THE fires have been stoked, the forge is lit and the competition is set to be hot, hot, hot. Nevermind the X-Factor, blacksmiths from around the country will be gathering at Finch Foundry in Sticklepath to celebrate St Clement?s Day on Saturday November 17 between 10.30am and 4.30pm. There will be free mulled wine and mince pies for the first 100 visitors. Blacksmiths from all over the country will be at the foundry to practise their art and celebrate their patron saint, St Clement, in the traditional manner. This includes the spectacular ?firing of the anvil.? The traditional ?Old Clem?s Night? began in this way with a huge bang and a shower of sparks. The smith would pack gunpowder into a small hole in the anvil and then strike it soundly with a hammer, causing a small explosion. Anvil firing was also a test of the anvil?s durability, weak anvils would break under pressure and have to be melted down and recast. Many legends surround St Clement with some suggesting he was the first man to refine iron from ore and the first man to shoe a horse. He was celebrated as far back as the medieval period. Roger Boney, custodian at Finch Foundry, said: ?St Clement?s Day is the main highlight in the calendar at Finch Foundry. It?s a fantastic opportunity to see and meet blacksmiths demonstrating their craft in competition.? They will be producing test pieces that are judged at the end of the day. Entry to the event is free and there will be a Christmas shop in the gallery upstairs. So, to quote the blacksmith?s anthem Twankydillo: ?Here?s a health to the jolly blacksmith, the best of all fellows, who works at his anvil, while the boy blows the bellows.?