6th Hiking Annual at the Industriemuseum Ennepetal

On Sunday I worked for the industrial museum Ennepetal again, for the second time this year. This time it was the site of one of the biggest hiking events of the region, with many smiths, historical automobiles, tractors, bushheads, environmentalists, craftsmen, artisans and quality food to boot. I was there with Willy, a long-time friend of mine, quite a funny chap with a hat grown to his head and never less than two axes, seven knives and a very strange sense of humour on his person;-). Apologies for the blurred photos, but the light in the smithy´s absolute crap for shooting them.
 Those are some works of Willi´s, two hatchets, a foraging sickle, a gouge for woodworking and some knives. I will do a better feature on his doings in the near future, but I wanted to give an impression.

That´s the foraging sickle up close, Japanese white paper steel, mammoth ivory and cocobolo wood.

The dragon breath forge (gas forge) roaring at the top of its lungs;-). You get all crap at forging with a coal forge if you constantly forge with one of these, it´s so comfy! No meddling, no constant attention, but no partial heating either. Not good for bigger projects, too, but comfortable and serviceable like nothing else.

That´s a blurred photo of two of Willi´s knives, the top one in the sheath is one of Schneewittchen´s seven dwarves (Willi made a series of seven two-finger knives and one bigger EDC with an ivory handle, strange guy as he is;-)), the one below is file steel, bone and cocobolo wood. Willi loves cocobolo wood and makes some really fine handles from it.

That´s a hatchet he forged and tempered on Sunday. It shaves, as it should. All of his hatchets could easily double as an Ulu! 

Those two are two blades I forged myself. After annealing, I let them cool on the anvil. The top one is file steel with a high-set tang for something Scagel-esque, the one below is an integral with a rat-tail-tang from silver steel.

While the knives were cooling, I had sort of a lunchtime break and took a bimble across the expo area. This is Rainer working with kids during a casting / founding demo. The casting is done with some sand forms which are modelled and then compressed. The  the liquid iron is cast into them. Rainer makes boar statues, lizards, foxes (a regional fairy-tale symbol) and the like.

That´s Wilfried, another friend of mine, owner of one of the last tool smithys of Germany, forging hammers, tongs, prybars, axes, woodsplitting tools, and the Krenzer bushcraft mini-hatchet. He is a very laid-back and friendly guy, a practising Christian, and a total loss when marketing is concerned;-), which is a real treat;-).

He is a great craftsman, and very calm and maybe even wise. I have learned a lot from him.

This is Mrs. Krenzer, a very engaged person, doing a very great job with children. She forges herself and does some real great artwork. She also works as a teacher for motorically, mentally  and physically impaired children, and is the mother of seven children. She also organizes the sponsoring club for the Krenzer Hammer, Wilfried´s smithy and the "Schmiedefest" (smithing fair) held each September..

 The famed Krenzer bushcraft mini-hatchet.

 Fine art by Ms. Krenzer.

 My achievement for the day;-). Filed the integral part, edge quenched, and tempered.

The other blade, yet to be tempered. Watch this space!