Jump to content
I Forge Iron

chyancarrek

Members
  • Posts

    1,022
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by chyancarrek

  1. Larry, Words just fail me but please accept our deepest condolences. Our thoughts and prayers for your son and your family! Neil & Lauren
  2. Our deepest condolences Jeff - Your family is in our thoughts and prayers!! Neil & Lauren
  3. You're in our thoughts Ted!! We hope that you and your wife see better days soon! Neil & Lauren
  4. That's my point - don't be sensitive to it. Just put your stuff out there and ask what you want for it. Folk will see it and buy it or not for their own reasons. You're not pretending to be something or misleading anyone unless you're outright lying about your work and it certainly doesn't sound like you are. Just jump in and do it - it's a great way to learn how your work will be received and no one is going to hold it against you.
  5. Why are you worried about it? Why would what you charge for a few off hand items have any bearing on anyone else's business? If others don't have a solid business model that weather's the fact that folk will undercut them then they need to re-examine how they're set up I've only been doing this for a living for a short time (12 years) but I never tuck my tail between my legs or get PO'd because a hobby smith or other vendor undercuts my pricing at a show or online. I had a fella at a show next to me selling POS marshmallow shooters made outta scrap PVC for $5.00. He sells out and I don't turn a dime for some really nice handcrafted work . . . Hey, good on him! He came to the show with what folk wanted that day - that's the way it goes. You've got good looking work, sell if for what you want to get for it . . . give it away . . . treat it like a priceless piece of art . . . it's up to you not us.
  6. I haven't bought coal since about '05 so my info is outta date but I know we used it on occasion at Ft Vancouver a number of years ago and it was hit and miss on quality. I would also buy a few bags when buddies were picking some up for themselves and It didn't seem any better or worse than any other source. . . A good burning batch one time that coked nicely with fine ash then a crummy batch that choked up and made lots of clinker . . . sorry I can't give you a more conclusive answer but I've found no matter where I bought coal from, it always seemed inconsistent.
  7. Sounds like you got dropped into it with little notice and busting tail right up until gate time isn't the best for setting a positive mood along with all the other hiccups- not the ideal formula for building enthusiasm. Especially if you already had a bias against doing shows. Shows/demos/markets etc. are hit and miss by nature and if you're not an established presence, sometimes that can be yet another strike against doing some sales- put one in the experience column and press on. Where was the show located? You mention Ft Vancouver so I'm assuming you're in the NW Oregon/SW Washington area? This "Year w/o Summer" up here has really put a damper on lots of activities!
  8. Sorry Andrew . . . "Bag-memory" never does develop. We've been using our own cloth bags for years and every time we go into the store, the wife asks : "Got the bags?" and I just reply. . . "nope, forgot 'em". So it's back out to the car to grab a handful. Even better is when we leave them at home and have to buy a couple of new ones. I kind of wonder if the manufacturer has coated the fabric with something that impedes specific memory/
  9. I have ideas I want to execute - smithing is part of how I accomplish that. That the "activity" took on a life of it's own is the reason it's now how I make my living. And like Steve says - I like beating the snot outta things and have folk admire it instead of running in terror!
  10. That's an "anti-spectator" anvil. It's canted just enough to make the lookee-loos tilt their heads. When they discover they've got a crook in their neck from watching, they move on. At the historic site I worked at, when we had a "know it all" in the shop, we'd give a signal and one of the other smiths would put a piece of sheet metal in the vise then start filing on the edge of it - after about 30 seconds of that premium sound, the "expert" would high-tail it outta there! That being said, I'm thinking Southshore has it right . . .
  11. Nice BC Michael! I know how ya feel - My place is at the top of a rock ridge and my driveway is a 1/4 mile long and gains about 200 feet in altitude - I've had some slip and slide adventures bringing up loads of coke and over-loaded lumber but so far I haven't had a "reverse" Nantuckett Sleigh-ride Post some pics o' that bad boy when you've got it set up.
  12. Now that's a make-sense Thomas - Get it opened up then use the magnet to pick it out, haven't done that yet. My eye doc said the same thing about using a magnet to pull a surface object off of your eye. Luckily I haven't had to give that a try so far!
  13. Never has worked for me. I've rare earth magnets from 1/8 inch all the way up to ones that'll break your fingers if they get caught between and unless the metal sliver was just barely gripping the skin or really large, it's never helped pull one out. Hence the Xacto . . . But hey, results may vary for other folk.
  14. Nothing wrong with it, but I've never done it - it's not my style. I stopped doing markets and shows and the demos I work are volunteer efforts. I've never seen anyone put one out - it would be considered bad form.
  15. Never used banana - Mom always put on a bit of bacon fat. Seemed to work Ok. Nowadays I just use a No. 11 Xacto blade and slice (or dig) them out.
  16. Pomeroy Living History Farm in North Clark County has done something like this for decades - Last time I was there (last Oct.) it looked like the BS shop hadn't been used in a while so I'm not sure if it's ongoing. They might be a good group to contact for some advice. Here's their website: http://www.pomeroyfarm.org/ Good luck!
  17. Yeah, that one crops up about every 3 months - price never goes down.
  18. Yeah . . . I had a buddy who was giving me a hard time (good natured) so while he was entertaining the visitors, I dropped a piece of 1/2 square at high black heat right behind his heel. That metal glued itself to his boot and it started smokin' up a storm - the visitors let him know his foot was on fire . . . watching him dance around and trying to get it off his boot was some real quality entertainment!!!
  19. Dagnabit John!! Just when I was enjoying all the snarlin'' and snappin' in this dog fight, you go and throw a big ol' sloshing bucket of well-said rationality on 'em . . . Then again, maybe it'll rile 'em up some more . . . I'll just wait a round a bit . . . .
  20. Naww . . . I never smart-mouth em' back, no percentage in it. I just smile and nod and let them believe what they want.
  21. Not anytime soon I'm sure . . . These "arm chair expert" threads are always good for a laugh but I'm surprised Glenn has let this one get this far .
  22. Nicely done Jeff!!! I knew you were a glutton for punishment but my hat's all the way off to you now. I probably won't be able to make it to the WS conference, budget and schedule just aren't lining up. Keep us posted on how the project goes!
  23. I did 5 years as an interpretive smith at a national historic site so here's my top 5 . . . "Whatcha' makin'?" "How hot is that?" "Blacksmithing is a dying art" "Do you make weapons?" AND . . .(drumroll please . . . .) "MY GRANDFATHER WAS A BLACKSMITH!!!" Believe me, these are just the tip of the iceberg. For the most part, folk are honestly curious and appreciative of the info you share but they can come up with some real doozies when it comes to questions and comments!
  24. Beautiful work! Very elegant design and outstanding execution!
×
×
  • Create New...