Ian Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 (edited) Hi all, well it seems to be coming down to it at looooooong last. I have been formally asked by the Board of Stepping Stones Farm (Soon to be renamed Stepney City Farm) to write and submit a final proposal for the Blacksmiths Forge I started on the Farm over a year ago as a volunteer. This is meant to include a full business plan, projected revenue stream, the whole nine yards in fact. As part of that I'm wanting to put together a presentation in which I would very much like to include some letters of support. I'm not asking people to recommend me specifically for the job (unless they've seen my work and want to) but rather to write letters supporting the 'idea' of a working forge and it's value to the general public and so on. I'm hoping a few of the blokes I met that remember me might chip in but the simple fact is the more letters I can get saying that a Forge is a worthwhile idea the better the chances that they'll give it a go. I'm hoping that it'll be myself and Sean who get the agreement to run it, but it will have to go to tender first so the more I can impress them the better. If you look on my profile you'll find my gmail address, could you send your letters there so I can print them out? It'd be great to throw a massive stack of them on the table at the end of the presentation with the words "Oh yes, by the way, these are letters from Blacksmiths around the world who also think this is a good idea". The Farm has come a long way in the year or so I've been involved but it still desperately needs some sort of income that isn't tied up as a grant, so far my offer of 25% of what the forge makes is the only possible 'free' revenue maker the place has apart from chicken eggs and manure! After some serious digging around I believe we (myself and Sean) should be able to put thousands of pounds into the Farms coffers, if we can convince them that this is a project that has real legs, your support might just do that. Thanks to everyone at IFI for tagging along with my trials and tribulations so far, things are starting to come together! Edited December 10, 2009 by Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Hi Ian, How about trying to get the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths to give you a letter of support? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrous Beuler Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Good show Ian !!! All the stars and planets are lining up for you at long last. I havn't chatted with you since you were down under but I have followed the tour, read the newsprint clippings, etc. (Where can I get an "Ian's world blacksmithing tour" T-shirt?) I'll chime in with a paragraph or two. Fantastic news Ian, no doubt your community will be a richer place with the advent of this forge and may your anvil ring for many years to come for all those hungry for a bit of culture and history for indeed it is their very own culture and history. We all admire your pluck Ian, you will do well in this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 Hi John, I'm part way through writing to them as I speak, I was also thinking of trying B.A.B.A. too. I've got a while before the deadline so I'm hoping to get a few letters from folks like Brian Russell, Pete Oberon, Chris Topp and such as well as the internationals like Moony and maybe even Uri Hofi. I'm lucky in that I've met them all, and worked with some so they might help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKFrosty57 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Ian: I don't know how much good it'll do but I'll be proud to submit my reasoning for maintaining a professional blacksmith shop, especially in a historic setting. I think the farm is a historic facility though I may be wrong. It's period could have a large effect on the products you make but I think talking to neighboring farms, ranches(do you call them ranches in the UK?) and other rural operations about what they might need or find sellable might be even more profitable. From my experience in Alaska, mostly near Anchorage, the state's largest and most modern city, I've found decorative, architectural and ornamental iron work sells best. However, there's a steady if smallish need for hardware like hinges, specialty floor grates, gates, fences tools and such. Anyway, like I say, I'll be happy to write my impressions of the value of a blacksmith shop. A little more specific information about the farm, it's neighbors and the visitors might allow me to target my maunderings a little better. Let me know what you think. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Hey Ian Seeing as my present workshop is also in a historic complex, and I had to convince council to allow me this venture, I would be happy to contribute to your cause. I will put something together over the weekend. Cheers Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 (edited) I will be happy to work on a letter for you. Hopefully, they will hire you especially after all your work and not someone else. It would also make the letters more professional if we had your full name, as in my humble opinion, referring to you as simply Ian is not how one writes a business letter. Having other information such as the names of board members to direct the letter to, and their address also makes letters more business-like. Dave M.E. P.S. : In a course on lobbying that I took, the rule-of-thumb is that politicians count one letter written and mailed through the post as equal to one hundred electronic submissions. Something to possibly consider. Edited December 11, 2009 by UnicornForge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 (edited) OK, so