We had an interesting afternoon over the weekend visiting the "Lames à Najac" in Najac. On display was a vast array of sharp and pointy objects from small pocket knives to axes and swords with prices to suit. There were three live demonstrations and each forge had a different method of blowing air into their coals. There was a pair of leather and wood bellows, which I have pictured: this arrangement has one side of the bellows blowing air whilst the other would be sucking air in, so the net effect was a continuous stream of air to the coals. The other arrangements were a hand driven and electric fans which were not as photogenic.
Each piece of metal would be heated in the forge to get it to a working temperature. Before thermometers were invented, experienced blacksmiths could tell the temperature of the metal from its colour. The metal was glowing orange as it came out of the forge, so that is just under a 1000 degrees centigrade, hot enough to burn your buns. The metal is worked while it is at this temperature but after a short time it has cooled and is thrust once again into the forge for a reheat and then the process is repeated. Bang, bang, bang, echoed in the square and slowly, before your very eyes, a knife was created. From the photos you will see that there were some colourful characters with some equally colourful stories retold, like the one where he once slipped with a knife and ended up splitting open his forearm. Although the knives were similar in design, each artisan had their own specific style when it came to handles, some of which were works of art.
Afterwards we decided to take a walk through Najac as we had not been here for years. The village, with its many timber framed buildings, is built along a ridge that leads to the partly ruined château.
Nev
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