Blacksmith
b'We chat with Oscar Duck about life as a blacksmith. At just thirteen years old Oscar decided that the stone tipped bow and arrow set he had made needed upgrading so naturally he dug a hole in the garden, built his own forge from a collection of house hold items including his mums hairdryer and set about forging his own steal arrow heads. In Oscars own words he was a "bit of a dangerous child." Over the past four years Oscar has spent every Saturday working part time with a very experienced blacksmith to learn and improve his own skills along side his education. \\n\\nThere is a growing desire for more artisan and ornate hand made products in the UK and around the world, people are increasingly valuing quality and craft over mass produced goods and the age of social media such as Instagram and Youtube has helped to make blacksmithing more feasible in the 21st century with commissions from all over the world Oscar is able to build a business and create amazing metal work from his home forge. \\n\\nOscar has plans to travel around the world, possibly starting with Russia or Japan, learning as many techniques and ways of working from master blacksmiths as he can to improve his own work. Blacksmithing is both a physical and creative outlet, it is a craft that requires years of dedication and improvement but it is a great community, helpful and friendly. If you are thinking about firing up your own forge give this a listen.'