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