After several years hiatus in Japan, it was time to pack up the tools from cold storage in Canada, dust off the anvil, set up shop on Vancouver Island, Canada, and get the fire going. We are packing up house here in Kansai, heading to Canada this Fall, and will be located mid-island in the Errington, Coombs, Qualicum, Parksville area. Read more about charcoal-making, the island workshop, or the museum forge.
One of the reasons for focusing on getting the fire going again was the desire to get back to working with my hands after a lot of time making intangible things like ideas, code, computer graphics, etc. I don’t mind these things and still work with them from time to time, but do not wish to work exclusively in the realm of the “etherworld”.
Another reason was to become involved in creating beautiful things that were built to last, made with care, and thoughtfully designed for the needs of the local culture and lifestyle.
A third major reason for returning to my blacksmithing roots was the idea that heritage crafts and their associated skills need to be preserved for future generations who may need to make much more use of them than we do at this moment in history.