Happy New Year!!

Well it’s 2013 and everyone here at Fox River Forge is looking forward to some very exciting things in the next few months! Followers of our FaceBook page know that we began a major overhaul of the smithy near the end of November. Andy and I have been working with one of my friends and coworkers named Steve to bring F.R.F. inside! Progress has been great. There will be a full post including a video of the remodel as soon as we are up and smoking again. I’ve said on many occasions that I am learning blacksmithing buy taking online courses at The University of YouTube – Waukesha and that the two main Masters I am apprenticing under are both from different countries. So with the New Year upon us I thought I would give credit to these two individuals who have taught and inspired me. The first Master is a Canadian gentleman based in Nova Scotia named Dan Brazzell. His was the first blacksmithing video I saw when I typed “Blacksmith” in the search engine. This one here. I get a kick out of him and his work is great. He has many useful “how-to” videos worth checking out on his channel in addition to some of the more entertaining ones. Check out his website(http://www.modernblacksmith.com/). The second Master and the one that has really been responsible for me learning the most is a young man from the Netherlands who goes by the handle TechnicusJoe. I was referred to him by some other video I was watching and now I regularly watch his videos, often more than once. Listening to this guy explain what he was doing and watching him work has help a great deal. He is exceptionally knowledgeable considering the fact he just turned 17! In this video he explains the process of thinning and stretching out metal called “drawing out”. There have been many videos I have watched and many hours spent reading both internet articles and books as I learn these skills but I credit these two guys the most both for encouragement and education. I will keep you posted on events as they occur but until then I hope you have a great New Year!