GRiley904 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 well i ave come to alaska for a while and was thinking i might run into another smith while im here in anchorage. i was wondering how many there were close by and whether or not they would be willing to have some company in the smithy and maybe pass something on to a fairly new smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Welcome aboard G, glad to have you. How long are you in the State? I humbly admire your timing, the Association of Alaskan Blacksmiths are a pretty young and smallish club so we meet quarterly. Next Saturday, Oct. 17th. is the club meeting better yet it's in Anchorage.Good timing eh? Can I get you to buy me a lottery ticket next time you're where you can?We're getting more beginners and are making demos and basic techniques a larger part of meetings.There are a number of guys in Anchorage though most have paycheck jobs. I'm about 50 miles out of town on the skirts of Wasilla and am retired.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiley904 Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 that is great timing. not sure how long i will be here actually 6 months at the minimum might just stay depends which opportunities present themselves. hopefully i can make it to the meeting.i'll buy you a ticket if you split the winnings. going to start the job hunt soon and get a sstate id card. im still adjusting to things here i just arrived saturday night and came from florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Alaska winters are just like Florida summers. You'll love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Wool long handles and socks are a must! Wiggly is the only sleeping bag and do not work so hard you break a sweat. The advantage of cold over heat is you can always put on more clothes... Raised in phoenix and the army sent me to germany, can you say mountain warfare school in the winter of 85?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Uh, you came to Alaska in FALL to look for work? Tightest time of the year, seasonal outfits are shutting down. Still, there's always work for folk who want it. Even the next 6 months ought to be enough to hook you. Lots of folk, especially military get sent here and can't wait to get away. Then within about a year they're back for good. It's funny how that works.You probably won't need long handles if you land an inside job but we do recommend socks or even the run to the car can be less than pleasant. Oh and shoes, shoes and socks in winter is a pretty important tip.Shoot me a PM I'll see about getting you hooked up with the Anchorage gang.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiley904 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 it was my intention to come check it out in the spring but there was a family emergency and i was forced to come up early and i was a Florida roofer used to extreme heat. this will definitely be interesting. thanks for all the advise my sister has been here for a few years and is helping me while i help her. funny i get up here and see people with short sleeves and im already rocking a couple layers. couple of em chuckled. i say come see a florida summer from the roof top and see how they fair. because if it is 105 on the ground it is 125 on the roof and i bet yall never see that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I remember my dad wearing a jacket to school the first summer we were in Phonixe. He was in trade school, fresh of the carrier from a tour in Veitnam. I attended the same school nearly 20 years later, and they kept the classes so cold I seriusly considerd falowing suit. You'll adapt, but take the cold seriusly, as a roofer you became a bit blasay about the heat, but if you get carless with the cold, you can loose fingers, toes, ears, nosses and other parts better not mentioned... I still suffer from chillbaine, do to frost nip of my hands and feet. Only takes stuck in a snow drift overnight in you "inside" clothes, or overheating in your outside clothes with no chance of drying out your base layers. Anchorage is a modern city, but if you diside to go visit Jerry, pack a car kit. The job hunt should be fairly easy, as you already have a network started in Jerry and the other Alaskan smiths, how are you at shoveling snow? Lol had to have a training sesian myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiley904 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 im sure ill figure it out but i have never had to shovel snow before. believe me im taking it very seriously loading up on long johns thermals and insulated clothes. trying not to sweat will probably be the hardest part for me. i do have moisture whicking under armor and good advise coming from all angles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 A friend of my old boss got drafted into the army during the Vietnam War. He was from Puerto Rico and had never even experienced below freezing when they sent him off to mountain training school. He decided he'd better start liking the cold, so he switched to cold-water-only showers and ended up becoming the president (in later years) of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. There was once a great photo in the paper of him on the beach on New Year's Day, sitting on a block of ice and eating a popsicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 The senthetics are ok, but they get funky. "Cotton kills" is a reality. Marino and other wools are not cheap and take a bit of care, but they acualy lroduce a bit of heat when the get damp (we perspire a bit all the time) and they don't suport bacterial growth like other mateirials. Polly or nylon wool blends are cheaper and more durable. As the temp dropes give up your gloves and switch to mittens, thiker fingers just have more surface area to radiate heat."if your feet are cold, put on a hat" is another peice of advice that stands the test of time. The notion that we loose most of our head comes from a time when men wore long pants, long sleaves and most generaly a jacket. So indead you did. but a set of thermals, and a good hat will go a long way to keeping your feet warm, as we chill the body cuts circulation of to the extremities, chilling the feet and slowing the brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiley904 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 Mr. Charles this is some golden advise thank you very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 (edited) Problem I ran into was that it was so ingraned in the folks from colder climants that they forgot to tell you about the nitty gritty little detailes. Like avoid pack boots, they aren't water proof enugh for break up or freese up, but hey don't breath well enugh for dry cold. Two pair of pack boot liners and insoles, put one pair in a good rubber over boot are the bomb for freeze up and break up, rotate liners dayle so they dry. If your out in it moccasans or mucklucks o er the liners for dry cold, they breath and grip snow better for snow shoing etc. vests are also a great layer and a place to keep EDC gear. Dress so that you are chilly standing around in the morning. Light work will keep you warm, and you may have to shed layers to keep from overheating. Keep a heavy coat to trhow on for extended times your standing or siting around in the cold. Myself, I don't wear my insulated overalls much here, as anything over zero I overheat just walking 250 yard to my parents place. But oklahoma can see 110 to -10, and I have seen 80 degree swings in 24 hours (70 to -10) and day time highes colder than nighttime lows. Watch Ebay after Xmass as the coledge kids unload filsan and LLBein woolens that their grandparents bought them Edited October 13, 2015 by Charles R. Stevens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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