Das Schwert vom Muttental (The sword of the Muttental) - Impressions from a day of martial rituals and chaos.;-)

 Here they come-some impressions from the "Heidenspass" (pagan fun) party at the Bethaus smithy, which turned out a mess;-). On Friday, I called Volker if all was okay, and learned, that a film crew announced their venue for the festival. Being impressed, I asked, what they wanted to film, and Volker said "To film the Scots! Erm...,and for a TV soap, too... ". I know when you cannot get any more information from Volker, so I left it at that and readied myself for a catastrophe. Years of practice, you know;-). I got the info they wanted to come at around 9.30 am, and felt assured the whole thing would be finished at 1 pm.

 We arrived early, at 11 am, that is, and I immediately wanted to prepare work, and cut the raw stock for the blade of the claymore we wanted to forge. At 11.30 the film crew arrived. They immediately closed down the entire area, and only the protagonists of the culturally dubious TV soap were allowed, including Volker, to do anything. They even wanted to prohibit us from talking at all, even at the distant end of the area, some 50 m away from the set! No harm done, really, would they have asked politely, but they were extremely short-tempered, cynical and plainly insulting, and yes, I have no problem ranting about them in this blog. Everything bad has a good side, too, for in this situation I really learned to love those weird guys and gals from Clan Mc Laren friends of Germany. Click on the link, there´s a load of photos! In situations like that you can estimate the quality of people.

We had a laugh, with whispered shouts of "Creag an Tuirc!" (Rock of the boar), the warcry of Clan Mc Laren and fun with bagpipe adjustment*ggg*. It was also funny to see the head admin of the crew stood there with a disgusted look on her face and a shawl pulled over her nose and mouth to fend up the stench of the smithy (which is outdoors), and muttering to all who would and more that would not like to hear how inferior those blue-collar men were and how sorry she was she had to work with ´em... I guess it was a good thing she did not hear much of what those guys and gals had to say about the behaviour of her crew. I do not like talking behind the back of people much, but this is just fitting, for mobbing is the job of corporations producing casts like "How we destroy the life of some poor fellow living on the dole already by making a feature about exactly how his sleeping room stinks" and other medieval mindset cripple shows. But as is, that crew was not so important that we did not have other topics, too. We made good use of the spare time by having a good strong coffee and chats about this and that, and I learned a lot about the Mc Laren Clan.

 To the right is Jogi, second in line to the McLaren friends´ chief role. Looks a brute, but is one of the nicest guys I know!

 There was plenty of life around, and we certainly had fun.

 I followed Sylvia into the kitchen to get me another mug of coffee. Jochen was there, too, and we had a chat. I asked him: "Will you stay for the evening party today?" He looked up, a bit irritated, and replied. "Yes, of course, for it´s mine! There is a party going on, and I booked the location 4 months in advance." As did I. So, we took counsil.

 Fortunately, I must say, my cellphone kept ringing with storytellers, druids and other weirdos canceling their appearance, so it was just Clan  Mc Laren and myself left.

 ...there is worse company (from the right) than Ralf, Rübe and the others.

 They were as nervous as I, and tprepared their attire quite thoroughly...

 ...to mess it up completely in the barbecue;-).

 Rübe enjoying a great handmade beef burger.

 ...and the rest of the lot. Of course, no barbecue without a catastrophe on this day, for, even if Volker said the grill should be placed there, does not mean it is so. Sorry, Volker, but that´s how it was for me. Jochen had a problem with customers inquiring about a BBQ meal, and so the position of the grill was not okay at all. So, speed grilling it was, and off to the feast.

 What I like best about the clan is their stubborn refusal of anything unnerving them or taking the fun away. They simply make do and enjoy themselves. I like that.

 ...

 And I understand that someone is proud of this banner.

When the morons were gone, we set to work in earnest. I had prepared a ritual, and it was a goosepimples experience to all of us. The Eldest of the clan, Reinhold, was chosen by the clan to respond.

Text of the ritual:

(Fran dagen, fran natt, rekkur varom koman, fran austrisheimi, uuestrisheimi,sudrisheimi auk nordrisheimi. Kvedja, kisibbjan, varför vart koman? - Att smidja sverdi! - Vad är herkalls dins? - Creag an Tuirc! - Rísa herkalls dins annat! - Creag an Tuirc! - Rísa herkalls dins thredjan tid! - Creag an Tuirc!)

