My son loved to use real clay and a hammer on an anvil and pretend he was a blacksmith. Oh and he had tongs to hold on to the clay. When he got the chance he used a forge and iron - he made a pair of tongs right away. The black smith couldn't figure out how he had done it so easily and by himself. He'd practiced all winter sitting on the floor. He must have been 9 years old. Someone had told him the clay was just like hot metal. It must have been. One time someone asked him to demonstrate how to do blacksmithing inside a school so he took his anvil and some tools and clay. The kids loved it. When the big kids came to do it he shook their hands. Did I mention he has a real good grip? Well they wiped the laughter off their faces and they tried blacksmithing, too. No pranks there. Some of the better blacksmiths practice in clay before they do something intricate.