Forging In The Sun
In 2024, I attended Eskfest as just another patron, enjoying the music and dancing, most of all the atmosphere of the place. If you haven’t been, Eskfest is held in the heart of the Lake District at the head of the Eskdale Valley. nestled between mountains, this incredible weekend event is full of amazing people and among one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the UK.
At the end of the 2024’s Eskfest I approached the ogonsiers to say if they gave me a year I’d set up a portable forge for 2025 and that is exactly what I did.
The Setup
It took a bit of time to put the probable forge together, but it was well worth the effort. I started by fixing up an old forge bed, adding new sides and fitting a new fan that would be perfect for long days of forge work. Then moved on to making a new anvil stand that would hold all the tools for the show, as well as being stable enough on grass or stone, for that I used a three-legged design, filling the legs with sand to help with stability.
Among the hardest parts of the show for me was packing up. The day I chose to pack everything into the trailer, I had no help and had to move all the equipment from one end of the garden to the other. If you’ve ever moved forge equipment like this before, then you know it is not to be taken lightly. Many pulled muscles and broken toes await anyone who understimates heavy ananamite objects. Fortunately, I only dropped it once, and nothing was hurt.
And just like that (4ish hours of sweaty equipment moving) I was ready to set off for Eskfest.
In comparison to packing and setting up was a breeze, and just like the festival was underway, I spent the first evening doing some simple forging projects and chatting with the public
The next day was where the fun truly began. lighting the forge early in the morning and starting 1-to-1 forging classes with members of the public. It was great to get a chance to teach again, back in uni I did bits and pieces of teaching a public forging, and it was amazing to have the opportunity to work with lots of amazing people over the weekend, filling every available forge slot.
I took a risk with this project, taking out of my savings what I needed for equipment without knowing that it would be worth it. I’m super happy with how the whole show went, and I learned a lot about what I’ll need next time. Mainly, I’ll need a bigger sunshade that will keep me out of the elements.
There are lots of things I’d like to do with the portable forge and lots of improvements to make. and take it to many more shows, and maybe do some sort of pilgrimage across the UK or Scotland.