Donnerstag, 12. April 2012

Easter Fair at the Bethaus smithy-Food and beer galore

 I worked at the Bethaus smithy over the Easter days, this time not as a smith, but I took care of kids making wooden jewellry and stick bread. Volker had a lot to do, too.
 Renate helped out with the jewellry.
 This is the shed we recently built.
 The press was there, too. Mr. Bresser from radio Ennepe-Ruhr was there to take some pics.
 Daddy looked a bit sceptical about the colour mix... this wasoften the case... the kids had fun with no regards to conventional aesthetics-and that was a good thing to me;-). It was kind of funny how the parents reacted on that behalf...*ggg*, and I had one or the other hearty laugh;-).
My blacksmithing groupie Paul having a go at a big chunk of stick bread. Most tasty were the pieces between the raw and the charred ones;-). It´s crucial to wrap the dough very thin and not putting the bread too close to the fire.
...
Gathering around the fire... funny, because it were no five minutes into the baking ceremony that the "campfire tales" came up;-). Great!
Parents and kids alike relished in the atmosphere. The kids felt grown, the parents childish again, and so we all had a ball!
The shed hummed with activity... hundreds of kids and parents came for the jewellry-making. Stressy, but fun to work that way!
Mummy had a go, too!
More kids, more bread...


...
Michael offered easter egg painting, a German custom.
Guess he was not quite bored either...;-)
...
Jochen, our submarine star cook;-) on the run. You know, why submarine cooks have to be good? If they cook bad, they get keelhauled or have to scrub the deck;-).
So Jochen always looks a bit angry;-), but his cooking really IS delicious, so we won´t let him scrub the deck, ARRRRRRRR!!!*gg*
Rosemarie taking care of the BBQ...
Rosemary potatoes... yummyyummyyummy!
Proper man food...*ggg* and magic troll food for that*ggg* I guess...
Daddy havin´fun with this poor licce fellow...*ggg*
....
"Geeee, have to drink beer again, gah, and that grinning arsehole molesting me, too" says Michael... Thomas and Michael havin´a beer on the great day;-).
..weather was fine, too!
After-work party! Jochen made some delicious lamb stew, with green beans and rosemary potatoes from beach lamb, and we had a drink and a chat. That´s what I like best about that place. They all are hard-working individuals who love what they do- and when work´s over they share a joke and a tale and a beer and a laugh together. It´s all so very different to "everyday life". Great to work with you, friends, great to call you friends!

Funny cap, Michael*ggg*.
Another day (Monday), another turn... stick bread making again.
The kids really loved it. It was raining hard at times, but that was not keeping them from enjoying it even more!
...and in that weather, really interesting people came out. Funny, how the campfire always brings out the tales. Kids, folks, it was great to meet you!

Little less stressful, making bread and some little jewellry, quite relaxing.











Then Jochen had another delicious meal, this time veal stew with glazed peas and cream potato mash with a pork chop on top. We had another chat, and another coffee and a piece of cake, and I lit the forge and did that:

En-Nep/Kopis crossover style blade from spring steel.
And a damascus blade I have yet to rescue. My own damascus that welded not too good.... I´ll have to see if I get it in working order...

Mittwoch, 11. April 2012

Looting and pillaging hike with the mad basssstard Kai;-)

 Kai called and wanted to convince me I had to go for a hike with him. After some really tough discussion I decided, ere he beat me to pulp;-), I´d rather take him out a bit;-) on a looting and pillaging hike. And what did we find-garlic mustard getting there!
 Sweet clover´s coming too!
 Periwinkle herbs, too.
 We passed by a lost place, and there was an old dumpster place behind it. This bicycle wheel had grown into the tree. The tree died. Mind you, the wheel still turned;-)...
 ...
 The place.
 ...
 We found this piece of wrought iron. Unfortunately it was rusted through and was not useable anymore.
 Steel wire.
 ...more scenery...;-)
 ...
 ...
 We then ventured to the grove, where there was birch sap waiting for us... yum, tasty and refreshing!
 ...
 This is a folding knife I had with me, a traditional German and French form, known in America as "sodbuster". This kind of blade was popular with miners in France and as a butchering knife for small game like rabbits. It has an "á virole" back lock, stag scales and brass bolsters. It´s made by Otter knives in Solingen, courtesy of Mr. Morsbach himself! The blade, unlike newer versions is made from 1.4110 steel, which is similar to 440A. Now they come in 440C. A nice and thin blade, and a perfect backup.
 Then there was a rustling in the dry leaves, and what did we see? A toad and a frog came by on their stroll;-)... strange couple, but great to see them anyway...;-)
 oooooooaaaaaaaarrrkkkkkk;-)
 ...look into me eyes, babe;-)......
 I´mnotthereI´mnotthereI´mnotthere....not at all;-).
 Me not, either.....
 Another knife, one of my favourite production bushcraft knives... Otter knives again, damascus with oak scales, with a very sophisticated hollow grind.
 Collected some resin on the way home, too...
 ..and this is weird, eh? It´s spring!!!!
 Some more coltsfoot for tea...
..and then I found this treasure... Roe deer antler!












We did some 15 km, nothing big at all, and had a lot of nice chats, saw a lot of great things and came back with a loot... a perfect day in my book!

Progress on my hatchet

This is a hatchet I am currently working on. It´s made from an old hammer, C 60 steel. The eye is left a bit stronger to provide more strength to the hammer poll. The handle is hickory, fitted, but not carved, polished, oiled or finished yet. Watch this space!;-)

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