beth

yep - there are a LOT of things involved in running your own business that have nothing whatsoever to do with the pleasure of bsmithing! i guess its called Work for a reason! Theres no reason why you cant learn those skills too though, and the more in depth courses will probably run through some basic business stuff. i think by getting yourself on some kind of a course you will see if it is the right thing for you, and if it is, you will be able to manage the rest by hook or by crook :)

i would see what the course is like, the type of elements of the work you enjoy and worry about the actual Job later - there are so many directions you can take with this subject, either working for yourself, or someone else - when youve been through the course youll be in a better position to see where you want to go. and there will be opportunities at that time that are specific to that time, like anything else. best of luck! i hope you get on a course if thats what you want - its what id have done if i had not got children and other things to think about ! .

hi paul - im uk too - if i were you i would get yourself onto a good blacksmithing course like hereford, or if you dont want full time, or cant do full time, look on the uk blacksmiths guild on here, they do lots of short courses that will help you get up to speed and see what kind of things you can learn. im pretty sure im right in saying apprentiships are few and far between now, due to most people not being able to afford taking one on. but you might be lucky - keep asking around. i reckon a course is a good idea if your straight out of school. :) go for it !!

joshua what would you have?

i would like another electric plug point, and the mental tool of patience... :/

jk - its probably cos i like those kind of stories :) when i say spooky i mean kind of otherworldly - like a man eating plant or a stone pillar that turns into a rose or something that has a bit more Life in it than your average plant :) i really like it !

jk i love that! it has something like a spooky fairy tale plant about it :) the leaf reminds me of a flame too somehow. i agree - it looks way bigger has a weighty look about it :)

that looks really nice tubbe - simple and good. very satisfying to breathe life into your father's old chest too :)

ian - nice observation :) gundog - aha!! a youngun. well roll on october then !!!

gundog - im intrigued about the pre october orange juice... :) your name implies shooting, and october - the pheasant season??.. so you save yourself till the shoots begin, and then after october its sloe gin all the way? :)

why is it a womans knife gundog? is it a cooking kind of knife? i like it it looks good :)

kevin ive never seen a table like that! its great :) the bottoms look like they are soft like liquorice. very groovy! i like how you made the ring in links...

wow! what beautiful casts! ... fabulous idea... so long as nothing in residence... ;)

keep thinking about this now - if you dont trim the wick it will burn a bit sootier, so maybe deliberately cut back the wax for a longer wick to start iwth. apparently a draft encourage smoke too, so if you gently blow the flame it might have some effect?

what a beautiful idea - it reminds me of the way they used to (maybe still do?) collect soot from the candles used to illuminate mosques, using elaborate air circulating systems to make sure the soot didnt gather on the internal stonework, and collecting the soot in purpose built chambers within the architecture. the soot was used to make a very good quality ink used for calligraphy used on all kinds of documents. soot is very cool - i would suggest as frosty did an old mucky oil lamp or i think it would be worth sourcing some older candles from somewhere (ebay?) i would be interested to know which type of wax means it burns with a blacker soot... such an elegant method of marking spots that need working..

yes frosty - the simplest things are also complex and far reaching - which is why they are such good food for thought :) and your father - he sounds cool :)

charles - Really??? i just thought it was helpful advice so i posted it on here :) and this, like the best value advice, applies to every aspect of life - not just blacksmithing...

bryan i will certainly pass that on to the P.Laureate :)

bryan no problem at all - he is finding somewhere safe to live away from this flooded area he found himself in, but i dont really know details of what he will do when he gets there - he has his tools, i know that :) he will work something good out im sure. he is a MOST resourceful individual :) ! i know you worked with jake before - its nice you were asking after him.

its ok - he is fine (amazingly) he is not near internet though bryan - so he wont be emailing for a bit i shouldnt think. he has been very lucky by the sounds of it.!

nice quote frank :) and yves comment - this is what i mean, about the importance of directing consciousness at both hands. frank chi kung is something i have learned a lot from myself - it is such a far reaching and interesting set of techniques, (also kung fu for slightly different reasons) the chinese seem to understand this stuff instinctively. today i did all my veining - no dinky taps, all solid and definite, i was like a zen automaton!! put a vein in and gave more shape to 40 approx 3 inch wide leaves, in about 2 hours - which for me is hugely better than normal. just through being more aware of both hands not just the striking one :) very pleased. thanks alan :)

i didnt really mean quite that guys :) i am not talking about getting the less dominant hand up to the speed of the other, but the point was being more CONSCIOUS of the hand that is seemingly less active, and paying more attention to each hand separately within the whole job your doing, regardless of wether its your dominant hand or not. it is too easy to overly focus on one hand in a task, to the point where the other hand, who has just as important a role, left hand or right, dominant or non dominant, is in the background and therefore needs to be brought to better conciousness. i may only be speaking for myself of course :)

:) have had a lovely revelation after a conversation i had with alan evans yesterday - who is a fantastic wealth of experience, information, knowledge and ideas, and also a very thought provoking fellow, and he mentioned the idea of having a non passive left hand ( or right hand if you are left handed) It was in the context of punching letters with small punches and my frustrating inability to do it well.. he said how important it is to be mentally and physically engaged with both hands for this, so not just hold the punch passively and forget about that hand, but actively hold it and proactively hold the punch Down onto the work, thus making it very much harder for the punch to skid jump etc. this may well be obvious to most of you pros, but for the other novices out there like me, it might turn a light on - acting on that advice has made SUCH a difference today, and i wasnt even punching letters - i was veining leaves, which is normally a bit of a mess and struggle for me, but i found it infinitely easier once i had conciously engaged my left hand. it was a revelation not just with that task in particular, but every last thing i have done in the workshop today :) i also think that above and beyond the physical help youre giving the work by employing both hands conciously and properly, having a strong Intention with anything your doing helps it in leaps and bounds. thanks mr evans :) a true gem you passed on there - for me anyway!

well remembered alan, have been up to pete oberons school myself and had entirely forgotten, it was so long ago! he was very good and i learned a lot - a very friendly man. i also have a young friend at hereford at the moment who is absolutely LOVING every minute of it... so much choice! :)

look at the blacksmiths guild section on here - really good value courses, its a long way for you to go from 'up north', but you could camp! thats what id suggest :) john b is your man on here.