Blacksmith workshop

Slightly off topic but I went on a two day blacksmith workshop course held by the https://eveleigh.works  I took the 'Blacksmith Introduction I' course.  Great fun pounding away on red hot metal and I only lost the hair on two fingers.  We made a coat hook holder with consisted of two hooks (with spirals) hot riveted onto a base plate.  The baseplate also had some details of a cut line rectangle.  Those lines are meant to be straight.  On my piece I then hot cut out the corners with a custom chisel and used a ball pein hammer to add some texture details.

Photo bomb tour below...

250kg anvil

The old furnaces

Racks of steel ready to be worked on

Our instructor in front of the large power hammer

The two hooks tapered.  This took half of the first day.  Noodle arms at the end

Baby gas furnaces.  Not something to stand in front of

The anvil I was working on with some tools of the trade

The classroom with the striking anvils in the middle of the room

So much history laying around - a die for a hook.

Hooks now with spirals

Hooks bent to shape - this was the end of day 1

Day 2 - Marking out the back plate - the last time anything was square on this.  Witness punched holes to help guide the fuller.

When the anvil has two hardy holes, you know it's serious

Random spanner left laying around

Bench (well floor) grinder of death.  In the time before OHS a big red sign meant this machine kills people.  The wheel has sharp teeth for chewing up metal.  Not sure how you would stop it from flipping the work piece up.

Hooks hot riveted onto the base plate and coated in bees wax