200 pound Fisher Eagle cleaned up for my brother's wife. Margo Johnson. It belonged to her Dad.

The Peter Wright was purchased from my Uncle Alvin Fletcher about 1980. The good marks made it a natural for the demonstration mobile shop. I highlighted the marks in gold. It will start a conversation about what the marks mean almost every time.

Marks reveal themselves and aid in aging the anvil. As time passes the marks at the top change depending on who is running the company. Owner's change, people die and to reflect the changes the marks change. The Armitage family and Henry in particular (Found remnants of an R)  puts this anvil between1833 - 1850 after brother Morgan died. M&H before and after this nearly 20 year span. After 1850 the descendants returned to M&H but added Forge under the Mouse Hole stamp.  This comes from Richard A Postman's book called Mouse Hole Forge.

1 * 1 * 1 Is the English way to size the anvil.

First 1 is 100 Weight which is 8 Stone that weigh about 14 pounds so the First 1 is 112 pounds. Second 1 is 1/4 hundred weight which is 28 pounds and the last number is the individual pounds. (Second number is always only a 1 (28 lbs), 2 (56lbs) or a 3 (3/4 of a hundred weight 84 pounds)
112+28+1= 141 pound Mouse hole anvil.

1835 - 1854: HENRY ARMITAGE MOUSEHOLE

The top plate was rolled over and a big chunk missing. Horn was in excellent condition. filled with weld and ground to shape to return it to usable condition. Daughter Jenna had expressed interest in blacksmithing at her new home in Texas. We took it with some of her personal belongings for her new house near Austin, at Thanksgiving 2015. I thought it interesting that the Mouse Hole anvil was as old as the state of Texas.

John Cummins' repaired M&H Armitage Mouse Hole 1820-1835

This could be narrowed down to 1830 to 1835 due to the presence of the pritchel which are not known to exist before about 1830.

I have mounted my original 158 pound Peter Wright anvil on the mobile blacksmith shop. I am traveling festivals this year in honor of the Indiana Bicentennial which winds to Versailles Indiana at Noon on September 17, 2016.

I have been invited to Hamilton Ohio for Operation Pumpkin and will be demonstrating October 7,8 & 9th near Third and Main Street.

I have developed some Iron Jewelry that I can demonstrate and will serve as a remembrance of the occasion. Troll Cross will ward off Trolls and All Manner of Evil. 

Jenna has begun lessons at the Pioneer Farm near her home in Austin Texas. At the far left there is an almost perfect Hay Buden anvil that was made for a carriage shop but never used. It was donated to the Pioneer Farm and now has a loving home.

Collection at Quad State at Miami County fairgrounds in central Ohio. This gathering is one of the largest blacksmith events.

Quadstate 2016 is put on by Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil on September 23-25th. Featuring blacksmiths from South Africa, Ireland and Baveria. There is plenty of rusty stuff for sale.

Fashioned with fire and a hammer these pieces are reminiscent of time when charms and amulets were worn to ward off maleficent magic. As we think about it other symbols that lend themselves to creation by hammer blows, will be added to the collection.  The adornments are Venician Trade Beads add some beauty to the art.  

Scandinavians believed that Iron and Iron crossing were protection from Trolls, Elves and All Manner of Evil. 

This group of three went to Texas for Lonestar Rollergirl Co-Captain of the Cherry Bombs, Milla Juke-a-B*tch (our daughter Jenna Johnson), Her teammate Rocky Casbah and Team Manager Jon E Bravo.
 

Ancient Symbol of Gaea who was the mother of the Titans and all Humans according to the Greeks.

In May of 2016 I set up at the Versailles Farmer's Market and I met Ben. He related that he sometimes had Troll Problems. I made the first Troll Cross for him and it was Just in Time.

The “troll cross” is an amulet made of a circle of iron crossed at the bottom, a charm worn by early Scandinavian peoples as a protection against trolls and elves. Iron and crosses were both believed to ward off evil creatures.

