Medieval Fair

This is the setup I use when doing a demo. The forge is an old Champion portable, I think from nineteen-teens. The anvil's weighs 110 lbs, and the stump it sits on weighs about 80-90. I've got two wood buckets my father helped make, one for coal, one for water, and three rods set up to hold a rope to try and keep some idiot from sticking a hand in or a face over the fire. And yes, that's me hammering away on a long roasting fork.

I like to work on things that are small enough to allow people to watch from beginning to end, and this is one of the best for that. Take a piece of stock, flatten one end. Split that end and spread it apart, then draw each section out to make the tines. Heat the stock just behind the fork and put in a twist. Then go to the other end for a handle. Flatten the very end and curl around, then move in about 4" and bend over, then bend the curl down to touch the shaft. Only takes a few minutes, and people like to see it done. 'Course, it helps that I've made so many of these that I can damn near do it with my eyes closed.

Lots of little stuff you can make while people watch. Screwdrivers(an old pattern I found in an illustration), candleholders, strikers for flint & steel kits, tent stakes, etc. And it's fairly easy to rough out small knife blades, so between it all there's plenty to choose from.

One of the nice things about a fair like this is when someone shows up with "I need this right now, can you make/fix/duplicate it?" Interesting to make a piece, then announce that you have to deliver it, and it gets the point across to kids that this is not just show, you're actually making things people need.

Interesting piece on 'they think you're stupid'

Over at Head's Bunker, a piece on how it seems that so many of the gun-ban groups treat women as stupid.

I've gone through some of this arguing with people before, and I'm too worn out to reprise it myself. Anyway, Head does a marvelous job. Take a look.

Found it through Smallest Minority

Mostly recovered

From Medieval Fair, that is. It usually takes a few days. It usually goes like this:
Thursday, take the big stuff down to the site. That means the forge, stump, anvil, toolbox, coal and water buckets, and assorted steel barstock(I should have a picture of the setup, I'll post it when I can). Find my spot, get it all unloaded and secured, then go see people I haven't seen for a while and lend a hand if I can. After I head home, get some edibles and drinks together for the next day. I drink a lot of iced tea and water these days.

Friday, take the stuff I've got made and the ice chest and such and set up for the day. Friday is School Day, and usually has enough rug rats running loose to make me long for a taser. Most aren't too bad, but some are a genuine pain in the ass. I've got a couple of people who help me out; necessary, because there's no way I can run the forge and watch the table at the same time. So I spend a large part of the day heating and hammering and talking. End of the day, secure the tools and pack the small stuff into the truck.

Saturday & Sunday are busy. Estimates of the crowd for last year were about 300,000 over the three days, and at times I felt like I'd talked to at least 1/4 of them. End of the day Sunday means pack it all up, load it all up, clean up, and go home. As Sunday progressed it started clouding up, and I thought "Crap, if it's going to rain tonight I've got to unload the big stuff TONIGHT!" Happily, just clouds, and a friend helped me unload and put away the stuff Monday.

I love doing this fair. I always wind up sunburned and/or half-frozen, dead tired, and dirty enough to make think about hosing myself off before I go in to the shower. Some people annoy the hell out of me- not just kids- and I'm thirsty enough to drain a pitcher all by myself. But...

I really like demonstrating this stuff. I like showing how things were done, and in some cases still are. I like showing the kinds of things that can be done with fire and tools and metal. I like answering questions about it, and the history connected with it. And I really like it when Grandma or Granpa or the parents come by with the kids and say "I used to/your Grandpa used to/your uncle used to do this on the farm/ranch". I like seeing the eyes of the kids when they hear that, and-sometimes- the look when someone says 'those things are still out in/behind the barn'.

I like taking a piece of spring, turning it into a flint striker, and using a piece of flint to throw sparks as some kids watch. I like showing how someone can take a piece of rusty crap, put some work into it, and create a gleaming blade, or a new tool for the forge or something else.

Weather, for the first weekend of April can run anywhere from 80 degrees and blowing like hell, to 30's and blowing-and sometimes sleeting or snowing- to just beautiful. And sometimes it can go damn near from one extreme to the other in that three days. A couple of times I've spent the first day mostly turning out tent stakes- heavy ones- to keep tents from blowing away. I've had people come by with 'can you make this?' or 'can you fix this?' on all kinds of things. I've given 'how to get started' lectures to I have no idea how many people, everything from what books you can read to where to get coal and tools to how to find/put together a forge and anvil. And except for the occasional jerk, I enjoy all of it. To the point of dehydrating or blistering because I don't take rest breaks when I should("You need to rest." "I know, but I'm supposed to be demonstrating!" "Take a break and a drink, you idiot.")

I don't think I could do the full Fair-circuit, I like living in one place too much. But I can understand the attraction of it.

More on this nonsense later, I just noticed I need to put something on a burn.

Tired. Dirty. Sunburned. Blistered.

But home. Setup Thursday, Med-Fair Friday, work regular job Saturday early morning then to the fair for the day, all day today followed by packing up and helping someone else pack up.

Decent weather this year, saw some folks, but too damn worn to blog about it now.

Later, guys.

Not the most fun sight I've seen

At Medieval Fair today, hammering on a piece, and hear a 'thump' from the street. First thought: "Crap, some dog just got hit". Look around to street and,
past corner of tent, see car come to stop, with a guy in front of the front wheel.

Say "Oh sh**", turn to daughter and say "911 NOW!".

Happily, lots of emergency medical help close by, but damn, I could have lived quite happily without seeing that.