Interview with Alyson A. Kaltak

 

1. Tell me a little about your business? 

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Norđrislá (pronounced Nord-ris-lah/North-ris-lah) is a home-operated blacksmithing business. We specialize in period-specific (namely Viking-era) weapons such as knives, axes, campware, and jewelry- some of which doubles as survival gear, such as flint-strikers. We also craft simple tools like nails, s-hooks, and varieties of small items that would have been everyday-use in those days. 

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2. How did you get started smelting? 

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My father was a blacksmith, so part of that inspiration always sat in the back of my mind and I always wanted to try it, but didn't quite have the chance to do it until after college. Smelting is a very cool process of melting down different kinds of metals into ingots (bars) or other molds. We do more blacksmithing, which is shaping steel/other metals into tools, but smelting is a fun and easy part of the routine. 

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3. What kind of stuff do you Black Smith?

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I specialize in knives more than anything, and I hope to become proficient in war axes in time. They are much tougher than they look. 

 

4. Can you make custom made if requested? 

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Absolutely! However, we can only take a few commissions at a time, because we do not have a huge power-tool setups like the popular TV shows. 

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5. What is your favorite part of creating? 

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Being able to channel creative energy and whatever other emotion into a piece. It's like meditating with fire and steel. 

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6. What piece was your hardest to make? 

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Ironically (no pun intended!), it's actually the very little and fine-detailed items that are toughest to master, because they take so much time-precision when being heated and shaped, leaving very little room for error. I remember having a really tough time shaping a Scandinavian flint-striker because of the fine design and curling that goes around the handle, as well as getting it perfectly even on both sides. Another nightmare piece was a fork! (Picture of Scandinavian Flint striker just below!)

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7. What else creative do you like to do? 

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I like to resin-cast jewelry with herbs, flowers, and other sorts of pretty things. I'll be adding resin-cast, personalized knife-handles to some of our traditional designs, as well- this will give them a cool modern look. More than anything, I love coming up with concept designs and bringing them to life. 

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8. Where can we find your creations? 

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You can find us on Facebook, under Nordrisla and/or Brisingamen (newly-formed jewelry page, still under construction). We will have a website, and Etsy page up soon, as well. 

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9. Where is your next festival or where can one get your craft in person? 

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Our next festival will be out at the Windfall Dutch Barn Medieval/Renaissance Faire, out in Fort Plain, NY. (Aug. 10th and 11th) 2019.

 

10. Anything you'd like me to add that I didn't? 

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We get this question more than anything, so just to reiterate: We are not like the television show "Forged In Fire". The way we do our craft, there is little to no use of any power tools to speed anything along, so we love and appreciate all our friends, family, and fan-base for their support and patience. We might put up a YouTube Channel just to give everyone an inside look to what it means to be a "traditional" blacksmith, as opposed to modern work you might see on TV. 

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Thank you Alyson for your fine work! Can't wait to hear and see more from you in the near future!!

                                                                                                                                                                           Written by Jennifer Cook/Phoenix Ravenmoon