Blog post number 9 





One of the many non-eagle merit badges that I enjoyed doing and completing was Metalworking and here’s why. At the summer camp that I went to a Boy Scout offered Metalworking merit badge class and the requirements were pretty much straightforward. A perk of completing this merit badge is the fact that you get to forge an item of your choice. You can also make other items at your own leisure. The metal working merit badge is an exciting merit badge for the other reason that you get to work in a simulated real forge. A forge is a location where many sheets of metal are dipped into fire to create many items such as cutlery for the dining table and other items such as swords among others etc. As an assistant senior patrol leader, I have had younger scouts come to me during meetings and ask me what badge is the coolest and most well-known that I have completed at summer camp and the most common answer that I have given to them is the Metalworking merit badge. I have actually designed and forged a metal hook while at summer camp and it was one of coolest among many memories at scout oriented summer camp. As a young scout, I wondered what it would  be like to forge something from scratch and I got to experience it firsthand at summer camp.  Some of the safety equipment that is required for this merit badge is, safety goggles, safety apron that can withstand the high temperature of the forge, you will also need to wear eye protection because the metal is being melted can create dangerous sparks that can cause severe damage to exposed parts of the body. When I was working on this merit badge, I was being shadowed by a blacksmith. A reason that I chose to complete the metal working was because I have been fascinated with the process of making something from a forge. The amount of time required for this merit badge was four hours total. One of the skills required to earn this particular merit badge was the requirement that the scout would have to make something in the forge on their assigned day. This skill is useful for out side of scouts if you decide to peruse a career where a forge or blacksmithing is used. 

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