My first demo at the county fair went sideways...

I was doing a basic leaf keychain demo at the Springfield fair last summer, and a kid in the front row asked if I could make a tiny sword. I said sure, no problem... but I got so focused on the detail I didn't notice my forge was cooling down. I tried to twist the 'blade' and the whole piece just snapped in half with a sad little 'ping'. The kid's face fell, and his mom just said 'Well, that's a dagger now'. I ended up giving him the broken piece and a proper keychain. Ever since then, I always check my fire temp every 30 seconds during a public demo... anyone else have a simple project go weird in front of a crowd?

3 comments

3 Comments

verawhite29d ago

That mom had a solid save, real quick on her feet. Bet that kid still has that little broken piece somewhere.

juliashah1mo ago

That mom's quick save was actually pretty smooth. What did the kid end up doing with the broken piece?

hunt.nora1mo agoMost Upvoted

Remembered trying to show my niece how to make a simple paper crane at a family picnic. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and sent our carefully folded paper sailing right into the potato salad. It was a total loss, covered in mayo and mustard. She just looked at it and said "I guess it's a wet bird now." Sometimes the mess-ups are what everyone remembers and laughs about later!