We all spent a morning with Lesley in the Myerscough Blacksmiths Shop. To introduce the basic techniques of metal working Lesley gave each student a length of (square-section) steel bar and asked them to make a poker for the fire. Each step involved heating a section of the bar to red heat on the forge and then shaping it with simple tools.

First the handle was formed by beating one end of the bar to be round in section and then curving it round the tip of the anvil to form a closed loop

It was surprisingly easy to make decorative twists by with a wrench when the poker was held in a vise.

Finally the tip of the poker was formed by judicious hammer blows on the anvil.

Here are the finished pokers. (We wonder how we will get them past airport security on the way home). The Students thought that this was an novel and enjoyable experience that should be included in future programs. We also had the opportunity to look at work done by students on blacksmiths courses: