The end of June marked a wonderful forge-in event in Darlington, County Durham. Hosted by the extremely talented Brian Russell, the event attracted blacksmiths from all directions to take part in the festivities, the forging competition (my first), and the gate making masterclass put on by Brian. So many talented smiths were present, at all stages of their blacksmithing journeys. The weekend was a great chance to get to know other blacksmiths, see their work and come home brimming with ideas. I even got the chance to do some forging for the competition with reclaimed wrought iron for the first time, which reminded me how nice modern steel is to work with. Especially motivating was the selection of gates on display forged by Brian himself, true pieces of art. It was also the first keileigh I’ve been to since I was a boy, which was a LOT of fun, especially when the dog started singing along with the band.
Project Showcase: BBQ Tool Set Commission
I was contacted this month by an old friend who had an anniversary fast approaching. I knew the 6th anniversary was “Iron”, but I was unaware that the 11th year is apparently “Steel”. Her husband was a keen fire enthusiast and garden chef, so we worked on a set of BBQ tools. I started designing outdoor cookware last month, so this was a great chance to add forged tongs and spatula to my range. My original designs were forged from a single piece of steel, but moving to multiple parts combined worked MUCH better. Fixing a handle to the spatula blade meant I was able to get a much wider and more even blade. Multi-piece tongs meant I could actually insert some spring steel into the mechanism rather than forging down the mild steel handle material, which could get brittle with a lot of use. Using tempered spring steel in BBQ tongs is probably somewhat overkill, but I do like to be a bit “extra”. I even had some canvas left over from a previous project to turn into a nice two-tone roll for the set. But I think I may be better with a hammer than a sewing machine.
Upcoming Events
Cushion Cottage Summer Craft Fair
Sunday 3rd August 2025: 10AM – 3PM
The Old Railway Station, Reepham NR10 4LJ
I’d love to see you at my last craft market of the summer. After this Sunday I will be packing up my gazebo until we all start to feel a bit more Christmassy!