ABC Wednesday, I for Iron

The Meeting Place

Strike the iron while it's hot ...

 In the week between Ascension  Day and Whitsunday, we had all kind of activities . Our church was open every day for visitors from other churches. We could visit them in return. There was always someone present , who made coffee or tea for the visitors and showed them around in the building.

During that week we had an exhibition of  steel sculptures  created by our local sculptor Leo Jongenotter. Every body was enthousiastic. The Saturday afternoon before Whitsunday he taught us how to forge iron/steel. I wanted to have a quick look at all the material he had got and the very hot oven, which was needed to "strike the iron while it was hot". Leo said: "Put on a leather apron".
I protested: "Oh, no I can't!" He:"if my six-year-old daughter could do it, and a seventy-years-old lady, then you can do it as well"! Convinced that I could at least have a try, I put on an apron and gloves. 

In the end I had made half of a hook to hang a basket with plants on , or a lamp....or another hanging thing. Leo made the most difficult part of it. I learned a lot that afternoon. First and foremost I admire all people who work at a smithy or in a factory. And I am terribly impressed by all the work Leo had done by creating his beautiful sculptures. It must have taken him hours and hours to get the inspiration and find the right material, and finally to work on it.
 

"Mijn" means "Mine". The left part was made by Leo, the hook I did( with help!!)

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum). Iron is the most common metal there is on earth. Iron metal has been used since ancient times, though copper alloys, which have lower melting temperatures, were used even earlier in human history. Pure iron is soft and therefore not fit for weapons like swords. It needed to be harder and by using coal, the British warriors succeeded to make steel. Their weapons were strong, but the Vikings, who had no coal in their countries , used wood, which became charcoal. This steel formed from iron and charcoal was a lot stronger than the British steel.

This gentleman  found his old tools from the time
when he still worked at the engine factory,
where Leo has his work-shop now.

s

Two members from our church.

Tools

Leo explaining to one of the  members of our church.

Keep the iron rod in the extremely hot oven

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt,  who created ABC, and Roger, who took over from her. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with I.