Children´s birthday party at the Bethaus smithy - and the birth of a Nessie

 Hope I am not getting on your nerves;-), for this is another children´s birthday party post, and, while they tend to look all the same, and chance is, they do for onlookers, rest assured, there is no one alike the other one. It´s often kids that tend to be motorically impaired (But being tauted as "normal". Many so-called handicapped persons tend to be more capable than average "normal" kids.) Many of them arrive drugged with Ritalin or the like, and if they don´t, you usually have a problem. (Kai-Torben, NO! You WON´t stick your finger into the forge, Kevin- Dennis, NO! Do NOT poke Dennis-Kevin´s eye out with that bar of steel!*ggg* Schankktal-Schakkeline, put that knife away, you WON´t cut your forearm again...;-))

It´s often arduous work, but this time it has been a right pleasure. The kids were accompagnied by parents who actually had fun organizing the event for the kids, the kids had fun playing games (playing games! Remember that time when children actually used to play actual games? Not sitting paralyzed before the great one-eyed snake box?), the adults had fun playing games with the kids, they were actually around and seemed to enjoy themselves because the kids did. Okay, I admit it... they bribed me into writing this by offering chocolate brownie cookies;-), but me, being above being bribed, declined;-), while Volker gladly accepted, that old sweet-tooth;-).

 It was a very relaxed atmosphere. That was not to say there was no work to be done! But the kids being creative, capable of concentrating, and enjoying themselves, it was real fun. The adults, however, were laid-back and friendly people. Perfect!

 Here Volker putting the kids´ tools on the desk...blimey, that guy was moving so fast, the picture is blurred! Even with this high - end, completely functional *g*camera, I did not manage to get the picture right!*ggg* Imagine that!*ggg*

 Here Volker explains the history of the Bethaus. The miner´s chapel house was built in 1830 as a meeting point of miners before their shift, and was the site of a miner´s worship of St. Barbara, the patroness of miner´s, smelters, artillerymen, and black- and weaponsmiths. Before the shift, miners came together for a prayer to the saint for a happy return. A great and amtospherically dense novel to transport the terror of the subterranean, but also the hope for riches and prosperity the miners were confronted with in those days is "The Mines Of Falun" (Die Bergwerke zu Falun) by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

After the shift, the miners hopefully returned to have their tools repaired for the next day. For that purpose, there always had been a smithy at the chapel, too. There picks, shovels and hammers were repaired or made anew, later on the chisels of power hammers and other power tools were repaired. And the best thing about all that is - we still do that!;-) The kids were enthused to be smith´s apprentices, and we did our best to let the old times revive for them, even our skills still are not up to par to those of those ancient miner´s blacksmiths. But that´s not our purpose in the first.

 We are here to let the kids have some fun and to keep the flame burning.

 The kids were enthusiastic about the work, and many of them took a great deal of time polishing their works. We made pendants, snakes, small knifelookalikes;-) from mild steel which I tried to work-harden by coldforging. A bit hard on the ears, and I fear my hearing is already impaired a bit... blimey, have to get some ear plugs... but it´s hard to communicate with the kids when you wear plugs.

 And yes, it´s pictures like this that keep me going, even when it´s sometimes tough. It simply feels good to pass on the enthusiasm for the next generation.

Let me give a more personal take on that. We live in a very, very strange and estranged world. We tend to blabber about freedom all the time, and when we get it, we use it to simply kill time and refine our boredom. We are not free, for we work to earn money we believe we need, because we believe we need a fifth laptop or the latest smartphone, a third car or, yap, a fifth mountainbike or surfboard. Mountainbiking is a great example. Many of the people I know who ride mountainbikes call themselves "freeriders". To do this sport, you need at least 1.500 € worth of bike, plus some 700€ worth of equipment, protection, gear, clothing, and you have to spend at least 1.400€ worth on holidays. Maybe a bit exaggerated, for most of the people I know would not be able to afford this,  but that´s what the magazines keep telling you. All this you "need" to ride free. To ride "free", a person with an income not exactly middle management thusly would have to work 1-3 months just for the tools of the trade;-) and a holiday. I therefore very much doubt that he or she then is "free". We are told so, but we are not. The examples are legion. You can be free by buying deodorants, insurances, cigarettes. Interestingly I read an ad about a deodorant named "obsession"  that transported the message of freedom some years ago, which is outright ridiculous in my book.

But then, how can one be free? Is there anything like freedom?

