Tech Rider.
Logistics for venues, planners, and event coordinators.
Everything you need to know to host a Hammer & Fable forge at your event. Forward this to your venue, your fire marshal, or your insurance team — it answers the questions they'll ask.
Hammer & Fable arrives with all equipment needed for the booking. The standard kit includes:
- Forge
- Propane-fueled, single-burner or two-burner depending on booking type. DOT-rated propane cylinders, secured for transport and operation.
- Anvil
- Primary anvil plus up to four railroad-track student anvils for hands-on bookings.
- Tooling
- Hammers, tongs, hot-cut chisels, punches, swages, and finishing tools sized for both operator and student use.
- Safety equipment
- Eye protection, ear protection, leather aprons, leather gloves, and closed-toe footwear requirements communicated to participants in advance.
- Fire safety
- Type ABC fire extinguisher, water bucket, sand bucket, fire-rated mat under the forge.
- Mobile structure
- 1800s-style smithy wagon (8x10 footprint) or tailgate setup off the truck depending on booking. Trailer dimensions tongue-to-aft: 8 by 13 feet.
- Working footprint ·16 by 13 feet outdoors. This includes the smithy wagon, the anvil station, and the forge with operating clearance.
- Spectator buffer ·Additional 4–6 feet around the working footprint for audience safety. Bringing the total recommended footprint to roughly 20 by 20 feet.
- Surface ·Pavement, packed gravel, or compacted dirt. Grass acceptable in fire-safe conditions; tall grass and dry vegetation require additional clearance and a fire watch.
- Access ·A truck and trailer must be able to reach the setup area. The Dodge Ram with trailer is approximately 35 feet end-to-end. Setup areas accessible only by foot path or stairs are not workable.
Hammer & Fable operates a propane forge under standard outdoor open-flame protocols. Specifically:
- ·15 feet minimum clearance from buildings, tents, decorative materials, and combustibles
- ·Type ABC fire extinguisher within reach during operation
- ·Water and sand buckets on-site as backup
- ·Forge mat (fire-rated) under the forge to prevent surface heat transfer
- ·No operation in red-flag fire conditions or active fire restrictions
- ·For events near tall grass, hayfields, or wildfire-prone areas, additional clearance and a designated fire watch coordinated in advance
Local fire marshal sign-off available on request. Hammer & Fable carries fire safety documentation and will coordinate directly with venue safety staff.
Hammer & Fable maintains $2 million general liability insurance covering forge operations, hands-on participation, and event activity. A certificate of insurance with your venue named as additionally insured is available within 48 hours of request, at no charge.
For hands-on workshops where participants forge their own pieces, all participants sign a liability waiver before handling tools. Waiver template available for venue review on request.
Background check documentation available for school and youth programs.
No electrical service required. The forge runs entirely on propane. Operator-supplied propane cylinders cover full event duration.
No water service required. Operator brings water for fire safety and personal use.
Restroom access for the operator appreciated for events longer than three hours.
- Setup ·60–90 minutes from arrival to ready-to-forge. Includes unloading, positioning the smithy wagon or tailgate setup, lighting the forge, and laying out tools.
- Teardown ·60–90 minutes from end of operation to fully loaded. Forge requires 30–45 minutes of cool-down before equipment can be loaded. The site is left clean — no scrap, scale, or fire residue.
- Multi-day events ·Equipment can remain on-site overnight if secured. If overnight security is required, coordination with venue security or a separate quote arrangement available.
- Outdoor only.The forge cannot operate indoors. Covered outdoor spaces (pavilions, open-sided tents, tarp shelters with adequate ventilation) are workable in wet weather.
- Rain.Light rain is workable with cover. Heavy rain may require pause or rescheduling.
- Wind.High wind affects forge flame stability and increases fire risk. Bookings may pause during sustained winds above 25 mph.
- Lightning.Hard stop. Operations cease immediately and resume only after 30 minutes of clear sky.
- Extreme heat or cold.Operations possible in most temperatures. Below 20°F or above 100°F may require shortened sessions for operator and participant safety.
- Cancellation due to weather.Full reschedule or refund available for venue-side weather cancellations. Same applies to operator-side weather cancellations.
- Within 60 miles of Greeley ·Travel included in standard pricing.
- 60–150 miles ·Travel quoted by trip. Typically $1.50–2.00 per mile each way.
- Beyond 150 miles ·Travel plus overnight lodging quoted separately. Hammer & Fable does not require luxury accommodations — a basic hotel or coordinated lodging with the event is fine.
- Multi-day events away from home base ·Lodging covered by venue or quoted into the booking.