Man I will tell ya it is not like riding a bike or tying your shoe... I have been tied up in a real job, so to speak, for 5 years. It was a lucrative period in my life practicing something I have doen for over 35 yrs. Trouble is it has nothing to do with smithing.. So I essentially took a 5-6 yr hiatus away from smithing..do not ever do this... I enjoyed smithing very much and at 1 time I started to get pretty good... Well the corporate world and I do not get along for many reasons..and this distributor decided that they wanted to "close my department" ...ok fine ... see ya! well I started that department and built it into millions of dollars of production. When I got there they had no idea of where the geothermal was what was a geothermal heat pump or anything to do with them at all... So as they say sie la vie.... So it took me about a week to gather my wits and kinda of absorb the shock of not having to get up at 4 am and find my way 60 miles down the road to commute to an office of which I never in my life had to report before... So now this weekend i was able to go out into my workshop and start to forge again... what a mess!! I had to start making hooks again to re learn the basic hammer control .. that come with hrs of practicing... lost the finesse ... forgot how the metal reacts... hard time keeping a fire going... geez it is like I never touched a piece of coal before. I am sure it wont take too long to regain the spot that I left off but I am sure I will need plenty of scrap metal before I make something I could actually sell again... I couldn't make a leaf I couldn't put a point on a piece of 1/8 round to make a scroll... so My advice to anyone who thinks they can always just go back... good luck , take your time and do not let your ego run the show....stay with it!.