gerald

Need, Need, Need

Park, Park, Park

Hare, Hare, Hare

My "Jones" started with a web search in early 2003. I'm not sure why, but I Googled "Blacksmithing" and, of course, I got several hits. The sites looked interesting :Keenjunk, AnvilFire, and individual orgs, mainly. There was no IFI then. I bought a book, "A Blacksmithing Primer" by Randy McDaniel. I read it. Didn't understand it. Read it again. Understood more. Seemed like something I wanted to try. A few months laster, I heard a radio ad about a one-day smithing workshop at a local museum. I signed up. Forged some hooks, a poker, a striker, etc. The hook was set. Met a member of of state (OK) organization, the Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Assn and began to attend monthly meetings (hammer-ins). saw some good smiths work who were willing to teach. Still hooked.

Good move, jj. Yer Mama alway told you to count to ten before you flew off the handle.

Care, Care, Care

A friend of mine uses air line hose material for tractor-trailers (semi's). He uses it for short runs instead of elbows and precisely cut/threaded short pieces of schd 40. He buys the material from heavy truck supply houses, cut to length and fitted with compression fittings. I don't know anout max pressure or cost, but it sounds like it would be worth exploring.

Don, I didn't think that your original post was done in a "put down" style. You are right, those of us who demonstrate regularly for the public hear the same old stuff, over and over, and it does get old. The tendency for some smiths (certainly not you or me) is to fire back with a comment that can be perceived by some as being impolite. Some other all-too-regularly heard comments are: "Boy, my Grand Daddy had one of those blower things, and I had to turn it for him. It sure was hard!", or "This blacksmithing stuff is a dying art", and of course, everybody's favorite - The well-worn joke about "not taking all day to look at a hot horse shoe". When we hear this stuff over and over, it is sometimes hard not to come back with a zinger (you're hot, tired, thirsty, got a million other things to do, etc). Just remember, you may be responding to your next customer, or your next customer may be within ear shot, besides, it's good manners. Thanks for starting this thread, and I just realized that I kind of hi-jacked it from the original intent, that is, blacksmiths in the family heritage.

Cope, Cope, Cope

Jymm, Good luck. I hope you can put a plan together so that you can build more of these great tools. I have one of the first editions (thin feet) and it is surprising how much work I can get done on an anvil that weighs only 104 pounds. The pattern really catches a great deal of attention at public demo's and it turns out to be a great "conversation starter". Thanks for the opportunity to buy a quality tool that is truly period correct in appearance.

I agree with CQ. How 'bout a BP?

Tome, Tome, Tome

I once heard/read a good response to the comment "My Granddaddy was a blacksmith": "That's great. I would have liked to have met him." I thought that this was a much better response to the VERY common statement that we all get tired of hearing. Sometimes we tend to get a little too "smart mouthed" with our comments after we have heard/responded to the same old things several times during a demo session.

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb

ome, Come, Come BTW, Firegirl, we appreciate your participation, but please give us old dudes a chance to get a word in edgewise :)

I suggest you go to the ABANA website [ABANA] The Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America, Inc. and click on the "Affiliates" button. There you will find a listing of smithing associations, some of which may be close to you. Many of them have websites where you can learn about possibly smithing activities near you. Good luck.

Pike, Pike, Pike

Coke, Coke, Coke

Make, Make, Make

Lips, Lips, Lips

Let me get in before YYF and say Pope, then he can come in with Lope and we'll be on track.

Pole, Pole, Pole

solvarr, This could be a nice Blueprint. Please consider sending it to Glenn for a Tuesday nite session.

Seems like we've been down this trail before, and I believe my response last time was MILK (I'm too lazy to go back and look), so this time I think I'll submit MULL.

Gilt, Gilt, Gilt