chyancarrek

Frosty, A Turbo for 20 bucks!? Tell me you didn't get the tank with it too. Great score bud!

Hey Frosty, Great shots! Tell your friend - when you starting whizzing molten metal, he's probably past the point where the usual drugs will help . . . Nice looking pour - looks like you guys got it down!

Really nice collaborative work - The two of you make a great team!

Great pics A-man! Thanks for sharing!

I really like his "selling to a Magpie" approach! The sculptor I work for has a favorite quote: " No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public" So sad . . . so true . . .

Solvarr, The interview really resonated with me as well. When people ask me about how I go about selling my work, I tell them: "I don't, I can't. I'm a lousy salesman so what I do instead is advocate it." I have no ability to manipulate people into thinking they can't live without my work - they have to decide it's something they want on their own. I share my passion for the craft with them - I let them know what went into making it - the source of, and the transformation the materials went through ( I use only reclaimed materials), I share with them my intended function for each piece but that the joy of ownership lies with them and how they connect to the work and what they want it to represent. Thanks for posting the interview. What a remarkable and fun fellow!

Hey Archie, I blacksmith for a living so everything I make goes up for sale. I have very little of my own work in my home. Kind of a "cobbler's kids have no shoes" sort of deal. What few gifts I do give through the year (birthdays etc), are all hand made. It's gotten to the point where I can't get away with just going down and buying a gift for someone - they expect if to come out of my forge. Good luck at the market - Let us know how it goes!

Thanks guys - These are great! Keep em' coming!

JWB, Thanks so for you great words! This really reminds me of a special neighbor I had growing up. We called him "Grampa Minton" - I worked for him every year helping with his cows, mending fence, milking - you know all of the farm stuff. He used to put up his hay "old school" - un-baled and forked onto a flatbed trailer then off-loaded in the barn. When we'd finish, we'd sit on the edge of the loft and he'd tell me stories of when he was a kid or his time in Europe during WWII or anything he tough important for a kid to hear. The combination of the smell of the barn, the setting sun and sounds of the livestock below was so powerful I can take myself back there with no effort at all. Your words brought all o' that back to me once again. Thanks! Neil

I was just reading the "words of wisdom" thread and it got me to thinking about something related. What's your shop motto - And what was it's inspiration? Mine is "Light the fires, see what transpires" It came from a demo I was doing about 4 years ago. I got together with a bunch of drummers and we hammered and drummed together from 8 pm on a Saturday until sunrise the next morning - as we were starting, I said "Let's start the fires and see what transpires" . . . it's stuck ever since.

Marc, I like that - " I disagree with your disagreement". All of your points are valid and well taken but there is a lot of "can't be done without going industrial" sentiment out there and it just doesn't have to be true. I think you're right that you just have to dig a little deeper to find us small shop folk - for myself I don't even have a website. I work via established clients and word of mouth. I do a mix of "on spec" work and commissions - between the two I get regular biz and don't miss any meals, I pay the bills, pursue my interests and put a little in the bank so while it's not an exciting lifestyle for sure it is one I love and wouldn't trade for the world! Here's my favorite small scale guy story (besides myself:)): gstongs.com Glen has been making tongs for other smith's and specialty industries for about 4 years and is doing really well for himself. I checked out Ian's site. Nicely done! Good solid product, well executed and presented. It's good to hear he's doing well!

I disagree with the above. My anecdotal example is that I know quite a few smaller operation professional blacksmiths and they're doing fine surviving this economy. "Real income" is relative . . . If someone's personal and business life are so top heavy with debt and overhead that big money every month is the only solution, that's a position they created for themselves and not an absolute defining how you can make a living at blacksmithing. If you set yourself up with an industrial sized operation, if you lease or pay on a loan for a large sq footage shop, pay on a business loan, have employees, etc. then yes, big money is the only thing that will support it. I've been a one man operation going on ten years making nothing but smaller pieces and have always been able to make a comfortable living. I have no other source of income other than blacksmithing and woodworking. It seems many in our craft feel architectural work is the only way to be a "professional" blacksmith and anyone doing smaller work is just enjoying it as a hobby and shouldn't be taken seriously. Has the last year seen a drop in my business? You bet, just as there's been a drop in business for larger companies. But I leverage a bad economy by being much more flexible in my product offerings and reacting quickly by going after markets that can support my smaller operation. Industrial isn't the only way it can be done, it's just a difference of scale and a modest operation can be just as viable as a large one.

