Tutorials on the Porch

While the knifemaker and crew are at the show, the knifemaker's aunt is at the shop with the shop dog, Riley. The Closed sign is up but from time to time people stop by the porch and ask questions as the knifemaker's aunt works. Today was a delightful opportunity to talk with a grandfather from Pennsylvania who was meeting his daughter and son-in-law halfway to pick up the three grandsons for a summer visit. The knifemaker's aunt talked about knives and the process as she's learned in the past several weeks. All the knives are at the craftsman's fair, but the aunt was able to come up with pieces in various stages of the metalworking process to illustrate what she explained.

Later, once the grandfather got his grandsons, he returned. The grandsons are Eagle Scouts!  There were good questions and pictures taken and best wishes offered for future success (the scouts, not the aunt - she feels pretty successful already!). She explained how a horseshoe is made into a knife - there were no finished ones on hand, but a profiled knife made the point.

A similar demonstration was done with railroad spikes. Since the knifemaker's aunt has done her share of profiling railroad spikes, she could speak with hands-on experience! The initial railroad spike is rusty. The forged spike shows the lengthened and broadened shape that begins the knife's transformation. The finished knife just gleams!

For a future display, a series of each project (horseshoe knife and a railroad spike knife) could be prepared to show each stage of the process. It could be a terrific addition to the showroom. As people visit, the display would inspire questions as well as inform.  **kaching!*  Great idea!