Diana's oldest brother is Gary Landwehr. Yesterday he married off his youngest son Tyler.  Tyler's and Brechelle's Wedding on September 3, 2016, happens to be Diana and my 45th Wedding anniversary. Today the 4th, is Tyler's next older brother's (Eric) 6th anniversary. We sure know how to screw up a Labor Day weekend. For the occasion Oldest Brother Andrew and wife Martha are in from San Antonio, Texas for the wedding.

I made troll crosses for Andy and Martha and also one for Tyler. The new bride was a Sutton and I had previously made for her an S as a necklace. On her first full day as a Landwehr she will get an L to welcome her to the family. The Landwehr boys will be ready to fend off All Manner of Evil.

Won 1st place in the handmade jewelry category, 9/22/16

Lynn was a Co-op for SHP for the fall quarter of 2016 as a student of Architecture at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. She worked with me at Kramer Elementary in Oxford and the Fairfield City School District in Fairfield Ohio. She was an early recipient of a Troll Cross. In this photo she is headed home for Christmas to the island of Maritius off the coast of Madigascar. 

With this event, Mauritius becomes the most far flung location of the Troll Cross. She joins the Netherlands, Jersey Isle off the coast of France and Hawaii as exotic places the Cross now calls home.  

One of the first things I can point to as a smithed item is the trigger guard on my 62 caliber Southern Mountain Rifle. Circa "1983"

I made the spatula with attachment in the shape of Texas in honor of her new life in the Lone Star State.

Looking forward to starting her first fire with Flint and Steel

I always tell my first timers that "to build a fire with flint and steel, will change your life". It is a momentousoccasion.
 

While I had no official part of this re-enactment, I did show up in Union dress to harass the Raiders. I called them Rebel Trash and they threatened me with a pistol and flogged me with their hats. 

As with the actual raid, Morgans men had no time for prisoners and paroled me with my promise I would not act out against them. 

From a piece of scrap 1/2 inch square stock that was originally a strut on some structure for the monument sign in the front of Central Elementary in Fairfield Ohio. 

Combination of Files, High Strength Banding and Saw blades.

I had a smaller knife of this style and wanted a larger Rifleman's Knife in the same shape.

Helps make Forge welder out all of us.
 

Fold it over and weld again, doubles the layers

Next step is to flatten this and remove metal to expose the layers inside.

Hardening the blade.

An heirloom for sure. 

John's shop is a place where you can stop by and see the latest project or plans for the next.

If the smoke rolls then John is there working and is a good host, ready with a smile and a Come on In.

One of the guys on John's Power Hammer

Need to get a handle in that

After all the restoration work, John also built this fireplace set for the Old Timbers Lodge.

The copper star was a project for about 40 Boy Scouts on an afternoon Metal Working class.

Thankfully we got through the sheet metal cutting, peening and forging of forty projects and no one cut or burned.

We demonstrated some of the old ways in the midst of Threshing Machines, Saw Mill, Steam Engine and numerous One Lung Engines. We could hear the truck and tractor pulls and missed the parade of old tractors through Osgood.  June 2016

We were there to demonstrate our trade and had to be satisfied with being part of the show. The young man is Reece Heffelmire, my grand nephew, who was our apprentice for the day.

In of all places, the Out House behind the Dog House Forge. Another form of Functional Art.

John Cummins held a Hammer In at the Doghouse Forge on December 9, 2017. Over 30 people attended on a brisk December morning. I fashioned a wall hook with a thistle finale to go in the prize drawing called Iron in the Hat. 

Kenny Detmer picked it up 

It is nestled inside the Big Oaks Fish and Wildlife Area.

An Annual party for those who have been involved with or worked on the lodge over the past year.

Dozens of doors are fully intact.

A fine example of the intricate iron work typical of the Old Timbers Lodge. No two doors have hardware alike.

A heavy duty bolt latch is an example of they diversity of the hardware provided by the Berea Blacksmith in 1929.

This is a very typical design used by blacksmiths to make their latches ornate.