"For it's money they have . . . and peace they lack" (Field of Dreams)

Ok, this is going too far - even for me . . . A guy posts a picture of an outstanding anvil and what do I do? I'm eyeballing what looks to be a riding mower trans-axle and thinking . . . "ohh, what I could do with that!" man,I gotta get me some help . . . Nice score on the anvil by the way - it's in excellent shape! It looks similar in size to my 200 lb Trenton but Frosty's right - pop it on a scale to be sure.

Nice work Rusty! Looks like you did a great job putting it together. I agree with Chris - let's see some more pics!

Nice job Paul! It'll be a great addition to the state fair's shop. You did a great job on the pan - forming it over the ball gives you a better feel for how the metal moves than than just hammering into a form.

Yeah, nothing new under the sun here . . . My basic response to anyone who tells me they can get it somewhere else cheaper is " Super! - Sounds like you found what you're looking for!" RegionalChaos has it right . . . focus on the higher end market - even if they don't have a true appreciation for the handmade aspect of your work - they'll use the higher price as bragging rights. There was a recent article in the local paper here about people paying fifteen bucks a cup for gourmet coffee. That same week I had people look at some of my 4 dollar hooks and say: "We'll think about it". It's all about how people perceive value and there's just no way to predict it or understand it. Humans are funny, funny, critters . . .

Once again - outstanding work Adrian! Great job of combining materials for the finished piece!

Just my brother and I left out of our family - I'm not married and have no kids so the personal stuff goes to my bro - my shop will too but if he doesn't want to keep it, I've ID'd my smithing buddies who I want to have first choice and left instructions that they are to get a "smokin'" deal on what they want. After that he can sell it for what he can get. I agree with the above - If you know you're checking out, give your stuff (or sell) it up front so the folks left behind don't have to deal with it. When my folks passed, every family heirloom had a note on it saying who was supposed to get it. We respected that and made sure it all went to the right folk. Sure made out life easier! Unfortunately, there's no shortage of people who start feeding on each other once the estate comes up for grabs. If you've had to go through that, you have my sincere sympathy. It can really tear a family up!

What a great range of shapes that has! I have a cobbler's insert anvil that has the "last" shapes on both ends with an hourglass neck in between. The neck fits perfectly in my vice and I use it as a texturing/light shaping anvil for light steel sheet and copper work.

Thanks Dan! She's been a good ol' girl that I can always count on.

Hey Frosty - yeah, it's handy - it's another piece of old iron. 1962 hyster 3 wheel with an' 80's era mast on it. Being as lazy as I am, it makes for a perfect way to get things from the upstairs sliding door you see in the pic without having to haul everything up and down the stairs! I keep all of my stock and building supplies on pallets so I can move it right up to the roll-ups and pick what I need. Those ol' engine hoists are invaluable tho - I still use mine for the tight space short picks I need to do!

He EV, I've been doing something similar using my Foredom ( higher powered Dremel type tool) and have had really good results - I bought my bits from a surplus seller also and they're remarkable handy for lots o stuff! Key's right - keep those ol' glasses ( or shield) on because the bits do break (it's happened a couple times) and it's a zinger when the pieces come off!

Mine's a 30 x 40 two story Working area on the first floor is 30 x 30 - split equally into blacksmith/wood shop with the other 10 feet on one side for compressor, hardware storage and assorted " what's that?" Second story is an unfinished apartment space being used for storage but will eventually become my office, product photography area, inventory and graphics studio. The lean-to area in the pic will be torn down, then I'll build an extension so I can move my wood shop and turn the main space into just blacksmithing and foundry.

John's sentiment here hits the mark. But maybe getting rich isn't what we should be shooting for - go for making a reasonable living doing what you love. For me, it came down to finding a way to make my wallet less hungry so my soul can feast. I've found a mid-point market between trinkets and architectural work. I specialize in creative functional accessories for the home - serving dishes, small furniture etc. This work carries a much higher price point than the nick-knack market but not the involvement or overhead (and risks) associated with architectural work. The key for me was being honest up front that smithing isn't exactly a high margin craft . . . I countered that by following a model where I bought everything I needed outright - My home and shop are paid for as is all of my equipment. I don't incur new debt (except emergencies) and only buy when I have the money available. I work almost exclusively with re-claimed materials so my upfront overhead is mostly confined to shop consumables and specialty items when it makes more sense to buy them then make them. Is it perfect? Will this approach work for everyone? Definitely not, but I'm making a comfortable living and absolutely thrilled to walk out the door every morning - That's an exchange I can live with!