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About The Author
Written by Franklyn D. Garland   
Page 6 of 7

The Renaissance Years...
Image From June 1990, through August 1998 I ran "The Celtic Knot Forge" at the Bristol Renaissance faire. They were years filled with fun, some really great parties, and a lot of hard work. The Ren-Faire years forced me to learn about production work and turning out what can only be called "Mass produced handmade items." As oxymoronic as that may sound it is still the truth. I can produce a courting candle, beginning to end and including the final black finish, in about six minutes. Old western style triangles (dinner bells?) were about five minutes each. I made and sold thousands of these festival and faire trinkets over the years and really grew to hate them. They were a good source of income, but they were just so boring to make over and over and over again.

The Ren-faire years also exposed me to some good outlets. I made juggling axes that were used in the filming of the Mel Brooks "Men in Tights" film. I designed and crafted a bunch of big brass belt buckles for "Uniforms to You" that were part of the costumes being used at the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Good exposure, all of it, and every so often I got the chance to make something unique that I could be proud of.

Karen and Kaitlyn Stronghold Festival - 1999
Karen and Kaitlyn Stronghold Festival - 1999
In June of 1999, my wife and I celebrated the birth of our first child, Kaitlyn Ruth. This wonderful addition to our lives has forced me to make some decisions and to set some priorities about how I would be spending my time. I started by selling the booth at the Bristol Renaissance Faire and limiting myself to a couple of shows a year. I quickly discovered that the demands on my time were such that even a few shows a year would be extremely difficult to manage. So, I put down the hammer and spent nearly two years learning to be a father and to be a part of my daughters' life.


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After years of trying to get a "round toit" - the Elektric Anvil has been re-integrated into the Celtic Knot. I have closed "ElektricAnvil.net" and am now working on adding new material to the knot.  Come back soon to see what's new at the Celtic Knot.
 
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