At that point, the bagpipes sounded the charge;-), I consecrated them with artemisia, sage, salt water from ancient Hallstatt stone salt I mined myself long ago and drew out the ring of the elements around us all, giving a sacrifice to the elements and the first matter and the fire and lightning. When I started the invocation of fire and lightning, a light drizzle fell and a gentle rumble of thunder was heard at the distance (or maybe just a starting plane;-))

However, talk is cheap, and work is harder;-) that I am a bit light in the head did not mean there was no blacksmithing going on... Look here for more photos 

It was hard work for all of us, with permanent sound of bagpipes singing and shouts of "Creag an Tuirc!", and it was an arousing experience to all bystanders. Some passers-by said afterwards it made their hair stand on end. I understand that well, it was very archaic and martial atmosphere. Now I often state that I am a pacifist. Now I forged a sword for a Scottish clan. How does that fit together?

If you take a look around you, you might notice that we live in a very strange situation. Everywhere people prepare for war, but the last thing they want is peace. For peace is a non-profit affair. Traditionally, the Chleadhaimh Mór was the sword of the Clan´s champion, and this champion´s (Tren Fhér) obligation was to defend the clan in times of war. Often, in ancient Celtic tribal practice, war was an ordeal by battle, a duel fought solely by the champions of the armies. I can pretty much relate to that. Also, this ritual was something I did for myself. I will forge my own sword in the near future. I have studied its ethics and its mythology for 20 years now. This is not the place to talk about this more broadly, but it was a process. I have always fought against the desecration of the sacred, be it Christian, pagan, philosophical or whatever provenience, against the inhumanity of our everyday society, and I have always spoken my word. Five years ago it was that a sword came to me (another story). At that time, more than twelve people (roundabout 30) people followed me, so I could readily acclaim the status of Ansrúth ;-)after the Senchus Mór*ggg*. But I did not, for it is not my way. It´s not the easy way. It is not that I could state I was a master, nor that I belong to this religion or that, for I, (and if we are honest, we all are) am a seeker. I am not better than anybody. Instead, I concentrate on trying to not make the world any worser as it already is. I try to listen to the weak and strong alike. When I can, I try to help. If anyone wants to prey on the weak, I tend to get angry, but I try to be objective and reflect myself. That is not to say that I always succeed in doing so, but that I try. In the situation our world is, noone does that anymore. Noone treats the other with the respect even a moron deserves, and most people are but concerned with their own wellfare and prosperity, and, more so, get at each other´s throats for the slightest of reasons. It is said in the Völuspa:

Broedr mún beriaz, ok at bánom verdaz,

skeggold, skalmold, eda verold steypiz,

vindold, vargold, mún engi madr odrom thyrma.

(Brothers I see starting at each other, and strive for death,

An axe-time, a sword-time, ere the world ends,

A wind-time, a wolf-time, I see every man doom the other.)

So, I am reluctant to admit that, it might as well be the time to take the sword to hand, and in a way that is quite different to the actual use of the weapon. For a sword has always been more than just a weapon. It has been a symbol, and to it was bound a way of living, a way of spirituality even. In Japan, the sword was said to contain the soul of the Samurai, and presumeably, the sword did not mean less to the Celtic and Caledonian tribes. We might live in a world dominated by the tank, the whip (and the credit card) (Ernst Wiechert). But the spirit of the sword might be the only way to doom the idea of the tank. And the whip. And the credit card. Thusly, I did not forge just the blade of a weapon. I forged a bond between the members of Clan Mc Laren, and, hopefully, a tiny portion of a myth.

And, if the claymore was used for the protection of the weak, and I know the Clan Mc Laren friends well enough to estimate what meaning the forging of a sword conveys to them, I can forge this sword even if I am a pacifist, for that does not mean I am a misty-eyed dreamer. 

I am certainly not an accomplished swordsmith. This is my fourth blade, and I have so much to learn my ignorance is vaster than an ocean still. But noone else did it, so I had to.

