NEXT, WE MEET DAVE KOENIG, A
BLACKSMITH WHO KEEPS THE CRAFT

OF FORGING ALIVE.
KOENIG USES TRADITIONAL

BLACKSMITHING METHODS TO CREATE
UNIQUE, YET USEFUL OBJECTS.

♪♪

I REALLY ENJOY SOLVING
PROBLEMS.

MY NAME IS DAVE KOENIG.
AND I BUILT THE SHOP 30 YEARS

AGO.
I BUILD ABOUT ANYTHING I WANT.

I COME UP HERE AS A HOBBYIST
BLACKSMITH, NOT A PROFESSIONAL

BLACKSMITH.
MARILYN AND I WENT TO A LOT OF

ESTA ATIONS.S.
I SAID, OKAY, THESE ARE

BLACKSMITHING TOOLS.
INVESTED 25 BUCKS IN IT.

BOUGHT THE STUFF, JUMPED IN THE
CAR, CAME HOME, DECIDED I WAS

GOING TO BUILD A FORGE.
THE LAST TIME I SAW A FORGE, I

WAS PROBABLY FOUR YEARS OLD, AND
THAT'S ABOUT EVERYTHING I KNEW

ABOUT IT.
BUT IT WAS SOMETHING DOIPPED I

WANTED TO DO, SO I BOUGHT A
FORGE.

I GOT THE COAL, LIT A FIRE AND
I'VE BEEN BLOWING AND GOING

SINCE.
WHEN WE BUILT THE SHOP WITHOUT

ELECTRICITY, WHAT I LEARNED IS
TH THE WORLD IS A MUCH BETTER

PLACE WHEN YOU'RE NOT LISTENING
TO SCREAMING EQUIPMENT.

IT WAS WONDERFUL.
I LOVED IT.

YOU CAN CONCENTRATE.
YOU CAN THINK.

THE QUESTION THAT IS INTRIGUING
IS WHEN DID PEOPLE FIGURE OUT

HOW TO MAKE A HOT FIRE?
YOU NEED A HOT FIRE TO HEAT UP

METAL.
YOU NEED A HOT FIRE TO MAKE

METAL.
HOW DID THAT ALL START?

I SINCE FOUND YOU WANT TO GO
BACK 1.2 MILLION YEARS AGO, OUR

ANCESTORS WERE PLAYING WITH FIRE
IN A CAVE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

I FEEL A CONNECTION TO THAT
PAST.

PEOPLE WONDERED ABOUT THE PEOPLE
WHO MADE METAL BECAUSE THEY ARE

OUT THERE GATHERING UP DIRT.
THEY ARE THROWING IT IN A FIRE.

VOILA, YOU'VE GOT METAL.
NOW, NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND

CAN DO THAT.
THESE BOYS MUST BE IN LEAGUE

WITH THE BADUG.
THEY MUST HAVE SOLD THEIR SOUL

TO GET THAT KNOWLEDGE.
ALL OF THE OTHER CRAFTSMEN

RELIED ON THE SMITH TO MAKE THE
TOOLS.

SO THE JEWELER, THE BOAT ANCHOR
MAKER, THE FISH HOOK MAKER, ALL

THESE PEOPLE RELIED ON THE CRAFT
OF FORGING.

FORGING MEANS YOU TAKE A PIECE
OF METAL.

YOU GET IT HOT OR COLD AND YOU
FORCE IT INTO SOMETHING BRAND

NEW.
THE BASIC TOOLS OF A BLACKSMITH

SHOP ARE BELLOWS, A TWEER, A WAY
OF GETTING THE AIR TO THE BOTTOM

OF THE FIRE.
THE FORGE TABLE ITSELF.

OTHER BASIC TOOLS ARE GOING TO
BE A VICE AND THEN, OF COURSE,

THERE'S THE ANVIL.
I'VE GOT ANNAN VILLE IN THERE.

IT IS AN ENGLISH PATTERN ANVIL.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONE WILE E.

COY OATY THREW OFF THE CLIFF.
IN MY SHOP, I HAVE A COLLECTION

OF HAMMERS.
THEY ARE DIFFERENT SIZES.

THEY HAVE DIFFERT PEENS.
SOME ARE ROUND, SOME ARE CROSS,

SOME ARE IN DIFFERENT SIZES.
DIFFERENT WEIGHTS.

SOME ARE ALL BALLS DEPENDING ON
WHAT I WANT TO DO.

EVERY TIME I USE A HACKSAW, I
USE A FILE, I USE A HAMMER.

IT'S HOW MUCH INFORMATION COMES
THROUGH YOUR HANDS INTO YOUR

BRAIN.
YOU CONTINUE TO BUILD ON IT.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
IN 1997, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY

TO GO OUT TO THE BETTERINGTON
LIVING HISTORY FARM THAT WAS

BEING CREATED.
THEY NEEDED HARDWARE FOR THE

KITCHEN, FOR THE SMOKE HOUSE,
FOR THE CORN CRIB, A BARN.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HALF HOOKS,
HINGES, FIREPLACE CRANE,

ALTERNATIVETTES.
WE GATHERED UP SMITHS FROM

AROUND TEXAS AND DIVVIED UP THE
WORK.

SO WE MADE THESE THINGS IN A
TRADITIONAL MANNER.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT A SMITH
BACK THEN WOUL HAVE DONE.

THE MAGIC OF THE SHOP, THE WHOLE
THING IN MY HEAD ABOUT WORKING

THE WAY I DO IS IT NEVER CEASES
TO AMAZE ME WHAT I CAN DO WITH

THE SIMPLE STUFF I HAVE.
I'M ALWAYS SOLVING PROBLEMS.

I JUST HAVE A BALL WORKING WITH
SIMPLE THINGS TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL

THINGS.
YOU DON'T NEED FANCY TOOLS TO

MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
habairon.org.

AND THAT WRAPS IT UP F