Since both were missing, we have no idea of how the original was decorated. We made tools to match the marks in the other hardware we could see. Used the same tools on this set, only of our own design. The final product simulates a Mythical Bird flying through a Sun Burst. That is what we saw from the outline of the missing hinge.

For the upstairs bedroom with no idea of what the original looked like.

Using a photo of the bottom hinge we try to be true to the original design with our reproduction. We have to look at the original markings and use chisels, punches and hammers to achieve the marks and textures to copy the design.

Only its original outline remains on the Oak door.

This Old Timbers project taught us a lot about latches and how they work. The one at the top right is not an Old Timbers latch. I would say it is a first cousin because it came to be at the same time using the same techniques. Please continue to see the story of this latch.
 

This piece of iron punctured and ruined a $400 truck tire. A cop picked it up and got it off the road, while I changed to a spare. While we were working on the Old Timbers latches, this piece of junk inspired me to take this sad story and prevail by making it work for me for all eternity. While this piece started out as homemade truck accessory taking crap off a wheel, it evolved into a object of Functional Art to be admired by all that enter the Cave Hill cabin.
 

The top of the plate fashioned into a Maple leaf to represent the Maple Syrup Camp where the Cabin lives. Note the design was worked around the original holes of the mud flap bracket.

The bottom of the plate was shaped and tooled to resemble the tail of a Wild Turkey. The cabin is the point of beginning for many a Wild Turkey hunt using a Flintlock Smoothbore.

Mounting holes yet to be drilled, but almost ready to go home.

After a successful Wild Turkey Hunt I installed the special latch on the Cabin door. The cabin was built by family members in 1980. We had a store bought latch that had recently failed and became unusable. This latch while attractive, illustrates the mood and use of the cabin for all to see. Functional Art!!

While the plate was made from the mud flap bracket, the other pieces came from another piece of scrap that had been patiently waiting to fulfill its ultimate destiny. You are only limited by what your mind can conceive and your hands can craft.

Having already dipped into Scandinavian lore by recreating the Troll Cross and other ancient jewelry, it did not take much of a push to try a Viking Shield.   Since Jenna skates Banked Track Roller Derby in Austin, Texas, she is already a female warrior at heart. When I saw Lagertha's new shield design, I knew what I wanted to emulate.

I have a store of Sassafras lumber that I utilize for projects such as boxes, shelves, and stools. Sassafras is light and strong and seemed a natural material for a shield. Even though it is lighter than Oak or Ash, it is still pretty heavy to hold and maneuver. You may have to be a Viking to heft it.  Most recreations are made of 3/8" plywood and covered with cloth and painted. Since Vikings did not have plywood, I went with the plank style that is more appropriate.

Using a yardstick as a compass, I marked and cut out the glued and stabilized shields, into the handled defensive implements to be. 

The overall diameter turned out to be about 34 inches, which according to my research was a common size. The hole in the middle is six inches in diameter. The center stave, while holding the assembly together, also serves as the handle. It is shaped into an hourglass for a good grip. The side battons add extra strength and stability to the shields. 

I painted the shield with a coat of flat black paint. I intended to apply the color in a sketchy manner to let some of the wood grain show through. It also highlighted the joints in the boards.

While cruising through the wood work, the Iron Boss has been troubling my thoughts. I had an iron ball that was the correct size but needed a concave swedge of some type to make the Boss. I am sure you could buy something stamped out, but I was concerned it would look like a dog bowl. It had to be forged to meet my vision. Since it was about 8 degrees outside, and my shop is not heated, I called my friend John, to borrow his shop. We own a ladle and shovel swedge together for several years now. I had never used it, and it seems to have presented itself to me as my solution. While it is not a perfect size, it got me close enough with the use of the iron ball to accomplish the two Boss I needed for the shields.

Out of the fire and with about a 6 inch depression and an overall diameter of 8 inches.

Not an exact science and after much effort, the two emerged from the forge. I deemed them acceptable. The hand forging of the Boss will add to the authenticity of the final project. 

