What is a Master Blacksmith?

[Fred Beagle]

Another old man that I worked for and he later came to work at my father shop was a yankee name "Bill Sherry". He was in late 70s when I knew him and I would imagine he's done passed on to his reward in the sky. But he was a foreman on the Reunion Tower in Downtown Dallas and did all the Stainless steel work.. And while he could do masterful blacksmith work,his main thing was being a layout specialist... The man didn't need a calculator because he was the calculator! He probably hung out with Tesla back in the day lol. And yep he gave me and quite a few others many butt chewing over the years! But I sure miss him all the same,

He changed my life and made me a better man!

[SLAG]

Some folks need immortalizing.

He qualifies.

Sorry I never ran into him.

SLAG.

[Alan Evans]

Well for what it is worth I am an official Master Blacksmith...actually I am even an Eminent Master Blacksmith according to the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths.

And every few weeks I have 50% of the current crop of Supreme Master Blacksmiths round our gaff for Sunday Supper.

This may be the first time I have mentioned it in writing. And it may have come up in conversation a few times. But it actually means very little in the real world. My portfolio is the only thing that counts. But it did come in very handy a few hours after I was given the medal.

My 90 year old mum came up to the Worshipful Company Awards Banquet where I received the silver medal and the Tonypandy award for the year. She hadn't seen any of my London projects in situ so we went round to see the ones close to the City.

We arrived at Saint Paul's Cathedral just as they were closing the crypt to the public. When I explained that I had brought my mum up to see my Treasury Gates, they asked if I had a Security Card, which of course I didn't. They were shrugging their shoulders and about to say go away, when I said "Oh I do have the silver medal I have just been awarded by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths" and showed it to them in its little blue case..."That will do nicely" they said and waved us in!

Alan

 

[Jackdawg]

The guilds are all but gone these days, but they certainly used to control both admission to the trades, and when one could be termed a "master", after serving suitable time as an apprentice and a journeyman..

 

These days it is just a term people decide to use a lot of times. Other times it means you pay for a higher level of licence, and have a few more years experience, no actual measure of skill undertaken (ie a "master builder" works that way here).

[gote]

There is not only one definition of ’Master’. This is one of those words that tell more about the speaker than about the subject.

#1: A Master belonging to a guild was a person who had first learnt enough as an apprentice to get a journeyman’s letter or book from his local guild. He then made journeys from master to master; Working for each and learning more of the craft. Each master would write a short report about the journeyman’s skill and behaviour in the journeyman’s book. Finally, when he had learnt enough, he would make a masterpiece that was judged by the masters of the local guild. If the masterpiece was good enough he could be admitted to the guild as master. Only a recognized master could sell to the public. The guild had monopoly.

Obviously there are no more such masters than there are knights fighting real wars with sword and spear in armour on horseback and they were a European phenomenon. Although guilds that have monopoly disappeared in the nineteenth century, some parts of the old system linger on.

I own the journeyman’s book of one of my great-grandfathers and he journeyed around the turn of the previous century. He did not become a master. He became a foreman. You can still get a journeyman’s letter in Sweden after three years apprenticeship and a passed examination. After another three years study and work as a professional in the craft you may become a master. The master diploma is a document showing that you are a pro in your craft but has little legal significance. I am not a master and will never be since I cannot put in the required number of professional working hours – This has nothing to do with my skill or lack thereof.

In Germany the title is still bestowed after examination by a state examination board and is sometimes a requirement. In Germany you cannot call yourself master any more than you can call yourself a doctor unless you have been officially examined.

Alan may explain what it takes to be a master in Britain.

#2: I am the master of my own house, actions and belongings – including my blacksmith shop - but that is not a measure of skill.

#3: People who are skilled, or believed to be, or saying that they are, are called masters in countries where there is no examination nor standard nor tradition. This is where the confusion comes in. You may be called a master golfer or master thief or master anything and the media are the arbiters. I have great respect for those posters who refuse to call themselves masters. I call myself an amateur – a word that literally means ‘lover’ (of the craft I mean)

[Alan Evans]

3 hours ago, gote said:

There is not only one definition of ’Master’. This is one of those words that tell more about the speaker than about the subject.

