Huffing, puffing, Nostalgia and weird stuff

The trail was calling. 

Sounds a bit commonplace. 

But in fact it is not. Nothing is self - evident any more. Having had all my plans, even the B's and C's and D's shattered left me with no money whatsoever. Mountainbiking is for the rich and privileged people, not for people like me. But I spare you the whining. Let us just say, I am reluctant to ride, for if anything breaks or has to be replaced, that is about riding for me, and I maybe will need the bike for bugging out of here when the riots start. On the other hand, much good does it do for you if you hide in a cellar. So I decided that a little toodling around would do no harm and made for the lane. 

Yup, you read right, the lane. I am totally out of shape, so endurance basics it has to be. Might be there will be some trails even in summer, depending on the situation. 

But enough politics for now. I daresay you read enough of the shite elsewhere. And those of you in the know might be able to understand what I mean with that windshield wiper effect. Doing the first turns of the cranks gets you out of Code Black. Some more and you get into that zone. Well, this time there was a lot of huffing and puffing involved before I got there, but finally I managed. Shoulda not eat a big bowl of rice pudding before going outside... ☺️ But it was oh so tasty! Paid the price with two flats, one on the left and one on the right. 😁 But when the fuel finally was processed enough, I really enjoyed the ride, and for a time, my worries and sorrows simply were not there. 

 Went to Witten and passed by the Bethaus smithy. Since Volker has died, the place has changed very much. Now, don't get me wrong, my faithful readers know that the dude sometimes drove me mad. He was quite certainly not a professional. And from a professional point of view, that place has improved hugely. Of course it was only partially accessible due to pandemic restrictions, but someone really knows what he is doing. And actually I was a bit surprised to receive a warm welcome and an invitation. 

But there is something missing, not just someone. Now Volker and I did not part ways professionally on the best of terms, because a lie on his part had cost me dearly (financially), but we remained friends. And of course I miss that strange guy. He was a kind and gentle man, and more, he tried to make it work for everyone. He was the heart of the place, a wild and chaotic and unprofessional heart. This spirit is gone for good. Instead, all the cogs are oiled and everything seems to work highly efficiently. Might be working there would be less chaotic, too. But rant as I may have had, now I ask myself if the old way might appeal to me better. It is just a question, not an answer, and given that they do not want me in the first place (at least noone wants to pay for what I do), it is merely academical. Maybe it is a mix of "don't know what you got until it's gone" and "the grass is always greener on the other side of life". Humans, myself not excluded, are strange. 

But I rode on. And I must still say that even if my bike is a bit beaten up now, even if the wheels are technically too small and the brakes are worn, it never fails to give me a huge grin. The sun was shining, and all was good. I was simply toodling along, taking in the sun, when I passed by a birch tree on the lane, infested with Chaga. Now I had little tools with me and no bag, so I had to improvise a lot. What I had, however, was my Victorinox Locksmith SAK, and that licce fella never ceases to amaze me. I was a bit reluctant with quite a bit of levering action going on, but these knives even stand up to that kind of abuse. Got me some Chaga. It was great. ☺️ 

Just wrapped it in a hanky and rode on. I was a bit lost in thought, and actually did not want to stop every five minutes to take photos, so there are fewer this time. 

Any which way, when I arrived in the town neighbouring my home, there was a guy with a really fucked up commuter bike sitting on a bench, smiling and greeting, and I nodded back. Now he was a bit lost, and, asking the way and me being all shit at explaining stuff to strangers, I agreed to just take him back on track. Dude, that guy had some steam! Friendly guy, too, so it all ended in some extra kilometres and a good two hours of really nice chatting while my buttocks froze from the cold. Turned out he seems to have been a smithing groupie from looooong ago in 'em days in the Bethaus smithy. 

Life walks in circles. 

I am stoked to learn what comes next. 

Nick learning the tricks of the trade

 The Friday after that Ennepetal hammer - In we met at the Bethaus smithy again, and Nick brought his first knife with him... makes me proud, somehow! The blade we forged together in a Khukuri / En - Nep / Kopis style from cold - rolled file steel with a conservative selective (edge quench) temper, for it shall be a chopper also. He already tried to sharpen it... and I daresay we have to do that together, but no harm done at all, he has got nothing at all to do it with, and for that, it was great. The handle is yew, riveted against a buttcap and a bolster from brass.

