Take a Blacksmithing Class

 Completed October 24, 2021

What's funny about this one is that it is the classic 40 Before 40 list item for me. Something I had been looking at for years and never really got around to it. But once it goes on the list? It's a priority. I have a deadline and there is no time like the present to get things done. I had already looked into Leslie Tharp and her amazing artwork for years, so I knew it was where I would go. 

At the workshop I made a snake bracelet! It was so cool (and sometimes scary) to see the metal turn bright orange. The malleability of the metal in that state was astounding. Seeing it wrap and twist like taffy was incredible. We turned a regular metal rod into a piece of wearable art.

I ended up with three blisters on my hand (because I'm a try hard and my body loves making blisters as much as possible), but duct tape came to the rescue. I ended up with a pretty sore arm from wielding the hammer, too. I messed up in a few ways, but Leslie was nice enough to help to make sure I had something nice in the end. Her examples of what they should look like were far and away from what any of us in the class ended up with, but that's the difference from someone who barely understands it to someone who is a master in their craft. 

I saw she's had some other really neat workshops in the past, so I may go back and do another one if it lines up well with my schedule.