Forging ahead

Most have seen a western with a blacksmith at work at a forge filled with red-hot coals, a huge anvil and a vice or tongs to hold the horseshoe or wagon part in place as he whales a way with a heavy hammer. For Kevin Nicholson, creating both edged weapons and non-lethal items at his Nicholson Ironworks near Lebanon is where his passion lies. Nicholson, 43, was first bitten by the weapons-making bug as a kid when watched the 1982 film “Conan the Barbarian.” “At the beginning of it, they were forging a sword, and when I saw that, I knew that was what I was meant to do,” Nicholson said. For more on this story, see the LCR.