The red hot coals of the 100+ year old forge glowed every time I turned the crank and forced air through the turbine. That forced air through the bottom of the forge and through the coke. As the coke caught and burned, black greasy smoke billowed. At the end of every day, I was covered in coal smoke and very happy.
I’ve worked with this coke burning blacksmith coal forge for the past two summers. I’ve been an artist in residence, blacksmith in residence at the Tallac Historic Site, South Lake Tahoe, California in 2018 and 2019. Tallac Historic site is a wonderful antique residence operated by the US Forest Service and the Tahoe Heritage Foundation. I highly recommend touring the site, I’ve enjoyed my two summers there and love the people and the spirits of the past and present.
Photo credit: Gaylord Norcross Photography