I have a maxim I try to live by: "As long as I do not harm anyone and the world benefits from it in any way, I do whatever I want." This is sometimes very, very hard, for the world generally does not care a runny shit about me or anyone else doing anything for its benefit, for its surface is designed by mammonists. Those are glad if anyone does anything "for free", for he or she can be exploited much easier that way. You do not get any money equals you cannot buy symbols of status equals you have no status. But we are talking surface here. I learned for myself, that in-depth, the world is a beautiful place. If you do not value money that much, if you simply regard it as a tool, not a toy, there is much to discover; a flower growing through the concrete, the grain of some burly wood, the pattern of damascus steel. Your own body, aside from the advertisment-hysteria and the beauty- and wellness-hype. Your power, of body, mind and soul. The beauty and terror of the actual world. The terror and greatness and the overwhelming beauty of actual life.

Blacksmithing has done one thing for me: It made me realize I could shape my own world. From junk and scrap and ashes I have learned, the hard way sometimes, to shape whatever I desire, or at least, to be capable of learning it-potentially at least. It means, while I often have a tight schedule with little or no room for toodling about, and sometimes work 70 h a week with an income that´s not worth mentioning and amounts to 30 % less than the minimum dole would sum up to, I have a freedom that I need for the sanity of my soul. I might not be the best of blacksmiths, but a blacksmith I am.

But what does that mean? In Volundar - saga it is said that Wayland the smith was taken captive by some king named Nidung. He cut his tendons to keep him captive and demanded he forged for him wondrous armour and weapons. Wayland escaped. He forged himself wings and flew away. In the bronze - age smiths of the Unetice culture are said to have had prince status. The metallurg was master of the elements, and legend has it he or she was also master of fate. Smiths have made this world, and those who know this blog know that there lays a hope for me, for the world has gone mad and false.

Genetic manipulation is not evil, but we simply do not understand enough of the whole to do it-and yet, corporations like Monsanto monopolize on bringing out manipulated seeds on the market, and there are little options left for the common man. There only but recently was an attempt to illegalize self- harvested seeds, even in private gardens. It might have been another attempt of corporations like Monsanto to get a monopol on victualies and seeds.
Capitalism is not evil, and it has secured peace for a long period of time. But it bears strange fruits. Ecologism is not evil, either, but to burn down acres of rainforest to plant rapeseed (genetically manipulized, of course), exclusively for CAR FUEL, while the inhabitants starve, is mad. Mammonism is not evil, either, if Mammon gets assigned his place in the pantheon he actually had ages ago. It´s all a system, and this system is the reason we not only cannot be free, but are subject to tyranny. But who are the tyrants? Can we hang them?

Bit difficult, could do that just if you feel so inclined to commit suicide. The enemy is within, within the gates. It´s us. We can´t escape.

Can´t we, really?

I used to buy a lot of knives and other tools in my time. I learned to forge, now I do not buy them anymore (that frequently, okay, I admit;-)). I had no money for a decent pair of reenactment shoes. I made them myself. While not exactly perfect, I wore them for one year and used them very hard, for I used them for hiking also, because they were just so comfy, now there´s a hole in one sole, but no harm done, I can repair that. I  wanted a Sarouel pants, and I made one. I want a kuksa... what will I do? I make my own mead, I brew my own birch sap beer, kwass and sloe champagne, cure my cough with herbs I collected, treat my wood with resin I found, drink my tea made from leaves I collected.

I am realistic: Not everyone can make his or her gear all by themselves. I can´t, myself. But that´s not the culprit. It´s not about making these things, but about understanding again THAT these are made in the first place. That they transport the time and energy put into them, that they rely on natural resources, and to understand that everything we claim has its consequences, and that our behaviour has consequences, too, and not because someone tells us so. It is easy to even work with difficult kids at the forge, because you can easily illustrate why one should obey the rules. They are made by iron, fire and water, not by the smith. 1.200 degrees Celsius will be dangerous, and anyone possessed of the ability to feel pain will recognize that without further ado.

The world will not be saved by that. We will still have to endure the consequences of the exploit we did to the planet, and chance is, few will survive the breakdown of western civilization that will come. We are in the middle of it, in fact. It´s not the punishment of God or the Gods. It´s just the consequences of our false behaviour. And it is a chance to learn how it´s done properly.

I hope that with my blacksmithing an tutoring, I achieve one thing: To get minds to think for themselves, if only one out of thousand. I might not be free, and I am not Wayland for sure, but I hope to one day look back on my life and to be able to say that it was okay.

That´s all I can say.

