Dallas de Marr

Where exactly in Ohio, oof? I'm in Elyria, OH (about 20-30 minutes SE) of cleveland. Wouldn't mind meeting up sometime if you're close enough!

That's awesome- expensive, but awesome! I'd probably have those for my more "serious" cuistomers, and use something a little more flimsy (ie- cheaper) for the others.

Ouch! You're cutting off a huge potential market! I understand your statement, but think of all the 12 year olds to whom you could sell "magic" horseshoe nail rings, and you can "Accio Infernum" to start your forge... The possibilities are endless! *runs away*

My only addition to the topic is that you might be able to hook some of the younger crowd by using "Raven's Claw" thanks to "Ravenclaw" being one of the houses in Harry Potter- up to you if that's a good thing or bad, though! :)

Thanks! I'll try to enjoy it, though living in an apartment complex just makes me froth at the mouth re: my inability to do anything where I live! :) Fun and learning is always the best combo! A bit..... yeah, right! Yes, I am very much in his debt- I've looked up prices to train with smiths... I realize that they charge even less than what their time is worth, but man.... that doesn't mean it's affordable to me! Yep, we met on here! I think I was whining in chat one day about the closest person being Steve sells (~180 miles away), and the next thing I know there's a PM! I'm noticing the catch up! There has been quite a few times where Steve (when I was up there) and recently Bad Creek had to back up because they whizzed through something that apparently to anyone with the sense to hammer in a nail was obvious, but to me... not so much.

Hello! So, this past weekend I went out to Bad Creek Blacksmith's place, and it was awesome. I arrived Friday night at around 9pm, expecting to just head to bed. Paul was in the shop, so I knocked on the door. The first words out of his mouth after a handshake and hello was "Are you ready to get started?" I was caught off-guard, but very eager! Went and changed into my stuff and we started. The biggest problem is that I have -nooooo- mechanical knowledge. When I tell people that, they assume that I mean no "advanced" mechanical knowledge. Let me put it this way- the first time I ever used a power drill was this past weekend. I used a screwdriver for the first time a month ago, when I had to for my job. When I say -NO- mechanical knowledge, that's exactly what I mean. One of the first things you're supposed to learn is drawing out, and/or beating from square to round. Now, I'd like to think that I'm a smart guy. If you start with square, it's a matter of beating it on the corners, turning ninety degrees and beating it again, then starting to round it out. However, while I can understand this process, I couldn't translate the words to an actual movement. It was INCREDIBLY helpful to have Paul there, who showed me (in slow-motion), how to actually round. It has been said over and over, and I'll say it again- books and videos only go so far. Having someone there to answer when you cry out, "Well, how the heck did this end up like THIS?!" is a godsend. That was Friday night. Saturday shall be officially known as "Hook Day". My first few attempts were failures- I ended up drawing out the metal so thin that I split it like frizzy hair... learning how NOT to do that was another lesson. By mid-day (we'd started around 7, if memory serves), I turned out a couple passable hooks, and I was told to use my imagination. That wasn't good... I'd never been asked to do that before! The last time I tried to use my imagination was third grade, and I failed art! Well, with the help of Paul and one of his friends, I made this quirky double-hook thing, and that was that. I also learned how to use a jig, and how to bend around the horn. Sunday, we started early again- 6:30 or 7. I did some more experimenting, and I did some of the unfolding crosses. After that, I learned how to forge weld- pretty reliably, too! I was shown a trick, and managed to forge-weld the barbecue fork on my first attempt! After that, I turned to the slightly misshapen horseshoe heart you see. This was after a failure or two- this project required a lot of visualization- knowing what something was going to look like before you hammered it, and that is an area where I obviously need some work. However, when I presented it to my wife for Valentine's Day, she treated it like it was perfectly constructed out of solid platinum, so I still count that as a mark in the 'win' category. :) Well, I'm sure I'm missing some things, but that was 90% of my weekend! See the pictures attached for two of me and one of what I brought home!

You know, you're absolutely right. If I had to pick one flaw (out of many ) that hampers me, it's the fact that I'm not really sure how to speak up, especially when I don't know anyone. Like I said, the four hammer-ins I went to were awesome, and everyone there was awesome- but you're right, I need to find someone more local. Where in Ohio are you, again? B)

Wait, WRABA?! Maybe I should join up again. They weren't very newbie-friendly my first go-round. Which isn't to say they weren't hospitable, quite the opposite- it just seemed like everything they did was quite advanced. Stair rails, animal heads with punches.... awesome stuff, but nothing I could do at the moment. I'll have to catch up again- you don't happen to know when / where their next meeting is, do you?

Well, after a year and a half of being forgeless (due to an unfortunate accident involving an ex-girlfriend), and knowing no one in the area who could let me bang around, I finally met someone who had an old setup. He'd banged around for a bit, but had never done anything serious. I was able to get with him today and get my first hammer-time in for 18 months! On a lark, we started banging on railroad spikes, and this is what I came up with: It's half-burned, the twist is uneven, the "blade" isn't straight, the curve in the handle didn't come out at ALL like the vision in my head.... ....but my God, was it good to be back at a forge!

...a good book concerning Russia / Poland during the Medieval (or slightly pre- / post-) period? I'm looking at re-enacting in the future, and for those of you who couldn't tell *cough* my interest lies in Russia. Unfortunately, I can seem to find any number of books on West-European countries, but as one goes east, the information seems to dry up. Now, because I'm asking, I'm sure that one of you will do a five-second search and find something, making me look like a lazy prat who won't look for himself. :mad: That's my luck, anyway. ;)

"You couldn't hit water if you fell out of a boat!" Originally from the movie Dodgeball, but I've also heard it in reference to my hammer control. *sigh*

I live in Grafton, Ohio (the actual township), so the houses are pretty well smashed together. So far, I've not had any complaints, even when neighbors were outside while I was forging. I hope they give me some time before they get upset, as I'm not quite good enough to forge bribes yet. :D

"You're about as trustworthy as a chocolate hammer!" Terry Pratchett, one of my favorite authors.

Doesn't get any better than that! :D

Let's see, my pockets... Cell phone, STNA identification badge, STNA license, wallet, keys (I am wearing scrubs, no back pocket ), $1, paper that had the vitals of my patients on it from last night, silver metallic sharpie, dark blue sharpie.... it's a wonder my scrubs don't fall down around my ankles.

Sounds like someone needs to jot up a Blueprint. :D

Most places in the world there are... just have to finish with my degree. :)

A witty saying proves nothing. ---Voltaire All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. ---Voltaire Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law. ---Voltaire He was a great patriot, a humanitarian, a loyal friend; provided, of course, he really is dead. ---Voltaire I have only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one: O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it. ---Voltaire ...if you couldn't tell, I'm a big fan of Voltaire. :)

I can leave all I want, aye. I just can't get into anywhere. I've tried both Canada and the UK, and neither will accept me because I am not 'a skilled worker'. Essentially, I was told to complete my Nursing degree, which would qualify me for a skilled workman's visa, and then go about it.

Hey, Hephaestus! We could just swap. I'd like to leave, eventually. :P

I also haven't thought of a name on any serious level yet, though I was considering either "Carpe Noctem Forge" or "Carpe Malleus Forge" (Seize the Night / Hammer). Whatcha think?

You know, I leave Maryland and suddenly find people who do all the things I didn't think existed there! :P

Ah, an SLR camera! You don't do things by halves, do you? Those are some nice cameras, not the most user-friendly, though. I sold digital cameras and computers at Circuit City for a couple years, so I probably know more than I would ever want to about them. :D

Taken from the 'story behind your log-in' thread: