Training Kyonos as a Smithy (private)

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Finally the time arrived for Kyonos to begin his formal training as a Smithy. Though he had already worked at two Blacksmith Shops, the Dwarf had no formal training in working metal or any of the other skills needed by a Smithy. He had looking forward to this for a long time. His work in restoring the appearance and integrity of the B&D Anvil continued, as did his job of waiting on customers. Additionally, each morning, as soon as he rose, Kyonos practiced an Elementalism Spell. He was determined to not only maintain his proficiency but to hone it until he was ready for further training in Arcana.

His instructor was Gimli, a Master Smithy who was not only skilled but he was ready and willing to impart these skills to the anxious and motivated Dwarf.

Gimli got right to the point. "The fire is one of the most important factors when working metal. It must reach the proper intensity and maintain that degree of heat. For fuel we use coal or coke. In order to intensify the flames, the foot bellows is used to supply more air. When flame gets hot enough, take note of the color, the height and the degree on heat you feel from the flames. You must keep it that way. This is accomplished mostly by using the foot bellows; however, from time to time you need to add fuel."

Once he was satisfied with the flame Gimli heated a piece metal and added. "I'm going to make a cleaver. The flame is just right now. I want you to use the foot bellows and keep the flame steady." At first there was some fluctuation but soon Kyonos got the hang of it and kept the fire just the way it should be. All this while he was watching Gimli hammer the metal against the anvil, attaining the right shape and tapering the thickness for the cutting edge. Kyonos watched carefully and tried to anticipate what Gimli would be doing. When the cleaver was finished Gimli said, "Now you can get back to work and we will resume tonorrow."

Kyonos was pleased with his performance, resulting in an unusually good mood as he resumed his mundane chores.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Determined to set up a routine, Kyonos rose at first light, got a bite to eat and proceeded to get in the proper mind-set for arcana. Once he accomplished that, the Dwarf cast a spell for practice. He found that the more he practiced, the less tiring it was on him. He was anxious to blend his skills in Arcana and Blacksmithing but he well realized that he could learn both at the same time.

Before long Gimli arrived, pointed to one of the forges and said, "Get the fire going, about the same as we had yesterday". Kyonos hustled over, started the fire and once it was ablaze he operated the foot bellows to get the flame to the intended intensity. Gimli looked on and nodded when he was satisfied. "Get those piece of metal over there and let's see how you do in making a knife. It's bit like I did with the cleaver. You need to heat the metal that you are working and keep the temperature constant. The haft needs to be tempered but you need a constant thickness. After that, hammer the blade and work it to a sharp edge. Make sure that you don't let the metal cool."

Kyonos grasped the metal with his tongs and heated it,being careful to keep the flame constant. Once it was properly heated, he rested it on the anvil and proceeded to start hammering it into the proper shape. When the metal gave indication of losing it's malleability, the Dwarf reheated it and resumed the hammering. After going through that a few times, the knife had assumed the proper shape. When inspecting the cutting edge, Kyonos found a few places where the metal was too thick. He reheated the blade and reworked it until the cutting edge was ready to hone. He the clamped the blade to the work table and with an auger bored two holes in the haft. With a whetstone he then sharpened the blade to a keen edge.

Gimli told Kyonos to watch carefully, then took the blade and riveted two halves of a wood handle onto the haft. He turned to Kyonos and said, "Next time you can put on the handle.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Time again for the Dwarf's day to begin. After getting his morning repast out of the way, Kyonos proceeded to practice a spell in Elementalism.

He realized that the daily practice was getting easier but he was not about to let up. The Dwarf knew that he had a long hard road to travel before he attained his goal.

Before Gimli arrived Kyonos have a fire going in one of the forges. By the time his mentor arrived, the fire was hot and ready to heat the metal. Gimli nodded his approval. He was a firm believer of initiative as well as skill in the Blacksmiths he taught. He brought over some molds for a pot. a pan and a small cauldron. "Today you will be casting metal. there is no hammering required. You heat the iron in a crucible until it is liquified then you pour it into a mold. When that is done, you allow the item to cool naturally. If you speed the cooling process it will weaken the metal or perhaps crack it right then. Gimli took another mold, one for a belaying pin and demonstrated the process.

Then it was Kyonos' turn. Addin
gd fuel and operating the foot bellows he got the fire to what he felt was the proper intensity. He then placed iron in a crucible and heated it until it melted. Once that was done, he poured the molten metal into the mold for the pan, taking care to fill it just right. That done, he set it aside to cool. Next he did the same process for a pan and then a pot. Throughout the procedure he used the foot bellows to keep the fire hot.

When all three items were cool, he took them out of the molds and had Gimli inspect them. After looking the items over thoroughly, Gimli nodded his approval and said, "Put these with the wares we have for sale". Kyonos was pleased that the first cast metal items he made were good enough to sell. After that, the Dwarf returned to his chores of waiting on customers and restoring the shop to it's once neat appearance.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Yet another day and Kynos' enthusiasm had not waned. The morning spell casting was a solid part of his routine. Even more important than his breakfast. After he arrived at the Forge, Kyonos lit a fire in the Forge he was using for training. He cleaned up the area and made more minor repairs to the damage sustained during the war. Right about the time that Kyonos had the flames at the desired intensity, Gimli came in and said. "Nice fire".

He went to the sales area and came back with a set of stirrups. He said, "Look these over and I want you to duplicate them. You'll have to get the metal narrower than for the other jobs and bend it into shape. Be sure that the metal is very hot or it will break when you are bending it. If you get the metal too hot it may become limp and loose it's shape."

The set of stirrups was the first task that he undertook. Kyonos hammered the heated metal into a long narrow bar. He checked it for uniformity and corrected any deviations. Once he was satisfied, Kyonos left an area in the center to be the foot rest, then heated and flattened the end portions. Once that was done, the Dwarf heated and bent the sides of the stirrup. It took a fair bit of repetition but the job was finally done. He then made a second one in the same manner. Gimli looked the set over and said, "You need to make the thickness of the sides more uniform, then it will be acceptable. Kyonos did just that and his mentor passed on the finished product.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

After going through his usual morning routine, Kyonos got to the B&D Anvil and fired up the forge, wondering what they were going to do today. Whatever it was, the Dwarf was eagerly looking forward to it. The fire was going strong when Gimli arrived. Kyonos grunted a greeting and his mentor did the same.

Gimli said, "Today you will make a sickle. The difference from what you've done before is that you will need to bend a metal rod into the semicircular shape that you need and then hammer it into a blade with the cutting edge on the inside of the half circle." Kyonos listened carefully and planned what he was going to do.

He took the piece of metal and heated it until it could be worked. Then then he hammered it into a semicircle with a shank. When that initial part was done he showed it to Gimli who nodded his approval. Next he reheated it and hammered it flat, taking special effort to maintain a uniform width of the blade. That done, he hammered an edge onto the inner part. Once he was done and got the approval of Gimli, he attached a wooden handle onto the shank and then carefully honed the cutting edge.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

The next day Kyonos wondered what he would be making. He rather enjoyed smithing and took pride in the things he made. The Dwarf was determined to produce only high quality items. His early mornings were routine by now, eat, practice elementalism, go to the B&D Anvil, start the fire and work on putting the shop in good order. When the fire was up to par, the Dwarf paid attention to keeping it at a constant level of heat.

As usual, Gimli showed up right about the time the fire was ready and steady. This time he said, "We are running low on metal straps for the riding surface of wagon wheels. Check the width and thickness of those already made and make a lot more. This time I want you to work fast once you get the hang of making uniform metal straps. It's high time that you join in getting our inventory back to where it used to be."

The task was relatively simple but he needed to work fast this time. He hammered a length of metal to the proper thickness and width, then proceeded to repeat this several times. He got the work done a bit faster each time. Then he went to a smaller size and found that he was able to restore the stock in a shorter time. Finally he went to the smallest size and made short work of the task. Gimli nodded his approval and went off to do his own smithing, leaving Kyonos to do more restoration of the shop.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Once again Kyonos rose to a new day and carried out his routine. He found the morning practice in Elementalism to be getting even more easier and more enjoyable. The fire was ready when Gimli arrived. His Mentor set a horse shoe on the anvil and said, “I want you to make a lot of these. Excepting for lunch time, I want you to stay on this all day. We are starting to run low on horse shoes. For most items we can tell a customer to wait but when a horse shoe is needed, it is needed right then. Get to work now.” Gimli left for the back room and Kyonos was on his own.

He started carefully with the first shoe. First the metal which was shaped like a narrow bar, was heated, hammered and bent into sort of “U” shape with curved sides. Next he reheated it and pounded it flat. All that remained was to punch holes for the nails. After the first one was done, the others were completed faster. Every now and then the hot metal sizzled when a bead of sweat would drip from his forehead to the horse shoe. By the time noon came around, the Dwarf was quite proficient. Kyonos continued till the end of the day, at which time Gimli looked at the pile horse shoes and picked up two. After looking them over he said, “Now we have enough to last us for a while”.

Kyonos then called it a day.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Well accustomed to the routine by now, Kyonos looked forward to each day. He liked the daily routine including the Arcana. As he was building up the fire in the hearth, the Dwarf wondered what he would be doing today. When Gimli came in, he nodded to Kyonos and said, "Today I want you to make spades. Uniformity in the size is not important but I want them to be close to the same size." That said, he set down a spade for Kyonos to use as model.

The Dwarf took a piece of metal, heated it and hammered it to a relatively uniform thickness and then shaped it. Heating it again, he hammered an indentation for the handle. That done, he put a bit of an edge to the tip of the spade. Once satisfied with it, Kyonos repeated the process with anotherpiece of metal. By the end of the day, there were a pile of spades. When he was ready to knock off, Gimli came over, checked each spade and then nodded his approval.

Another day of training completed by Kyonos.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Once again another training day was ahead him. The beginning was always the same but as he got the fire up to the intensity he sought, Gimli showed up as expected and Kyonos waited to see what would lie ahead for him on this day.

This time his mentor set a plow blade down next to the Dwarf. "See how many of these you can make today". Kyonos looked it over. This would require handling the biggest piece of metal he had yet to use. Well, the beginning was always the same, heat the metal until it could be worked. He first checked the thickness of the metal that made up the sample. Gimli smiled as he said, "A good thing to check. It must be heavy enough to plow through hard soil, yet light enough for a Draft Animal to pull for most of a day."

As Kyonos got to work heating the metal, Gimli stood right next to him. When it was time to shape it, Gimli coached him on positioning the work on the anvil. It took a bit of time but the end result was satisfactory. He then went on to make two others until the day was finally done.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

On this day Kyonos decided to do something different, to meld his skills. When he arose, the Dwarf ate but he did not practice Arcana as he usually did. When he went to the shop, Kyonos did not start a fire in the hearth as he usually did. When Gimili arrived, Kyonos said, “It is about time for me to make a hammer. In making it, I will use what Arcana I have learned. Perhaps there will be a degree of enchantment in the Hammer.” Gimli nodded his agreement and got a sample hammer head and a ceramic insert to form the hole that will house the handle. He said, “The metal must be kept very hot, but take care that it does not liquify”. He then remained to observe what Kyonos did.

Kyonos was about to create an Orb using fire.

Time now to attempt the spell. He visualized the fire in the Hearth at the Blacksmith Shop. Fire was not a stranger to him nor did it cause him any apprehension. He considered fire to be a useful tool as well as a source of comfort when he was sleeping. He concentrated on the fire, trying to eliminate any thought of other items. First the outer portion of it, then he visualized the depths of the flame as a continuation of what was on the hot surface. As he concentrated on the fire in it's entirety, Kyonos tried to imagine the fire reaching into oblivion.

The Dwarf imaged himself within the fire. He traveled into it, visualizing it's continuity into the forge and beyond it. He kept on going, trying to feel himself inside, secure within the Fire, with it enveloping him and becoming the medium in which he existed.

Then transforming it into manageable bits, Mana. The sum was entering Clara, and Focus the same way he did before. Falling back on the knowledge that was imparted to him, he attempted to channel the energy back into the Material Plane.

The dwarf channeled more and more energy into the Material Plane. As the flow trickled to a stop, Kyonos was a bit tired from his exertion.