Back to the forge now: As I was in the middle of the work, my cellphone rang. It was Alex, who helped me a lot at the Meilerwoche festival. Turns out he was on the way but got lost in the woods. He applied for working and helping with the kids, and said he would come with a rather dubious friend of his, a drunkard, to be quite plaintive. In the meantime, it was 3 pm. In the brief time of  talk we had it became clear that he was drunk also and had no money to get anywhere. He wanted to come to the smithy nonetheless. So I took some tiny bit of time to get him back on track (in several ways, or at least I hope so). He called several times, and I agreed to give him money to get back home. Look above why I did this. It was getting on my nerves, what with all the epic failures, but I guess I tried to be fair.

All the while, the forge I was provided with did not work properly, Volker asked me to forge mini horseshoes, people called to cancel their venue. Kai, Marie and some friends dropped by, Erdmuthe;-), Jandark, and Bastian came in a haze, and myself and the Mc Larens were bound by the forging of the sword, as we worked on binding the spell into the metal, Alex called again and again, and Renate and Sylvia and Jochen and Volker went mad with each other. It was a mad dream. The day came to a close, and somehow we decided to finish the blade on another occasion. Then Alex suddenly was there. I spun around madly with all the friends enquiring and the clan feasting and Alex and Volker begging for attention.

And then it was all over. We had a drink and said goodbye, and it was mighty soothing to learn the clan really had enjoyed themselves. They all had that spark in their eyes that kindles the fire of a heart. This was beautiful to see and very rewarding.

Because I was done - and all fluffy at that - I had a chat with Jandark, Julia, and Bastian, who wanted to go to a party of the president of my club, zee aylienz, and we appointed a rendezvous for them to fetch me. Of course, I had forgotten my light, and it was exactly 15 turns of the cranks of my bike for it to start raining, and what was a light drizzle at first, became a downpour after some minutes. What was real funny was, that the metro train that passes through the Ruhr valley, can be seen from the bike lane. There, it overtook me,  wet, cold, and shivering from fatigue, with SOMEONE *ggg* sitting inside warm and cozy, with his third beer open, from the money Volker then lent him. No jealousy, really, but I simply had to stop, I was laughing that hard. And I would be laughing harder still, when on a steep incline my chain broke. I fixed it, in the dark, with rain in my eyes, cold fingers and a laughing fit so intense I had muscle sores from it the next day. I arrived at home quite early, had a shower and some food and  was off to the party. Maik welcomed me warmly, and I had not expected that.

Then, when I ladled food on a dish and had my beer standing nearby, I tore down the bottle with my elbow. I had broken my middle toe some three weeks earlier, and the bottom of the bottle broke exactly the next one. I took up the bottle, mopped up the beer, finished ladling up my food, drank the rest of the beer, said "ouch" and had another laughing fit.

For I understood.

And I have learned a lot that day.

And it´s better to encounter chaos and misery sometimes than not to live at all.

Short Review of a Wenger New Ranger Evo Wood

 Okay, so I had one of those opportunities again. I got myself a Wenger New Ranger Evo Wood CHEAP, so I did buy it. I am a bit off my rocker when knives are concerned, and I am the first to admit that;-). But, as is, my first impression was "gotta have it!". Here are my second thoughts.

The main blade has an overall length of roundabout 100 mm. Due to the beautiful round ricasso, roundabout 93 mm of it are useable. I much prefer an edge all the way to the handle, for there you can work with the most force. But then, the design contributes much to the beauty of the knife, and it´s not much of a tribute;-) to pay to aesthetics. It´s made from a quality variety of 1.4034 (420HC). This steel, that can vary from 0,45-0,55% carbon content, certainly is not the latest magic powder D2 steel, but it gets the job done well enough for generations of Swiss army knife users and lovers. Plus, if the manufacturer gets the tempering right, it will get as hard as 56 - 59 HRC(selective temper). If you temper it any harder, you risk fractures of the blade. As a rule of thumb, the hardness potential of any steel should not be scooped out more than 75 % to get the best compromise between edge-holding capability and elasticity. The steel is easy to sharpen. Out of the box, the blade came wickedly sharp. Hair just popped away. The blade locks via an interesting mechanism. It is held in place by a slipjoint mechanism and locked by a locking liner. The liner locks all the way towards the inner part of the blade´s root and is unlockes by pressing the Swiss cross. Radially, there was a minimal play of about 0,05 mm, coaxially there was no play whatsoever, and the liner simply springs into its position with an audible and very reassuring sound. The saw, made from the same material, is razor sharp also and works pulling and pushing with a tendency towards a pulling motion, as with a Japanese saw.

