Aimed to get an idea of a few traditional craftsmanships I met a 71 years old blacksmith in my native town this week. Like most old people, he was very talkative and enjoyed demonstrating the use of his tools and equipment. He gave me a list of what is needed to set up a blacksmith workshop. Place Creators plan to combine traditional and modern methods, e.g. we will sharpen the heated edge of a mattock by hammering if needed but do not abstain from electric welding if the middle of the same tool is broken. He demonstrated his skills on a few axes that needed sharpening. I enjoyed the visit and even bought a second-hand axe that should last a lifetime unlike most newly made and imported goods.
Actually, the best axe I've seen was Tony Wrench's at Brithdir Mawr ecovillage that I visited in Aug 2001. This was the time when the authorities ordered him to demolish his roundhouse. I remember, it became a strong example of how activists with no other power than love and non-violance can win against building bureaucrats. (Sounds odd, but there were quite a few times in my life when I've found myself at places and at lesser known historic but not party political events. It feels a bit like Forrest Gump :)