By the way, I just wanted a Nessmuk. Willy is doing these all of the time, and I did not want to stay off the back, so I made one from a piece of spring steel: 

 It came along quite nicely, done with a forge, tongs, hammer, two files and that´s it. I drilled two holes near the back of the tang for balance, but I might add more of them, depending on what scales to fit. I recently found a block of Pertinax in the woods, which looks very beautiful, but I learned it is toxic due to the Formaldehyde and Phenolic contents. Guess I´d rather get rid of it.... and fit some stag or ramshorn scales. We´ll see how it goes, but the choice of scales will have an influence on the drillings, for I like to have my centre of gravity on the index finger to make for more nimble handling of the knife. I also choose an edge line in line with the handle outline (does that make sense to you?;-))to make for more acurate carving ability and a somewhat milder S-form of the knife in general. Having played a lot with it already, I can say that I really like the feel of it, and as there´s still this ominous crane bag / ditty bag project on the bench for some, wait, is that two years??? I rather say, this might find its way in... but talk is cheap, and there are too many options as far as this bag is concerned, and I daresay I rather stitch this thing together any which way. I simply have too many ideas that in the end I follow none of them... so I guess I´ll rather put the rubber on the road soon. But, this knife first.;-) Or that cleaver. Or that bush knife, oh, and the damascus blades and and and...

Anyaway, I´ll keep you informed!

New Nessie design

 I was feeling inspired by my mountain man bushcraft as well as the "Flachschmieder" by Rudolph Broch, one of those people I have learned a lot from, so, when I was at the last Hammer - In of the season, I made this blade out of spring steel. 110 mm long, the spine is 5 mm thick, and the knife has seen little stock removal as is and no power tools except for drilling the holes for the tang. I will keep working on that, too;-). The handle is made from sambar stag antler I found on a flea market, wait, is that 8 years? 8 years ago;-) it is indeed, and I am an old fart!*ggg*. I really like this material a lot for its amber colour. The pins are made from copper tube. With a length of Paracord you can fix it to a stick to harvest apples, plums or herbs normally out of reach. To me, the handle is comfortable, and I like the slightly offset edge for cutting on a level, as when snacking with a wooden board. In spite of the chunky spine thickness, it really cuts well and even works great in the kitchen. Chopping onions, slicing salami and bacon are a cinch, really. I guess it has something to do with the fact that it has no secondary bevel, and the little convex part there is is virtually non-existent. It is edge - quenched, though, and I already slammed it into a mild steel bar and unmounted a tin can;-) with it, with no dents whatsoever.

 The spine. The tang will see some filing still.

I also made a simple sheath already. Wet - formed around the handle, and hot - waxed to give a firm base, almost like Kydex! (not that this would be a good thing, mind you*ggg*.

As is, I like it. It will see some refining and polishing the edge, and then I will be in for some interesting testing again.*ggg*

Sheath for my mini Nessmuk;-)

I made a new sheath for my mini integral bolstered Nessmuk the other day. I am really fond of this knife, for it is compact and sharp and gets the job done quite good. Silver steel, convex bevel, 85 mm, deer bone handle (I found in the woods), burned and waxed to finish. The sheath is made from naturally tanned leather with a knotwork triskell bird design. The stitches could be cleaner, as usual, I was too fast again, but since no seam on any sheath has ever come apart in years of hard use, I guess I got something right nonetheless. Yap, there´s still a lot to learn, and I keep practicing;-).

Sometimes you have to make a decision;-)-Pimp my Nessie...

 I made a Nessmuk some months ago. It really, really felt good, the tempering was on the spot, but something always felt awkward. I could not quite put my finger on what was so awkward, until I made a balance test and realized that the stag antler crown, which was really beautiful, compromised the handling. I eventually stopped using it for that reason. But a knife you don´t use is of no use. And since it felt good otherwise, I had to make a decision that involved a hacksaw. I turned it over and over in my hand, and finally got my resolve, and simply got on with it. I contemplated fitting a copper buttcap, but took a pair of wild pig´s teeth I had found in the woods instead.

What can I say... it feels completely right now, and even if I could have done it a bit more cleanly, I like the new look. The stag antler crown, however, will not be wasted, as will the rune disc amulet. Watch this space. I have now used the knife thoroughly, and enjoy it. I found out that the balance point for me should be on the ferrule or bolster for a knife up to 12 cm blade length.

Fimbulmuk is almost there:-)

 My Nessie is coming along quite nicely... seems my strand of bad luck has run out.I like it so far. It´s not perfect, as usual, but I have given up on the perfectionist´s stance. Blade and handle have yet to see some finishing work. It´s also realitively close to the original. The illustrations in the printout are from Nessmuk´s book, in case you ask:-), but most of you know it well. For those who don´t, here´s an excellent post on Nessmuk and most of the other important and bushcraft- related authors on Karl´s Ranging and pathfinding blog. Thanks, Karl, for inspiring me!