He had used this to conjure an ball of Fire and with his mind, Kyonos lobbed it into the coals. There is caused flames to rise from the coals. Before long the flames merged with the Orb and they became one. Perhaps the fire was enchanted.

Once again, Kyonos used the technique of concentration this time on the metal to be formed into a Hammer. Once that was done, the Dwarf again used fire to assist him in entering the metal. Once this was done he was to pull the the well of energy from the Astral Plane to the Material Plane. He hoped that he was up to this. This was part of what he had learned and then practiced. Additionally he sought to enchant the metal. Further, he found that he wanted to lay a base for his future work.

As he attempted to hold the spell, the Dwarf hammered on the heated metal, slowly causing it to take the form of a Hammer head. Once done, he set down his work and wondered if his spells had succeeded. The Dwarf felt more spent from casting the spells than from the working of the metal.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

After having used Arcana in the forging of his hammer, Kyonos decided to do the same today. Right after arising and having breakfast, the Dwarf went directly to the Forge.

Kyonos once worked again create an Orb using fire.

Time now to attempt the spell. He visualized the fire in the Hearth at the Blacksmith Shop. Fire was not a stranger to him nor did it cause him any apprehension. He considered fire to be a useful tool as well as a source of comfort when he was sleeping. He concentrated on the fire, trying to eliminate any thought of other items. First the outer portion of it, then he visualized the depths of the flame as a continuation of what was on the hot surface. As he concentrated on the fire in it's entirety, Kyonos tried to imagine the fire reaching into oblivion.

The Dwarf imaged himself within the fire. He traveled into it, visualizing it's continuity into the forge and beyond it. He kept on going, trying to feel himself inside, secure within the Fire, with it enveloping him and becoming the medium in which he existed.

Then transforming it into manageable bits, Mana. The sum was entering Clara, and Focus the same way he did before. Falling back on the knowledge that was imparted to him, he attempted to channel the energy back into the Material Plane.

The dwarf channeled more and more energy into the Material Plane. As the flow trickled to a stop, Kyonos was a bit tired from his exertion.

He had used this to conjure an ball of Fire and with his mind, Kyonos lobbed it into the coals. There is caused flames to rise from the coals. Before long the flames merged with the Orb and they became one. Hopefully the fire was enchanted.

Once again, Kyonos used the technique of concentration this time on the metal to be formed into Arrows. Once that was done, the Dwarf again used fire to assist him in entering the metal. Once this was done he was to pull the well of energy from the Astral Plane to the Material Plane. He hoped that he was up to this. This was part of what he had learned and then practiced. Additionally he sought to enchant the metal.

As he attempted to hold the spell, the Dwarf hammered on the heated metal, slowly causing it to take the form of a rough triangle. Being a relatively small item, the arrow head did not require much tempering and working, Once done, he set down his work and wondered if his spells had succeeded. He then proceeded to make more until he had piled enough to meet the needs of the Forge. The Dwarf felt more spent from casting the spells than from the work.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

When Kyonos awoke, his thoughts went to his newly made Hammer. He wondered if there was any degree of enchantment associated with it. This had been his aim in pursuing both Elementalism and Blacksmithing. He looked at the weapon and decided to impart more Arcana into it.

Once again, Kyonos used the technique of concentration, this time on the metal that had already been formed into a Hammer. Once that was done, the Dwarf again used fire to assist him in entering the metal. Once this was done he pulled the well of energy from the Astral Plane to the Material Plane. He felt up to this. This was part of what he had learned and then practiced. Additionally he once again sought to enchant the metal.

As he attempted to hold the spell, the Dwarf stroked the Hammer trying to become part of it. Once done, he set down his work and wondered if his spell had succeeded. The Dwarf felt less spent from casting the spell than he had previously.

He then fired up the hearth. This time without a spell. Shortly after the fire was ready, Gimli arrived and picked up a couple of pieces of metal. As he heated the larger piece, he said, "Today you make ladles. We need many in order to get households back in normal operation. The utensil must be sturdy yet it must be light enough to use easily. Watch carefully." Gimli heated and worked the metal until it became bowl shaped. Then he heated and worked the other piece of metal until it formed a handle. He then heated both pieces and hammered them together, The finished product was a ladle of proper shape, size and weight. Gimli the said, "Now you get to it and make several of them."

