Ville de Reidy’s smith is always busy. In a town in which much use is made of horses and carts, Alain Petit and his colleague Alex Franken, who is a professional cart maker, are very important to the close knit community. Alain is a classic "marechal ferrant" in everything he does and he really doesn’t live up to his surname. He is almost two metres tall, has hands like antlers and it is almost impossible to make boots to fit his feet. It’s lucky that he is good friends with Antoine Cordonnier the shoemaker, who makes him special extra large models. As a joke he recently made an eye-catching sign for Antoine from cast iron, depicting the silhouette of his own boot in actual size. As an ironworker Alain is also very important to Didier Abresch. He services the turning mechanisms of the watermill and makes sure they keep turning smoothly in the stream. He and Alex Franken are happy to work on the town’s carts. Alex does the woodwork and Alain the ironwork; this means not only double the skill but also plenty of fun and good company. In addition to a good piece of craftsmanship, such a joint project often ends in a merry follow-up at the "Kayzer's Bar" belonging to Christian Thion. The glass is raised to the project’s success throughout the evening. Particularly as a smith’s work is usually done outside, even when, as now, the temperature drops below freezing point, a stiff drink is good to warm a man’s body.

But for Alain true enjoyment is to be found when his large hands are employed with the fine work of a smith. Such as the sign he made for himself depicting horse heads, horseshoes and curly patterns. Deep down he thinks this work more enjoyable than the rough cart work. It makes him feel a bit like an artist