 The teeth of the saw are slightly set, and the saw has an enormous length when compared with the in-house competitor brand, Victorinox, and nearly all of it can be used. The caplifter also works as a screwdriver. When loaded, the tool is locked and will not fold in accidentally, which is very good. The tin can opener works in a reverse motion. It is nice and sharp, and I daresay it depends on your own taste if you prefer the direction of the motion. It does not lock, but, to be true, this isn´t needed any. The corkscrew is straight and fine and has a useable tip, and also included is an awl. This one will work in an emergency, but the T-handle position to me makes for some awkward work.

 The blade has serrations on the spine which make for a better grip.

How the locking liner works. The highlight of this knife are the beautiful scales out of domestic Swiss walnut wood, harvested from woods with a FSC certificate.

First and foremostly, it is a very beautiful knife. The natural scales make for a different feeling, the dynamic lines just make you want to look at it for hours on end. But this knife, the evolution of a proven design, also feels rock - solid. It  offers all a bushcrafter might want to have on even an overnighter. Its blade is elastic, serviceable, yet holds an edge well enough, the saw is the greatest I have seen so far in a folding pocket knife, and the other goodies don´t hinder the function a bit. There are minor flaws or compromises to design. Do I recommend it?

In the short time I own it it has already become my favourite EDC.

Forging the Mc Laren Clan Claymore at pagan fun party

This is a Antenne Witten sequence on the pagan fun party with Clan Mc Laren at the Oktoberfest at the Bethaus / Muttental, Witten:

Click 

Yours truly messing up the forging rhythm just to see if the brutes (Jogi and Ralf)are still awake*ggg*.

A press article on the event you can find here.

I will provide you with a lot of more info as soon as I get the pics and videos myself, including footage on the ritual!

New knife by Boker Plus

On www.boker.de I came across this knife, which looks quite good on first glance. Steel is a 440C, the blade is not overly thick at 3,9 mm, and it comes with a leather sheath and a fire rod...

I would very much like to test it.;-) Anyone listening?*ggg*

´Shrooms hike with the mad one;-)

Kai called the other day and was being bored, and I cannot allow for Kai being bored, so I made him fetch me and we drove out into the woods;-) to get us some mushrooms and herbs. As is, we cracked the jackpot and found a piece of woodland brim full with those tiny licce creatures, bay boletus, red caps, boletus and birch boletus.

Funny were those two little fellows growing out of the same mycelium.

Don´t have a clue what those are, but they were very purple;-). We tried to define them with a book, but were crap at it, so we left them be. Any suggestions as to what this might be?

I also wanted to share this vibrantly red maple leaf with you... I love those colours of autumn. It is as though nature is exploding in colours, as if every bit of energy is spent into a vibrant grandeur. Makes me want to do the same in my old age, for I have always thought autumn to be a metaphor for human life´s old age.

There was an abundance of fly agaric. Those are valuable hints, because they are often growing near boletus and other related shrooms.

...and they are beautiful...

...looks like egg and tomato with remoulade...;-)

...or Santa;-) flying through the air....never drink reindeer urine, or else you end up high as a kite *ggg*.

We came across this slightly deranged comfrey. Comfrey is a very valuable plant in organic gardening, bettering the ground balance and fertilizing, the leaves and blossoms serving as an antiseptic and for ointments. In fact, comfrey is reputed to even have a healing effect on bone fractures, and medieval doctors even stated that " cut meat which is cooked in a pot with comfrey, will mend". If you want to use it, however, NEVER use it internally, and never prolong the use over four weeks in a row.

Kai enjoying a drink in the sunlight-enchanted woods.

...and beautiful were the light, golden and vibrant and yet mild.

Kai found some ´shroom... big brute, tiny ´shroom, I say*ggg*.

Ah, yes, and I HAVE NOT anything going on with fly agarics. I simply love the colour. Really. I do.*ggg*

On the trail, we came across this harvesting machine. I am not overly fond of the term "Harvesting when trees are concerned, no, Sir, not at all. But as is, we live in an area where forests are cultivated. The storm "Kyrill" may have taught the forest management over here a thing or two about the resilience of monoculture, but other than that, there are still too many monocultures around if you ask me. A matter of time (or the next tempest, if you so will;-)).

