I wanted to get out of the house today, so I went over to the Gulf Branch Forge, where I met this friendly blacksmith. I watched her make an ornate hook out of a steel rod. First she made each end of the rod pointed and rounded using the hammer and anvil. Then, she bent one of the ends into a spiral for decoration. Next, she formed the hook portion by wrapping the bar around a circular piece of metal. Then, she bent the straight end at a 90 degree angle so it could be hammered into a wall. She then proceeded to twist the middle of the hook (between the 90 degree angle an the curved portion) for a decorative effect. Finally, she straightened it and polished it. The piece was finished about a half hour from when she first placed the rod in the forge. While she was making the hook she explained every step of the process, and discussed everything from how the coal forge works to how lasers are used to check the insulation on modern gas forges.
Photo by Kevin Borland.
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