Back from an event that will cost me dearly, but was quite fun no less. We had this event scheduled since 2014, and there was quite the ruckus going on before it, but for the most part I do not want to relate to that in detail. As usual, Volker did not manage to organize a car early, so that it simply was not available. There also was little steel for us, and even less coal. Honi soit qui mal y pense, but we always tend to be on the rascal side of good... So I called Mark, a friend of mine, and he kindly helped us getting our gear to the site with his car, and called Kai if he´d bring some extra coal and steel. Unfortunately, when loading up the car, the rear windows broke. If Volker will not manage to notify his insurance, it´s me standing up for´t.
Strike! Having no insurance is great when you do an event of 12 hours, coming home with 45 Eur and having to stand up for 300, and have an income of 450 Eur per month. I guess I have to get tougher and quit doing events for other´s profit. At the moment I´m fat, guess that will get much better until next month.;-).
But as we lit up forge and smelled the hot steel and burning coal, all was good. Some kids came by and had some fun, I met some old friends and had a good chat.
Nick was there making some progress and adding a lot to my comfort,
as did Kai and Kathrin, who contributed by helping with the kids and keeping an eye on the goods we had for sale. In situations like this it is great to have folks like these friends around you!
At the site there is a historical iron forge, dating back to the late
medieval age. Some years ago the smithy quit production, and the roof went down in winter due to snow load breakage.
Now the club for saving the "Ahlhauser Hammer" is desperately searching for funds to restore this important historical site. There are some quarrels in the background, of course, interhuman interferences as we all know so well, but apart from the personal quarrels, what remains is the fact that this is a very, very valuable historical site that deserves to be restored. Of course, I am interested in it, because on site you can argueably find older foundations dating back as far as the early Roman age of empire, i.e. Saxon times. Later, it can be presumed that the "Brakkersfelders Knopmetz" was born there, too, at least you can find the so - called "Sinnerhoopen" (slag heaps) everywhere in the woods. The woods themselves are even today wearing the stamp of crop-circle agriculture and coaling (Uebing, 1998). So the site is a hotbed and I have the strong suspicion there could also be some archaeological finds to be made dating back to Saxon times.
We had some goodies on display. Those are Nick´s works above.
My showcase.
To me it was an absolute highlight to meet with Ernst, the senior blacksmith, who let me use his power hammer and gave me some valuable hints on its special characteristics.
Those were the products Ernst produced in his career. We had a good talk, and I got the impression he even was fond of me. I, in turn was enthused to learn a lot just by listening. In general, the folks were very welcoming. We also met with Prof. Dr. em. Döpp, our former head of museum at the industrial museum Ennepetal next door who told us his regrets we had to move out and stated we would be always welcome to return.
This is
Anne, who offered a load of great products and is a very good-humoured person;-). She does pyroraphy on fir fungus, a fungus related to the tinder conk. She collects them by hand, and while those are not so rare in nature, finding suitable pieces to make for those pieces of art she makes.
She also did some individualizing on those beautiful pill boxes.
I was fond of these lovely owls! YOLO! (You obviously love owls;-))
Greenwood furniture...
Then it suddenly was all over. We were having some potato fritters by Friedhelm (EIERPUNSCH!!!:D) and some really great steaks and sausage, sipped a tea, and said our goodbyes and packed up.
We are already booked for the autumn festival, and the people went to great lengths to give us the feeling we were welcome. I said that I am grateful for this but also that I did not trust them any, and we made an open-visor agreement of mutual profit. I hope they stand up for it. I would love to do some forging there, not only because the power hammers make for great opportunities when swordsmithing and making Damascus are concerned, but also because of the location and I would love to like the people, if that makes sense to you. But as is, I am somewhat of a "once bitten, twice shy" sort now. It´s not that I got mobbed out once, but with no exception been driven out of any club or institution I partook in my whole life. I do not whine about that and have made my peace with that, because many of the people that drive me out come back whining themselves afterwards, but that makes me suspicious. I am sorry for that, but can´t help it any, humans in general are not the company I prefer anymore, except for some rare exceptions, but those I chose myself. Culprit is, I WANT to contribute, but I am not sure if people want ME to contribute, if you get my meaning.
Anyway, in general, it was a lousy event when profit is concerned, but really great to work there and meet the people and savour the atmosphere. I loved it no less.