I cleaned them up and put on a coat of Protect-a-Clear as a finish. I have been using this on my raw iron projects for a year or so. It dries to a Satin finish and is Food Grade when dry, an outstanding finish for raw metal.

To complete the ancient look, the fasteners had to be hand forged.  I had to make a nail header out of a high carbon railroad spike. I punched a square hole of about 1/8th inch. See the sequence of nail making.

Nail is forged to fit into header with a swell of metal left for the head. With the nail still attached to the stock, it can be broken off into the nail header.

The header with nail over the Pritchel hole. While still hot, the head is flattened with a couple of blows. Then with hammer angled, the top is forged into a pyramid shape.

Let it cool, and the nail will tap out.

Practice will get you closer to desired length and head diameter on the first try. They are made individually, and no two will be exactly alike. I think this variation adds to the overall interest and attractiveness of the piece.

I had to pilot hole the nails as they are made in a wedge and splitting is likely. Time to add the Boss also.
 

I forged hooks that hook around the handle and have a loop above the shield. With wall hooks fastened to the wall, shields can be hung as a piece of art, to be attractive and available if marauders approach. 

With design modification, I could produce a hook that hangs the shield on the side of a ship or maybe a pick up truck.

I asked Micah what he wanted his shield to look like. I had looked at hundreds of designs and none struck me like Lagertha's Shield design. He texted me a photo of Vikings lined up for battle and decided on Light Blue, Dark Blue quadrants with trim that looked like the points of a Compass.

This was an ambitious project with many steps and skills required. As most things I do, I want the project to be attractive, functional, and to have learned something along the way. These shields fulfilled that mission many times over. I read, researched, thought about it, and sometimes even had dreams.

It gave me a look into the culture and made me appreciate the daunting task of building arms a thousand years ago. They had to split and shape their wood with rudimentary tools, which they had to first make. Iron had to be mined and bloomed into a usable material to make the tools to create the accessories. My scrap pile of various iron shapes would have been equal to a gold mine

These were rugged, talented, and industrious peoples. At the same time, they were savage, violent, brutal, and had their own code of conduct that they lived and died by.  While I can't condone raiding and taking whatever you want, you have to admire their ability to survive the conditions and the time period they were born into.

Micah's traveled to Maryland. Jenna's shipped to Austin, Texas.

"A handmade gift is also a piece of yourself"

Jenna Johnson belongs to a tribe of female warriors in the form of Banked Track Texas Roller Derby. There are several of her acquaintances that portray the Viking lifestyle at an Austin area Ren Fair. I took the shield to the bout to draw attention to Cherry Bomb Team photos that were available. 
 

All Scars in Black, struggle for position with the Texas United team, in Blue,  in one of the many jams that make up a Bout. The jammer is the one with the star on her helmet, is trying to get past the pack to make another lap to score points on the second pass.

Moores Hill Bicentennial September 22, 2018

I was kept busy making Troll Crosses and Sun Spirals for the young ones. These are all cousins and glad to see them happy.

DIana Johnson presides over the display of iron jewelry in her period dress.

Mike Fisher, myself and our Bagpiper Mike Horvath of Cincinnati Ohio.
 Mike played out the torch leaving the square with Amazing Grace.

Despite our long distance interaction, I feel close enough to Jon to share my other hobby, Blacksmithing. While we have never met in person, Jon and I are acquainted with Ray Eye and others with a common interest in hunting wild turkeys. Myself, I am a flintlock enthusiast. In 2013 Ray and I had a very successful Fall Turkey Retro hunt in Missouri. You will not believe the video!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk6bC1rx0RE

Working on a 1911 School we had to take out a structural deck for a new elevator. The concrete was re-enforced with square iron that was twisted. This was new to me after many years in the construction industry. A few pieces were salvaged and this one wanted to be a giant Troll Cross, some 10 inches in diameter. To maintain the square corners on the bar we forged the circles and used them to pull the stock around a ring cone.

