Date: 2.Winter.514
One would think that receiving a promotion would make a person feel good, and it did, at least at first. Yet once the shine wore off Alexander began to feel the pressure, perhaps it was in his own mind, or maybe it wasn't. Now as an apprentice blacksmith rather than a simple novice, more would be expected of him. Better quality, higher quotas, it all came with the title. This wasn't something Alexander would allow to stand in his way however, it had taken him a long time to get here and he wasn't about to wimp out now. The Iron Work in Syliras had been his place of employment for several years now and that wasn't about to change if he had anything to say about it.
The one thing Alexander did like about working here was being able to make his own tools during off hours, provided he supplied his own materials. On this day in particular he decided to work on something both for practical application and practice of his trade... a spatula. Although Alexander knew enough about cooking to avoid burning water that was about it. If this worked it would allow him to get in a little more practice as a smith and have a nice cooking utensil for personal use. For this little tryout Alexander had brought his own tender, coal, and iron. As always he went through the process of checking the Tuyere to ensure the bellows and the pipe leading to the fire pot were firmly attached. Then after confirming everything else was clean enough to avoid a possible fire hazard Alexander got started.
He placed a circle of tender in the fire pot using the flint and steel to light it. While doing this Alexander stepped on the bellows just enough to send some air up. Once that ignited he began to carefully place coal into the pot while using the bellows to provide air, and soon the forge was pumping out an immense amount of heat. When the coals were hot enough and glowing just right, Alexander removed an iron bar from the pocket of his work apron. Whistling a small tune while working he used a pair of tongs to place the metal into the forge, mentally counting off the time it would take to reach the right temperature. Once there Alexander removed the metal and held it on the anvil horn.
Hammer in hand he drew back and brought it down causing a steady ring as metal struck metal. The first thing that would need to be done was drawing the iron out. At the moment the metal was too short and thick. As the metal was drawn out it started to cool, so Alexander placed it back into the forge, carefully working the bellows to keep a constant temperature. As the process continued the metal began to change in appearance, mostly in the middle. Allowing the back to remain thick to act as handle, and leaving enough in the front to flatten out as a head.
Some of the more interesting ticks of Alexander's personal smithing methods were visible if one paid attention. The first was the rhythm with which he hammered and that's exactly what it was. If timed the strikes were at a steady pace with little change between. The next was the way he would occasionally spin the hammer in hand slightly to change grip. At first it was something Alexander would do to get a better grip on the tool, now it was something that without even consciously thinking about it.
With the middle of the metal drawn he placed the back of the tool into the forge. This part wouldn't take very long and once the metal was heated Alexander placed it back on the anvil. The only work needed for the handle was some careful hammering on the edges and the four corners near the back. The purpose was to round them just enough so they wouldn't dig into the hand when gripped. Turning the metal slightly as he hammered it rounded without difficulty.
“Bloody hell,” Alexander said. Looking back he noticed the forge had cooled due to lack of attention, so leaving tongs and hammer on the anvil he took a coal shovel in hand. The forge wasn't in danger of going out so taking a half-shovel of fuel he began to once again gently work the bellows while slowly adding more to the fire pot. After a minute or two of proper attention the forge was once again operating at the right temperature and the final part of the creation process would take place. Again the metal would have to be drawn, in this case the front would for the most part be flattened and widened. The metal was again heated in the forge using tongs and with the head a nice bright orange it was laid on the anvil.
The hammer fell with another ring and Alexander was careful in drawing out the metal to try and keep both sides even in length and width. Strike after strike the metal was reshaped and after another turn in the forge it was close to completion. Although not quite even it would still serve well as a tool. The very last thing Alexander did was to drop a bending fork into the hardy hole and used it to bend the head to a roughly ten degree angle. Once that was finished he used the tongs to dip the tool into the water and cool it down.
“Hmm, not my best work, but definitely not my worst either,” Alexander said, inspecting it carefully. While there was room for improvement he was satisfied with the first attempt at making a spatula.
Personal Resource Use-1/2 lbs Iron
-1 lbs Coal
