Forge and Anvil

I’ve known of Nyel’s interest in blacksmithing for a good long time – probably since shortly after we met thirty years ago.  He not only has several books on the subject, but he is also inclined to attend blacksmithing demonstrations wherever and whenever possible.  So, it came as no surprise yesterday when he came home from visiting a new acquaintance in Klipsan with an anvil.  And a forge.

To Nyel’s credit, since New Year’s Eve when he learned that such an acquisition might be a possibility, he has been making room in the garage.  Not cleaning out, exactly.  More like rearranging things.  And there has been talk about a Presidents’ Day Garage Sale.  Plus, when push comes to shove, I must admit that neither the anvil nor the forge is huge.

Fireplace Brackets

For some time, Nyel has had a project in mind.  It has to do with our library fireplace which is already equipped with two iron brackets on its north wall.  They are situated in such a way that makes their one-upon-a-time use obvious – a place to affix a crane for hanging a pot.

The presence of those brackets reinforces my mother’s memory that the original kitchen of the house was located where our library is now.  Every time the power goes out, Nyel longs for the ability to hang a pot over the fireplace coals.  He even has the cast iron Dutch oven, given to him by son Charlie one Christmas.

Fireplace Crane

Some years ago when my former student and neighbor Carson Kemmer was learning the techniques of blacksmithing from his then teacher Larry Holland, Nyel talked to Carson about such a project.  But, like lots of those great ideas, nothing ever came of it.

So, I expected that I already knew the answer when I asked Nyel this morning what he was planning for his first ‘smithing project.  “Cleaning up the forge and anvil,” he said.  “They’re pretty dirty and rusty.”  And in the background of the “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore, I could hear Julie Andrews singing “Do, Re, Mi” in counterpoint (you know, “Let’s start at the very beginning…”) from “The Sound of Music.”

And so another project begins!