Letter opener was made before the Versailles Bicentennial. Sherry of Ernie’s Pizza had to have it when she saw it.

We barely had a fire started when Hunter Newman began asking questions. He watched as I forged a Troll Cross and I explained its protective powers. When I finished, I asked him to pick a Venetian Trade Bead, and we put together a necklace.

Moores Hill is John and his family’s hometown. Anvil Envy accepted the invitation to demonstrate for the town’s 200th anniversary. This photo was taken before the rain came and while the parade was happening.

We take turns at the anvil to demonstrate the functions of the old tools and skills. Nothing is necessarily scripted. Sometimes there are orders to be filled or you may pick up a piece of scrap and it tells you what it wants to be. To take stock of simple dimensions and create something another may cherish for years to come, is a satisfying feat.

Put the tarp over the frame when it started to rain. Was a good day over all.

Nick Weisbrod was laying up the foundation for a monument sign in front of the Central Elementary School in Fairfield. The tube steel frame had a piece so square stock welded to the bottom, as a strut. I told Nick to save that piece and I would make, for him, something awesome. Turns out it wanted to be a fire poker and instead of scrap it will be working for Nick for as long as he needs it.

Dan Dodge working with us on Norwood Middle School. Dan came out to Operation Pumpkin and bought a hook for his wife. He ordered this big hook for a horse collar decoration.

Diana mans the display

Ready to be wire brushed and a finish coat of Protecta Clear applied

At a gathering before Broadus traveled to Williamsburg VA to become the newest Apprentice Blacksmith at Colonial Williamsburg

Kind of creepy!!

Two cook sets, one for Laura Crouteu for new Milla Juke-a-Bitch sign, Shovel and Longhorn hook for Uncle Skip, RR spike hooks for Marty and Ray Eye in Missouri.

Leaf, Moose, Longhorns and thistles

Has a acorn on the handle.

Diana wanted a fork to use in. the kitchen that was smaller and less cumbersome than the barbecue forks made for the grill. She kept both.

Call from a lady we met in Hamilton Operation Pumpkin. As a present for her husband made this tripod set for camping.

Custom trigger guard for Andrew Cline for his muzzle loader.

Symbolizes the beginning of life, adorned with a cheveron bead.

French for Bow Wood. In Texas the Osage Orange was used by the Indians and the French called it Bow Wood. This set was made for Sara Mings to hang a rifle on in her room. Traded for 3 quarts of Maple Syrup made by her and her cousins. Thelbert Mings grandchildren.

Berry family in Elgin Texas are Roller Derby/Viking involved. Mouse for Astrid, cloak pin for Johnathan and Spiral for Rocky Casbah. (Kerri). New baby Torvald has a new troll cross recentily.

Acorn Hook, Iron mouse for Anna, Old iron ring for a cloak pin and dragonfly. His next NASA project is on Titan, a moon of Saturn that has lakes of liquid methane and the vehicle has to fly from place to place, thus Dragonfly.

Moose hooks, Longhorn hook. and Thistle Hooks for Ron Hicks brother-in-law in North Carolina. Lives in a cabin in the mountains. Ron previously gave him a barbecue set.

Drawn out 16 inches long and the head is maintained for a hat hook.

Diana requested a kitchen cook set that was made to be used at the stove. Seems to be favorite item as a Christmas gift. Made on Christmas Eve day.

My cousin Roy Wayne Fletcher spent some time with our Uncle Alvin. Alvin always made up nicknames for us, to screw with us I think. Roy was Wingdo to Alvin. He hung on to it and asked me to create branding iron to mark his woodworking projects. I was “Little Fudd”

Also called a Blanket pin

Diana’s utensils and new tongs for me

1/2” in square bar twisted and used for rebar. Removed from a 100 year old school in Norwood Ohio during a demo to facilitate a new elevator.

Group project of this axe by John Cummins and Fred Vinup. Solid bar, was punched for a handle Lot of work so we quit til next time.

For personal camping use for skillets or pots in the fire pit.