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Watch below as Steve takes ordinary looking round steel rods and turns them into a beautiful fireplace poker.

	The first step in every project at Cowboy Forge is to get an extremely hot fire going in the coal forge. A blower pushes additional air throughout the coal to bring the fire to approximately 3000 degrees Farenheit, hot enough to soften the metal and prepare it for working.
	Steve turns the hand blower while holding a piece of round steel rod in the fire. This rod is about to become a beautiful, custom designed fireplace poker.
	Once the tip of the rod is hot enough, Steve takes it to the anvil where he hammers a tight bend into it. He keeps bending the rod until it has completely curved back upon itself and form a closed loop. Next, Steve covers the loop with Borax which melts into the seam and acts as a welding flux.
	After placing the flux covered loop back into the hot coals, Steve brings it back to the anvil where he hammers the loop closed, the "forge weld". Once the loop is welded closed a splitting tool is used to cut the loop open on it's rounded end, creating a fork on the end of the rod.
	After applying heat again, the forked end of the rod is shaped with scroll tongs and a hammer.
	More shaping of the forked end.
	The tip of the poker is finished and is left to cool so that Steve can begin working on the opposite end of the poker which will become the handle.
	After applying more heat, the poker is clamped into a vise and turned while glowing hot. This turning creates the twisted rope look that will accent the poker handle.Once the handle is twisted into the rope design, the end of the rod is bent back upon itself and given final touches.
	The finished product, a beautiful and very heavy duty, fireplace poker that will last many lifetimes.
	Detail of the poker's handle.