Strike While the Iron's Hot

Finally back in Prague and typing away like a madwoman to write about my experiences in South Bohemia. It's hard to make some of it sound academic when what I really want to say is along the lines of "Zdenek(the weaver) was one of the sweetest men I've met, like the uncle you always wanted. His mannerisms and appearance reminded me of my favorite professor, Wayne Fields. The language barrier was difficult at times, although at other points it made me laugh out loud to see a grown man essentially playing charades. He and his friend Lenka took me into their workplaces, their homes, and their families and it was a truly wonderful experience."

I'm working on the section about the Blacksmith, so I figured I'd update for those of you who expressed interest in it. And yes, I did actually try my hand at blacksmithing. I really wanted to be some kind of natural at it so I could scoff in the face of all the sexist people who think women can't wield a hammer and pound away with the best of them. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be invited to an ABANA conference anytime soon.

How to Make a Nail, Blacksmith Style

1. Find a forge
I was living in the restored apartment of the blacksmith shop. Located near the castle in the town, the blacksmith's workshop had been there since the 16th century. Although they use it to teach courses, the blacksmith in town uses a larger workshop out in the woods for most of his projects. That can fit all the big, heavy machinery that he needs for his commissions. Luckily for me, I didn't have to travel to the woods but merely 10 paces out of my apartment.

2. Have someone there to show you what to do
As I'm trying to write out directions in my paper about how to make a nail, I find it's nearly impossible to do because the whole experience is so visual. How to recognize when the metal is too hot or too cold. What angle to hold the hammer at. Where to strike the metal. Most importantly, how hard to strike the metal.

3. Watch carefully
A nail is one of the most basic things a blacksmith can make, after making his tools. It's also a helpful learning tool because it combines several different techniques. A good blacksmith can make one, possibly two nails in one heating of the metal. I lost track of how many times I needed to reheat the metal to make one nail. I've learned one Czech word well from my experiences researching "Chyba" ie mistake. I've heard it at just about every project I tried, although perhaps the most at the Blacksmith's. I think I had to watch the blacksmith make about 5 nails before I even completed one.

4. Have Motrin ready
I'll admit readily that I'm not the buffest of babes, especially in my forearms. I have wussy wrists, as was pointed out to me several times. For every time the Blacksmith (a huge, massive and imposing figure) hit the metal, I had to hit it about 5 times to get the same result. That's being generous. Theoretically, you shouldn't have to hit so hard but rather let the weight of the hammer and the momentum do most of the work. That is, if you're doing everything right. My arm started aching after the first nail -- I made a total of 5 in one afternoon.

I also am really into touching things. I learned the hard way that even though the metal may be black again, it does NOT mean that it's cooled down. It's a strange feeling, looking at your hand and realizing that it's smoking. If you strike cold metal against cold metal, it also simulates the feeling of being burned. Again, learned this the hard way. I actually dropped the hammer and the nail I was working on it hurt so badly. The Blacksmith stared at me like I was nuts.

Did I mention that you can't get ibuprofen over the counter in the Czech Republic? And that I'd left my supply in Prague by accident?

I was determined, however, to do two days of blacksmithing and to get a real experience. Forget the pain, forget that I would be making nails. Again. However, the next day, the Blacksmith called and was very sorry but he and his whole family were sick and could not get out of bed. Did I mind? Being a mature adult, I of course said no no no, don't worry about it, that I would be completely fine not returning to the forge.

That said, the Blacksmith really welcomed me into his family. His mother was my cultural contact in the area which helped, but he also took me to a neighborhood party and it was his son that took me to Thanksgiving dinner. His 2 year old son was possibly the cutest thing I've seen (well, until I saw my new host brother. That's for next time though) and although he didn't talk much, he did say "Teto! Nemusez!" which means "Auntie! No, you can't!" Even though he's two and doesn't realize it, it felt really welcoming to be referred to as "Teta Katerina"