 I set this decorative rune-engraved disc into the antler crown. Still some glue that has to be removed, but almost there.


For some reason, this knife feels right. It feels right to make, and to use. I like it a lot, and it gives me this "utility" feeling. Can´t tell it in another way. It just feels solid and reliable. I don´t know at all if it is. Did some testing on the blade (whacked the flat side on the anvil´s horn, carved mild steel rods with it, let it drop tip first on a concrete floor from a height of 1,80 m, let it drop flat from the same height, clamped the first third of the blade in a vise and whacked it with a 1,8 kg hammer, and did a magnifying glass visual check after that) for the steel is outright problematic to properly heat-treat, and it came out unscathed, so I guess it will do;-), but that feeling´s not a rational one. It´s just like "pack this knife and some utilities that fit in a ditty and  go out for an overnighter". Now I don´t know if it has got something to do with the blade shape. I have never been a big fan of the Nessmuk style of blades - up to this day. I was brought up with clip point hunting knives with a leather handle or the "Jagdnicker" variety. Those were my first knives. Later I stuck to Scandi blades, and I like them still. They all are simply great. But this knife gives another feel to it, and it´s hard to pin that. Might as well be the heft of the beast, for it´s quite heavy. Or the rustic finish. Or the steel. Or all of it. But it´s a good thing, and there might as well be a thing as too much of a reflective mind.:-)

I look forward to it.

Nessie´s coming along... a progress shot.

That´s how it looks now, blade coarsely ground, copper ferrule fitted, handle tanned and glued in place, tang riveted inside. Have to fill the unsightly holes at the end of the stag´s crown with epoxy and maybe set a deco disc or wood (or maybe a rock crystal:-)?) into the end of the crown. The blade will see some polishing and a bit of etching to bring out the structure and to add to a vintage look. As for a sheath... I am currently thinking about making myself a kind of ditty / crane bag with a sheath inside (under the flap)... would be my first take on that, and I have to try that out:-)...

I already cut a bit with it and the temper´s quite there, and the blade´s geometry and edge line in the first place is great for allround tasks... I am satisfied.;-) 

Wise words from Nessmuk himself-a tribute...sort of

For brick and mortar breed filth and crime,
With a pulse of evil that throbs and beats;
And men are withered before their prime
By the curse paved in with the lanes and streets.

And lungs are poisoned and shoulders bowed,
In the smothering reek of mill and mine;
And death stalks in on the struggling crowd
But he shuns the shadow of oak and pine.

Nessmuk.
(Taken from "Woodcraft and camping" by George Washington Sears)

I have been thinking about it for a long while now. We own cars and planes and modern plumbing, and yet we always want to escape. We could take a Goretex jacket but choose wool instead. We have a white - collar job, but on the weekends we camp out in the muck and filth, reenacting the ages medieval or other periods or bushcrafting or doing survival practice. We learn primitive skills, we forge with dirt forges, we go foraging.

We were not obliged to, and there is no rational reason for it.

Is bushcraft, tribal knifemaking escapism? There can be no real escape from this society. Except for the one "hope" many survivalists keep in secret, that there will be a "rout of civilization", and after that, a chance to start it anew, but chance is, the same boring shit will go on. No "Xenu", no "Quetzalcoatl", nothing but an increasing degree of dehumanization in the name of Mammon.

I personally think, that I yearn for simplicity. I am sort of an outcast, and I always have been. I grew up in the forest, and while it was not exactly a wild one, I was more accustomed to deer and hares than to video games. Later on, I might not have any problems collecting herbs, mushrooms, firewood, or witnessing hunters and fishermen dressing game (what certainly IS a problem with modern-day sissies:-)), but problems I DID have to behave the correct way. In school, in my apprenticeship, at the university. I failed to realize that EVERYTHING in this world is about money. I have problems making a living, for I have my principles that are somewhat off-path, and I know, that I am wrong. Yes, I am wrong.

I cannot cope with the necessities of modern living. I can build a shelter, I can make bannock, even forge knives and all the implements I need, I have carpentry and other woodworking skills, but I am not functioning correctly. I do not understand the necessity to start a career, to watch TV, to read the newspaper, even to decently clean up my household. But I rode to work by bike on the day of a tempest named Kyrill and did not notice what the fuss was all about. And this in turn gives me the strength to carry on.