a little background on the Farm to help anyone wanting to write a letter..... The Farm covers 4.3 acres of land in the heart of London, (next to Stepney Green) in the Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is bordered by The City of London, the River Thames, and the East End (all within ten minutes walk of the Farm). It has been in existence for nearly thirty years and was originally derelict land after the Luftwaffe bombed the area during WWII. The local community took over the land and began planting vegetables and keeping small stock and from this it grew into what is now commonly known as a 'City Farm'. These are usually charitable organisations with a mandate to educate inner City children (and adults) about farming and rural life. Something that otherwise they would never experience. Stepping Stones has quite a lot of historical value given that there are several ruins on the land of archaeological importance including one of the oldest Non Conformist Meeting Houses (read: Church) in London, dating from the 16th Century. There are garden plots which the local community use to grow their own food and a wide selection of Farm animals from ducks to pigs and cows. Essentially the Farm is a place for people to experience a bit of the countryside in the heart of the City. The idea for the Rural Crafts Centre is to set up a series of 'demonstration' workshops where those 'rare' trades that supported Farming and rural life can be shown. These would be full time workshops (running as profit making businesses) with the workshops set out so that the general public can safely watch the tradesmen at work. The Forge is an intrinsic part of this broader idea and to the best of my knowledge none of the 17 City Farms dotted around London have a Rural Crafts Centre of any kind. Only one other has a Forge but that is run as an entirely private business and the general public are not encouraged to watch the Smith at work.. My idea is to set up three 'core' trade workshops (covering wood, stone/clay and Iron) with an additional open plan workspace for guest trades to come and present demonstrations and classes on a rotating basis. So one month it might be a Cooper, the next a Wheel Wright, the next a Thatcher, and so on while the 'core' trades provide constant year round courses and demonstrations. Myself, along with Sean, would be the two full time Blacksmiths and we would run the Forge as a truly working forge, taking on commissions, making items for sale and so on. We would also provide demonstrations of Blacksmithing to school groups, and run courses for both adults and children and take on special needs/interest groups as well. The broad aim for the R.C.C. would be to preserve and promote those traditional crafts and trades that are at risk of being lost in today's society. My full name and contact details are : Ian Stuart Lowe C/O Stepping Stones Farm Stepney High Street London United Kingom E1 3DG email: ianstuartlowe@gmail.com Edited December 11, 2009 by Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 Hi all, well it seems to be coming down to it at looooooong last. I have been formally asked by the Board of Stepping Stones Farm (Soon to be renamed Stepney City Farm) to write and submit a final proposal for the Blacksmiths Forge I started on the Farm over a year ago as a volunteer. This is meant to include a full business plan, projected revenue stream, the whole nine yards in fact. As part of that I'm wanting to put together a presentation in which I would very much like to include some letters of support. I'm not asking people to recommend me specifically for the job (unless they've seen my work and want to) but rather to write letters supporting the 'idea' of a working forge and it's value to the general public and so on. I'm hoping a few of the blokes I met that remember me might chip in but the simple fact is the more letters I can get saying that a Forge is a worthwhile idea the better the chances that they'll give it a go. I'm hoping that it'll be myself and Sean who get the agreement to run it, but it will have to go to tender first so the more I can impress them the better. If you look on my profile you'll find my gmail address, could you send your letters there so I can print them out? It'd be great to throw a massive stack of them on the table at the end of the presentation with the words "Oh yes, by the way, these are letters from Blacksmiths around the world who also think this is a good idea". The Farm has come a long way in the year or so I've been involved but it still desperately needs some sort of income that isn't tied up as a grant, so far my offer of 25% of what the forge makes is the only possible 'free' revenue maker the place has apart from chicken eggs and manure! After some serious digging around I believe we (myself and Sean) should be able to put thousands of pounds into the Farms coffers, if we can convince them that this is a project that has real legs, your support might just do that. Thanks to everyone at IFI for tagging along with my trials and tribulations so far, things are starting to come together! OK, so a little background on the Farm to help anyone wanting to write a letter..... The Farm covers 4.3 acres of land in the heart of London, (next to Stepney Green) in the Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is bordered by The City of London, the River Thames, and the East End (all within ten minutes walk of the Farm). It has been in existence for nearly thirty years and was originally derelict land after the Luftwaffe bombed the area during WWII. The local community took over the land and began planting vegetables and keeping small stock and from this it grew into what is now commonly