At public demonstrations most people are very curious about blacksmithing. The questions asked do tend to repeat from person to person. Here are a few:
“Are you a real blacksmith?” – I’m never sure the intent of this question but yes, I’m a real person and I’m really blacksmithing.
“Is that a real fire?” – I often use a rivet forge using coal as the fuel so it is a real fire. The flames should be enough to tell that though.
“Do you shoe horses?” – A farrier is a blacksmith who specializes in shoeing horses. I am not a farrier so no, I don’t shoe horses.
“What fuel do you use?” – Most commonly I use soft coal (bituminous coal). Being on the east coast there are a couple of local places where I can get coal.
“What metal do you use?” – Mild steel (low carbon steel) and preferably hot rolled steel is the metal I typically forge with for most of the items I make at a demonstration.
“Do you ever get burned?” – Blacksmithing is a fun and dangerous endeavor. Dealing with fire and hot metal of course I have been burned. It’s an occupational hazard. It happens but I don’t want it to happen.