Alchemists sought to combine elements to create new materials; generally gold
from lead using various acids and other fluids.  Many also sought the
Philosopher's Stone to cheat death.
I wouldn't mind turning a little iron or copper and some sweat into gold, but
for me this is more than making money.
On Iron:
The most powerful magical metal and among the
most magically charged of all the materials on
Earth, is Iron.  
The metal most associated with magic,
worldwide, is iron. Because iron is not
found in its pure state, except as a meteorite,
it is known as "The Metal of Heaven" and
perceived as a gift from sacred powers.  
Meteors were carved into representation of
deities; the original cult statue housed inside
the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of
the Ancient World's seven wonders, was
carved from a meteorite.  The most sacred
representation of the Goddess Kybele was
an uncut meteor, believed by many to
remain buried under the foundations of St
Peter's Basilica, which was built over her
Roman temple.
Iron provides power and protection.  
Magically speaking, iron is reputed to
restore health, provide vitality, both
physical and psychic, and cure impotence.  
Malevolent spirits are invariably frightened
by iron; it repels them and chases them
away.   

pp 38- Illes "5000 spells"
EARTH
The first element we need.  Without it we're floating in space for a few
moments until the crush of nothingness kills us.  The Earth supports the floor,
the floor supports the anvil stand, the anvil stand supports the anvil, the steel
for the anvil and hammer come from the Earth, the anvil absorbs the energy of
the hammer's blow on the hot metal.  Everything comes from Earth.  
FIRE  &  AIR
Without air, there can be no fire.  In turn fire and heat keep the winds
moving.  Fire heats the metal making it pliable and possible to form. Too
much air and we burn the steel, too little air and the steel won't heat enough
to do what we require.  There is necessary balance.
WATER
Last, but certainly not least is water.  We need water to live- all life needs
water to live.  Steel is no different.  Without a quenchant, heat treating metal
would be impossible.  There would be no use for tool steel because there
would be no way to extract the hardness inherent in the metal.  
Greetings! My name is Kris and I'm the person behind Alchemy Forge.  
I started my journey of metal smithing as a child when I was given my first pocketknife.  I remember being amazed that the tool
I held in my hand had once been rocks in the ground. I was hungry to learn all I could about the process for making tools like my
humble pocket knife and started by  learning about respect for the tools and proper care and maintenance. My first lesson was to
not stick the knife in a tree and try to twist a hole in it.  It was several years before I realized that people still made things from
steel with fire and hammer.  My mom was concerned that I would burn down the house if allowed to build a forge, so I spent a
lot of time sharpening kitchen knives, camping tools and knives for friends.  I learned about some of the processes behind
making knives and  more metal working techniques in high school.  It wasn't until 2002 that I focused heat into metal and used a
ball peen hammer (with a 3# sledge as an anvil) to make my first "creation," a hook with a handle, which the wife still uses for  
lifting our dutch oven off the campfire.  I'll be the first to admit that I have lots to learn, but I'm always up for a new challenge.  

I am the 5th element in the pentaverate and often I feel at the mercy of one or more of the others.  It is my duty to bring the four
together in harmony and balance to produce the desired result.  I am not always successful but, even the most drastic failure is
only a loss if nothing is learned in the process.
                         My Smithing History:
2002:  February- forged first piece of hot steel
      May- took first welding classes
      September- declared "Alchemy Forge" to be name of my shop
2003: August- first blacksmithing class. Studied under "Blacksmith Rick"
      October- joined NWBA
2004: Jury selection in Lynnwood Arts Council's "Seeing Red" exhibit
2006: Named TIME Magazine's "Person of the Year"
2007: October- Attended class under instruction of Jerry Culberson of   
         Old Cedar Forge.
2008: January- return to academia via Washington State                          
        University's Distance Degree Program.  
"Iron is full of impurities that weaken it: through forging, it becomes steel and is
transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion.”
~Morihei Ueshiba, founder of modern Aikido
Fire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky.
But Crom is your god. Crom, he lives in the earth.
Once, giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and
they took from him the enigma of steel.
Crom was angered. And the Earth shook.
Fire and wind struck down these giants, and they threw their bodies into the waters, but in
their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield.
We who found it are just men.
Not gods.
Not giants.
Just men.
The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery.
You must learn its riddle, Conan. You must learn its discipline.
For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts.

[Points to sword]This you can trust.


~Conan's Father Conan the Barbarian (1982)
With the fire in my soul
I heat the steel that is my body
Forge it to shape with my will
to be the hard sharpened tool of my mind
KMS, 2008
On Smithcraft and Magic:
"Magic in its modern state arrived with the advent of the Iron Age.  The Smith's art, the original alchemy, was kept secret
for centuries: those who knew it were able to forge weapons that could completely dominate their neighbors.  By virtue of
their contact with this magic material, and because they alone were privy to its secrets, Smiths were more than just
Artisans: they were the original magicians, the Masters of Fire.  Smiths became the first professional magicians (as opposed
to Shamans), called in to perform spellcasting on behalf of others.
Smiths were simultaneously respected and needed, feared and persecuted...
The ironworker became a much needed member of society.  Beyond Smithcraft, he was typically a healer, herbal
practitioner, dentist, surgeon, body artist, and often the sole person permitted to perform circumcision and thus in charge
of spiritual initiation.  He carves amulets, devises rituals and confers with the spirits on behalf of others, a combination
Artisan/Shaman...

pp 38-39 Illes "5000 Spells"