Fire of the forge

Iron Working requires to heat up a piece of metal to a high temperature so it becomes easier to shape it by forging. A forge typically uses bituminous coal, industrial coke or charcoal as fuel to heat metal. A hearth is designed to allow a fire to be controlled so that metal introduced to the fire may be brought to a malleable state (when it is red).

The crackling noise of the fire of the forge. In addition to the coke, pieces of wood are added to prevent the fire from burning too quickly.

A blacksmith, Felix Dawlat has come to this job trough agriculture and the need to use appropriate tools which often have to be created by the farmer himself. He trained at the Farrier school of Anderlecht (Brussels) and as an Apprentice at a private blacksmith. Today, he is working in a collective workshop in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek which he shares with other artisans (two luthiers, two ceramists, a bookbinder,…). Felix sometimes creates some of their tools for them.

Sound recordist : Gaëlle Courtois / La Fonderie, Brussels