Then we visited this lordly spruce tree. Under its roots were a load of bay boletus. I paused a bit and spared some thoughts for it, and we raced on through the thicket, just for the fun of running through the underbrush and practicing our getaway prowess;-). There would me more tales to tell still, and every step in the woods tells a story, but those ones we found most interesting:

Owl or other bird of prey cast. This is the other side of autumn, and of nature in itself-the neverending cycles of the hunt, the feast, of life and of death, of joy and sorrow. The strong prey on the weaker, until they get stronger or learn to be more cunning-but all are provided for.

We got to the car with a load of mushrooms and many strong impressions, we had a lot of good-natured talk, and shared a lot of joy and sorrow. Thanks, bro, it was a great outing, and I wish you the very best for the weeks to come!

After work foraging bimble, brief introduction of a Mora, garbage and a mushroom sunset;-)

 I figured I was quite stressed out after work, so what to do? - RIGHT! Off with me into the woods, along paths seldom trodden... with a canvas bag and some knives to collect what was lying around...*ggg*

 Those woods are in the periphery of Breckerfeld, a small village near my hometown, and ther is even less traffic than usual.

 I found this knife handle lying around there. You know, there is a common knifehandle bone roe deer breed over here. They are rare and normally shun the paths of man in an extreme degree;-). This one seems to have an anomality, for normally the knife blade is sprouting out of the bone, tempered and all*ggg*. To catch them you have to find a clearing in the woods with large stones on it. The stones have to be shoulder height for the deer, and there you put some spruce sprouts and a dose of pepper. Hunting is done in new moon nights. The deer come across the clearing, want to eat the grass and have to sneeze due to the pepper. Then they bash their head against the rock and drop unconscious or even dead.*ggg* But it only works with the common knifehandle bone roe deer*ggg*...

 I set aside the funny ´shrooms and went on my merry way;-).

 It was some time ago that I found the remnants of a deer in the thicket and I collected some bones and spoke a thankyou ritual and left something to lever the balance. This time I did it again and found this giant red cap. In the pic you can see one of my new Moras. It is the Bushcraft Triflex carbon steel knife. The blade is 100x2,5 mm with a combination plastic and Kraton handle. It comes with a thermoplastic sheath that´s pretty good. The blade is claimed to have a selective temper. My first impression is:

-it cuts like a Mora always does. OOTB it´s shaving sharp, in fact, hair is popping away if you shave. I could easily shave my beard with it, and that´s a feat!
-the temper seems to be not as homogenous as could be, for the outmost section of the tip (1 mm) bent with little effort, a mistake made presumeably in grinding. But no harm done, no breaking here, and a good flexibility.
-the handle is very comfy to hold onto and offers plenty of grip, even when wet.
-the sheath holds the knife in very well, even upside down. The belt loop provided with the knife is clipped in. Body temperature, however,  heated the thermoplastic material enough for the fit of the clip-in- mechanism to become looser than OOTB, but as is, it´s safe enough.

 Carving wood, e.g. making a feather stick or a wood spirit and the like was a right  treat. The blade holds an edge very well. I carved mild steel rods with it with no problems and without even having to strop it. That hints of an approx. hardness of 58-62 degrees Rockwell in the edge area. The balance is very good, too, with the centre of balance right on the index finger. Orthogonal balance (axis-to-edge) is great also, this coming as no surprise with the edge being in line with the belly of the handle. The knife itself is very light and comfortable to work with. It´s ugly, but I won´t complain. It is sold for 22.99€. Look here for more Mora products.

Do I recommend it? I will shoot it out against some higher-end brand knives and some low-budget ones. Now I can just tell that it has minor flaws, but overall ther is no reason at all not to buy it, except when you´re in for heavy batoning all of the time.

I then went deeper into the woods... more bones, but I left it be.

It´s somewhat strange. The farther you get into the woods, the more likely you will find something like this. I have found a lot of material on places like this, but then I would be glad if I did not have to. Just a reminder to take along what you´ve brought and think twice if you cannot reuse it!

 Then I was off to more ´shrooms, quite a loot for shoop *ggg* and for drying as snacks and spice!

 The somewhat grey weather cleared up and I was able to savour a beautiful sunset on my way home.

A perfect day in the woods!

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;-).

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*

Excellent post on darkmountain again!

Click


and enjoy... just my saying, if you ask me!