It might be escapism, or a means of escape. But those are things that matter, and in those situations the things that really matter, actually count. If you are hungry, you have to fight for something to eat. If you are cold, you need to get warm. If you are thirsty, you need to find something to drink. "Your speech shall be: Yes, yes, or: No, no. Everythings else is Evil." To survive, and do that with style, you need friends, networks, and some few utilities you need. Clothing, gear, tools. Period. No plasma TV, no second laptop, no third car. Ah yes, and not five mountainbikes (and in my cellar ARE five frames that could be put in working order). Simplicity. But in the "real" world, simplicity does not count. Quite the contrary, what counts is buying. If you do not constantly buy new stuff, our society system will not work at all. And we work just to buy. If you would travel lightly with two pants, two shirts, vest, underwear, knife, hatchet, cooking pot, tent, bbots and mocassins, and even would have made most of that stuff yourself, our society system would not work anymore, and I am not sure if that would be a good thing.

So I learn to cope with modern-day necessities, and try to walk a middle road. The times when I wanted to change the world are over. Now that I have realized that, I was able to change a tiny bit. Yes, I think that my brief romantic trips into the wilderness might be futile and not functional. But I have never been functional. It is a dream, and it helps put things into a perspective. Do I NEED a new bike / TV / whatever, or do I want it? And why do I want it? Can I travel a little lighter through this life? And this is what bushcraft gives to me. I will never be a radical "backwoods afficionado". I will never travel as lightly as I could. But the woods simply help me in coping with the insanity of our world.

Oh yes, chance is, it will not be for so much longer. But chance is also that we all will die in ecological catastrophes or a nuclear supernova. There is no foraging in a nuclear wasteland, no shelter, and rain no good thing. That does not mean that I am not interested in survival. But it is not a cozy Bear Grylls scenario, no offence meant, but tooth and nails, everyone against the other. I do not want to say "survival", for that would mean any preparation has gone awry. Noone in their right mind would.

What remains is, that I am conscious of myself being an outcast. Moshé Feldenkrais once said that society is not interested in the individual being able to grow to its full potential and thus will do ANYTHING to prohibit it from reaching that. (In: Bewußtheit durch Bewegung, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt a.M. 1995) I have contended myself with doing the ratrace when it is absolutely necessary and living up when I get home.

I am legally poor, but have no big problem with that. Naturally, "all the bills upon my mat, they feed and grow, then eat the cat" (Martin Walkyier). But that´s my "fault", and there´s noone else to blame. My real life takes place where the dream starts, and it starts in the woods. I can do with little. I can live on a half slice of bread per day for a period of time (I had to already). And this makes me really relish in a good meal, a good drink. My joy is all the bigger for my capability to cope with less, to cope with pain even. And the joy I feel when the woods embrace myself, makes up for anything.

 So, back to the question: Is it escapism? To me it is a dream, and a way to learn to savour the fruits of life. It is not a hobby, or even a passion. It always was a part of myself, and always will be. And while I pity all those poor people in the cities who never set their bare foot on the rich and soothing soil, I am glad they are not venturing any further than the city park. I am glad that I am capable of feeling, and seeing, and watching.

And time goes by, and so does my life. But I am free, if I want it. This is a great feeling, and one I owe to my mental survival pack. So I do not care if it´s called escapism, or if I escape, for that´s not the issue.

Working on the Fimbulmuk knife:-)

 I currently work on my Nessmuk knife. I want to keep it quite traditional, even the material hints towards the era (wrought iron laminate steel), stag antler. My only addition is a copper bolster, and a tang that`s peened over the handle.

 Checking for the looks...

 I even burned out the tang hole, a method that was traditionally employed by 19th century blacksmiths quite often.

 The handle I tanned by burning on the open fire, waxed and sanded a bit. Have to file out the tang hole for fit. The blade is already ground a bit.

A detail of the handle. I will fit a copper ferrule to strengthen the handle when peening, for that can be a bit abusive on the stag antler.

I really hope that this time it´s going well. Had some bad luck with my work recently, and not all was plain sloppiness on my part. I look forward to this knife.

Great take and material on the Nessmuk knife variety

I was rummaging through the interweb when I came across Old Jimbo´s site, where I found this one knife:

Plus some material on George Washington Sears tools and some basic information on the guy... so Old Jimbo might forgive me for stealing his pic, because I strongly encourage;-) you to have a look there... I liked it, and yap, I still have that ancient sawblade lying around....;-)... The knife is made by Dale Chudzinski, hailing from Madrid, Co. New York, USA. Click here to get to his website.
The maker appears to have disappeared somehow;-), though, so I´d guess you´d better make your own or I suggest you contact some special reader of my blog ;-)
who makes them also;-), and well, by hand in the UK...guess those are three challenges at once ARR!ARR!ARR!*ggg*.