#1: A Master belonging to a guild was a person who had first learnt enough as an apprentice to get a journeyman’s letter or book from his local guild. He then made journeys from master to master; Working for each and learning more of the craft. Each master would write a short report about the journeyman’s skill and behaviour in the journeyman’s book. Finally, when he had learnt enough, he would make a masterpiece that was judged by the masters of the local guild. If the masterpiece was good enough he could be admitted to the guild as master. Only a recognized master could sell to the public. The guild had monopoly.

Obviously there are no more such masters than there are knights fighting real wars with sword and spear in armour on horseback and they were a European phenomenon. Although guilds that have monopoly disappeared in the nineteenth century, some parts of the old system linger on.

I own the journeyman’s book of one of my great-grandfathers and he journeyed around the turn of the previous century. He did not become a master. He became a foreman. You can still get a journeyman’s letter in Sweden after three years apprenticeship and a passed examination. After another three years study and work as a professional in the craft you may become a master. The master diploma is a document showing that you are a pro in your craft but has little legal significance. I am not a master and will never be since I cannot put in the required number of professional working hours – This has nothing to do with my skill or lack thereof.

In Germany the title is still bestowed after examination by a state examination board and is sometimes a requirement. In Germany you cannot call yourself master any more than you can call yourself a doctor unless you have been officially examined.

Alan may explain what it takes to be a master in Britain.

#2: I am the master of my own house, actions and belongings – including my blacksmith shop - but that is not a measure of skill.

#3: People who are skilled, or believed to be, or saying that they are, are called masters in countries where there is no examination nor standard nor tradition. This is where the confusion comes in. You may be called a master golfer or master thief or master anything and the media are the arbiters. I have great respect for those posters who refuse to call themselves masters. I call myself an amateur – a word that literally means ‘lover’ (of the craft I mean)

Every master I have ever met was an amateur. They all love their craft and it is their enthusiasm for it which provides the energy, desire and open mindedness to learn and improve.

I have had three journeymen with their German Guild Passport working with me over the years...They were obliged to travel for 3 years and a day and not come closer than 50 kilometres from the home town/master's forge. They all eventually completed their journey and returned to successfully pass the exam at the Meisterschule. Though Journey is a bit of a play on both the travel and the French "jour" as in paid by the day.

The French Compagnon du Devoir run/is a system of training and schools which is vibrant and has many links back to the medieval guild systems and Masonic societies. Their Masters are arguably the best trained practitioners in the world. Serge Pascal for instance won the contract to restore the Statue of Liberty.

Here we have the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths that retain their Associate, Bronze, Silver and Gold award system, mentioned by others earlier in the thread. Bronze being a Master, Silver an Eminent Master and Gold a Supreme Master. But they have only really started becoming anything other than an anachronism in the last 15-20 years. They had become virtually a City of London business gentleman's dining club and in the seventies had virtually lost all links to the craft. Just a few blacksmith stalwarts who judged at the county shows and awarded the medals. At that time their judging system was unable to recognise any quality in forged metalwork if it was not in the eighteenth century style. The current Gold Medal holders have brought them kicking and struggling into at least the twentieth century if not the 21st!

BABA was formed in the seventies because the existing organisations in the UK were not relevant to us as Artist Blacksmiths. We wanted to create works which were not historical reproductions let alone historical pastiche. NAFBAE...the National Association of Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers was oriented towards Farriers. WCB was rooted in the past and formal dinners. BABA took its lead from the open and egalitarian constitution of ABANA. Although many wanted to introduce a two tier membership / professional accreditation system....I, and thankfully a majority of others, fought for the "all welcome and equal membership", which meant that we were all there as gotes' amateurs, all contributing our skills and experience whatever our formal training. It is that open, sharing attitude which is moving us forward, just as here on IFI.

Alan

[Chris Comtois]

"#2: I am the master of my own house, actions and belongings – including my blacksmith shop - but that is not a measure of skill."

Heck, I'm married so I can't even claim that one!