Your two cents

[Dan OHare]

It is good to see a permanent heading devoted to safety here on the discussions board. Blacksmithing was fading into history but has been enjoying quite a revival over the past several years. More and more people are coming into the craft and so it is growing at a fast pace. Many people getting into blacksmithing are from an industrial background i.e. welders, machinists, etc. etc. and so of course have had lots of exposure to safety training. Newcomers to blacksmithing are coming from all walks of life and so that means many of them have had no experience with safety training at all. The things that most of us are familiar with may be a complete mystery to someone else such as why there are right and left hand threads on gas fittings, etc. etc. etc. There are lots of hazards just waiting to jump up and bite the unaware. SHARE THOSE MORSELS OF WISDOM HERE, you just might save someone a trip to the E.R. or worse. Let's hear YOUR two cents. Keep on hammerin'. Dan.

[primtechsmith]

I was told once by a veteran smith not to over react to a situation. People get hurt worse when they over react to something. Stay Calm! I have kept this in mind the few times I have needed it in the forge and in everyday life. It has kept me from hurting myself worse.

Peyton