Once again my report starts from Wimpole on the weekend of the scything competition at the end of June. The local group were running the have a go lathes and Robert was doing a great job.

Harriott Sprig from Thetford was demonstrating her home made rounder and was making dowels for the plate racks she makes, along with a range of traditional kitchen furniture. She told me she has been on the tools since 1940.

What a very interesting lady to talk too, I am planning to visit their workshop in Harling, Norfolk. She lives without mains electricity.

Mark Allery has been trying to get her to come along for a Ball so maybe with our next venue Sherwood Forest we may be lucky.

Harriotts home made rounder – she uses a modified brace with a square drive similar to a socket (socket set) to rotate the square sawn section into the rounder. 

Marcus, a temporary resident blacksmith, who I missed at the Bygone Ball, was expounding the virtues of using charcoal for blade work. He makes lots of weapons for the film industry. He makes steel the old fashioned way – migrating carbon from the charcoal in a very controlled oxygen low atmosphere. He uses very small charcoal, the bits in fact the charcoal burners cannot normally sell.

Your chairman playing with one of Marcus’s original axes, too much axe I think. He had on display some very big swords, next time I will see what sort of damage one of those could do.

It was a very hot day for Mark Allery who won the English scything competition. Sporting his trophy and medal.