I am sorry for the delayed response. I’ve been swamped with work, QuakeCon, and paperwork madness from trying to get a used Tesla.
We left an anvil and a stump for the Metal shop, but the forges are our two largest pieces of equipment so we did not leave them behind. It’s also important to note that our Coal dealer just got out of the business and so we will need to secure a new source of coal at some point in the future.
We typically try to avoid classes around this time of year due to the extreme heat. Even with the equipment being in a trailer outside it is still brutal moving that much equipment. There are times when I would get home from class in June and my renter would ask me if I was OK because I “Look like death.” It is incredibly brutal, even when attempting to stay hydrated. As such, we avoid the really hot months because no one should be putting their lives at risk to teach a class. However, we have been experimenting in our non-class days to make smaller forges that are more portable. I made a forge out of a gallon paint bucket and refractory cement with the hopes that it could be powered by one of those small propane torches. Unfortunately, there was not enough heat from the torch to bring the metal to temperature. I will have to return to the drawing board and come up with a better design.
As far as spending money on the membership and not having classes, I’m sorry about that. I fully understand. Since it is difficult to get the blacksmithing gear to a usable spot, I’ve only ever used my membership for projects about 5 or 6 times, and I’ve been a member since October of 2013. I mainly just show up to teach.
Anyhow, hopefully this helps explain things a bit.