After Gimli left, Kyonos got started on his task. At first he had a bit of trouble with the thickness of his work but soon he got the hang of it. Before long he was doing the work just like Gimli had. Before the day was over he had quite a few ladles made. .

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Once again when Kyonos awoke, his thoughts went to his newly made Hammer. He took it in his hands and rubbed the head of the hammer.

He concentrated on the metal that had already been formed into a Hammer. Once that was done, the Dwarf again imaged fire to assist him in entering the metal. Once this was done he pulled the well of energy from the Astral Plane to the Material Plane. He once again sought to enchant the metal.

As he attempted to hold the spell, the Dwarf stroked the Hammer trying to become part of it. Once done, he put away the hammer.

He then fired up the hearth. Soon thereafter Gimli arrived with a few long pieces of metal. As he heated on of them he said, "Today you make nails, large ones, medium ones and small ones . We are in need of a good supply of nails for the reconstruction that is taking place in Zerdargia. Watch carefully." Gimli heated and worked the metal until it became thin. Heating the tip, he hammered to a point, then he heated the metal again and using two tongs he bent the metal and broke it to be of proper length. Reheating the unsharpened end, he then bent it to form a head on the nail. Gimli did the same for two other thicknesses and lengths..

He then said, "Now you get to it and make a lot of them."

The Dwarf worked a piece for the heaviest of the nails. Following the procedure that he just watched, Kyonos heated the metal for each step as he hammered a point, made it the proper length and finally formed a head. All this work with a hammer went quickly. Before long he had enough made to start on another size and finally yet another.

As he progressed, the procedures took much less time and there was uniformity of the finished products. By the end of the day he filled several kegs with nails.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Another day, the same start. The routine was becoming a habit. It was a habit that the Dwarf enjoyed. Learning the Smithy trade and working at the B&D Anvil was just what Kyonos always wanted. As usual he had the fire up and ready by the time Gimli appeared. The Dwarf wondered what would be in store for today. Right about then his mentor did show up.

"Today I want you to make three wheels. First I will show you how to do it by making one. Then I want you to make three more just like it. Take care that they be identical in size."

Kyonos watched carefully as Gimli started by forming 12 spokes of equal thickness and the same length. He took a larger piece of metal, heated it and worked it to form a hub. He used a ceramic piece to form the hole into which the axle would fit. Once done, he punched 12 indendations, equidistant from each other on the outer surface. After reheating an area, he bored a hole large enough to accomodate a spoke. He repeated this until there were 12. He inserted the spokes into the holes on the hub and set it on a table. That done, Gimli said to Kyonos, "Now we make a felly". He took a length of metal, heated it and hammered it into a band. The he heated it again and worked it until it formed a circle, a rim for the wheel. After measuring it to the spokes he adjusted the diameter of the rim until it was a bit less that the extension of the spokes. He then punched 12 indendations through the felly, equidistant from each other on the inner surface of the rim. After reheating an area, he bored a hole large enough to accomodate a spoke. He repeated this until there were 12. After heating the felly, he worked it onto the spokes.

"This is now a wheel. The next step is heat the areas where the spokes go into the hub and the felly. This is to fuse them together. Take note that the spokes stick out of the felly a tad. That is what we want so the wheel can get a grip on the surface. Otherwise a smooth rim might slip and slide, especially on a wet surface." When he fused all the joints, Gimli did both the inner and outer surfaces of the felly. Then the ends of the felly were fused together. He then said, Now you do three more."

Kyonos was planning his work as he watched Gimli. First he made 36 spokes in the same manner as did Gimli. He set them aside and made three hubs, careful to duplicate his mentor's technique, even using the same ceramic piece. He made the holes in the hub for the spokes after heating and hammering the metal. The last pieces he made were the three fellies. He measured these around the spokes in the same manner as Gimli did. Once he fitted the felly onto the spokes and had a rim, Kyonos fused all the joints. His last step was to fuse together the ends of the fellies.

Gimli held each wheel to the one he made and was satisfied that they were the same.

[Anne]

Initiate training in blacksmithing is completed to my satisfaction.