 Then we lit up forge, and I showed him how to forge those snakes that are so popular with the kids:

 I was amazed about the product. Really lively, with a good feel for the lines... respect, bro!

 I forged a three-layer-laminate that went not too well and started a new damascus.

 Nick, however, had a go at a spring steel knife for his woman...

 The damascus blade with some raw filing.

 I also normalized an old silver plate to forge a buttcap for my licce integral, and quenched the damascus blade (36 layers file and crucible saw / shear steel, by the way). Nick would have liked me to do some more tutoring, but I am simply confident he can manage without;-) and I was being a bit short while forgewelding, for I am learning still, myself, and had to concentrate a lot. I hope I keep the balance right!

 Then evening came, and Nick took the bus, and I cleaned up, had a chat with Volker, and made for home.

These days my life seems to be brim full with experiences and encounters, sometimes it is stressing me out, but, for the most part, I really like the fact that I, unlike so many others, have the privilege to live a hard life on the edge, but a real life. Meeting real people, doing real work experiencing real back sores, real hunger, real saturation and real satisfaction, real grief and real joy. I hope that this will amount to more than the sum of its parts...;-)

A dark day in the smithy and the birth of a bush proto;-)

I went to the smithy on Sunday to prepare some work and to help out smithing. Michael was there, and we did a children´s birthday party that day. The I forged pendants, ear hangers and the like for the upcoming Chrismas fairs we will forge on.

And, feeling very inspired by Ilkka Seikku´s knives, I started myself a bushcraft design. Not wanting to simply copy another knife, I contemplated what was proprietary to my style and what I wanted to achieve with it while sharing some characteristics with the intent in Ilkka´s knives. It shall be long enough to be useable, rugged, but an able cutter. To achieve that, I chose spring steel that I tempered selectively. I am also fond of a slight recurve design and I figured I wanted a finger grove for the index finger and a milder version of the handle shape I have come to like as quite ergonomic.

All the while the forging fest with the kids went on, and I helped out whatever I could.

The forge had been repaired by Viktor. I really love the versatility and the simplicity of a forge with no electricity. It could work just about anywhere, and I like that.

Renate, Volker´s girlfriend, provided us with a steady flow of caffeine... man, I drank like a gallon of the java stuff! Was feeling slightly queasy afterwards...*ggg*

That´s the downside of working with a low-key forge and anthracite coke: If you go for a leak or have to do some filing, you have to build a wood fire to keep it going....

The weather was foul the whole day through. It was very dark, and a bit of a drizzle fell from time to time, but no harm done, really.

As you can see, the knife´s forged into shape with little stock removal required once again.

I also made some copper ferrules for a certain Sgian Dhú ;-). It was some strenuous work, but a very satisfying day.

Örnie;-) Pummelzahn party at the Bethaus

 On Saturday, the children´s holiday program "Ernie Pummelzahn" took place in the Bethaus smithy, and I helped out Volker. It was right mad, for there also was a wedding taking place and passers - by came along like mad! So but few pics. Above is Lukas, who forged, annealed, filed and tempered his first utility sheath knife and was righteously pround of his achievement. We made this from some C 45 with 0,45 % carbon content. To do it more safely, we quenched in oil, and yap, I know, we should have quenched in water;-). I forged hearts, snakes, snails, nails, Thor´s hammers, mini horseshoes, ram´s heads, and all the while they kept coming. But suddenly, all was over. Funny, but all of a sudden, the smithy was empty.

So we vleaned up the mess, and I worked on some projects of my own.

 Skinning knife with a finger ring that also works with a full-hand-grip. 1.2842, and edge - quenched.

Top is a project I have been working on for quite some time now, a dragon handled spring steel knife. Below is a big En - Nep, C 100Cr6 that has to see quite a lot of forging, too. And the camp knife out of crucible steel courtesy of the woods around my home I tempered encore une fois, for it got not hard enough, and it did not work, either. So next time will see some water quenching. If that does not work either, I will experiment with a carbon cementation process Viktor taught me.

And the lowest in line is a damascus viking women´s pendant knife, 1.2842 and tank cannon I tempered.

Lalalala!*ggg*

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...