of a toasting fork and a picture hook .
John is always on hand to guide us with as much ( or as little ) help as we ask for . By the end of Day One I am tired , but quite surprised that I have been able to create three pieces of work to an acceptable standard .
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I have learnt drawing down , hot cutting , forming a twist and punching a hole . Above all , I am relieved that I was able to make something and I liked doing it . On my way home I realise I can ’ t wait to come back tomorrow .