known as a 'City Farm'. These are usually charitable organisations with a mandate to educate inner City children (and adults) about farming and rural life. Something that otherwise they would never experience. Stepping Stones has quite a lot of historical value given that there are several ruins on the land of archaeological importance including one of the oldest Non Conformist Meeting Houses (read: Church) in London, dating from the 16th Century. There are garden plots which the local community use to grow their own food and a wide selection of Farm animals from ducks to pigs and cows. Essentially the Farm is a place for people to experience a bit of the countryside in the heart of the City. The idea for the Rural Crafts Centre is to set up a series of 'demonstration' workshops where those 'rare' trades that supported Farming and rural life can be shown. These would be full time workshops (running as profit making businesses) with the workshops set out so that the general public can safely watch the tradesmen at work. The Forge is an intrinsic part of this broader idea and to the best of my knowledge none of the 17 City Farms dotted around London have a Rural Crafts Centre of any kind. Only one other has a Forge but that is run as an entirely private business and the general public are not encouraged to watch the Smith at work.. My idea is to set up three 'core' trade workshops (covering wood, stone/clay and Iron) with an additional open plan workspace for guest trades to come and present demonstrations and classes on a rotating basis. So one month it might be a Cooper, the next a Wheel Wright, the next a Thatcher, and so on while the 'core' trades provide constant year round courses and demonstrations. Myself, along with Sean, would be the two full time Blacksmiths and we would run the Forge as a truly working forge, taking on commissions, making items for sale and so on. We would also provide demonstrations of Blacksmithing to school groups, and run courses for both adults and children and take on special needs/interest groups as well. The broad aim for the R.C.C. would be to preserve and promote those traditional crafts and trades that are at risk of being lost in today's society. My full name and contact details are : Ian Stuart Lowe C/O Stepping Stones Farm Stepney High Street London United Kingom E1 3DG email: ianstuartlowe@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKFrosty57 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 OK, so a little background on the Farm to help anyone wanting to write a letter..... email: ianstuartlowe@gmail.com Ian: Sounds like you already have a good solid plan. I'll do my best and send it on to you. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks mate, I really need as many people as possible who are willing to take the ten minutes needed to write me an email. I hope to print them all out and come January present the Board with a nice big bunch of them to show just how much support the project I'm wanting to do has. Your letter (and everyone else's) will genuinely go a long way to helping me do this. Everyone who posts here and who's read my blog has an idea of how much effort and time I've put into this dream I've had and it's finally coming down to the wire. I can't tell you how badly I want to do this and make it work, so come on boys and girls, get writing! PLEASE!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Ian, I'm the smith at a historic site. I don't know if it helped or not, but I sent an email on its way to you. Good luck with your endeavor. Keep us posted on the progress. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 hi ian just tried to reply to that - not sure what happened so i will try again - got to be out with the kids today but will be really happy to write you a letter later tonight - good luck with it all sounds like a lovely plan:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I would gladly write a letter within the week for you, I am by no means a good writer but if a little help counts its what i can offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Hello all, Still trying to figure out the new site but I figured everyone would want to know how things went so I'm tacking this here. My sincerest apologies for not individually emailing everyone who sent (or is sending, or intends to send) letters of support. They were VERY useful in getting the Board of Directors to see the potential scope of what the Rural Crafts Centre and specifically the Blacksmiths Forge could offer. So I guess you all want to know what they decided then...........drum roll...YES!!!!!! The fine details still need to be formalised and contracts drawn up but as far as it goes we have a green light! Thunderbirds are go! Now of course the real work will begin but you know what? I don't mind in the least, not a jot. I spent over a year trying to save the Farm by getting involved in how it was run. There is an entirely new Board of Directors and they have the reigns of the Farm. Now I can help by getting the public interested in it again and by generating some of the revenue it sorely needs. It feels great to know that by doing what I do I can still help the place. I'd much rather work myself to death in the Forge than at a computer screen or a council meeting. As I get chance I'll start posting again under the world tour section until something better can be sorted out. Once again thank you to every single member of Iforge and to the Blokes and Gals who've helped me along the way. You know who you are Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 thats fab news ian - how cool - you must be very chuffed - will look forward to hearing how things are going once you get your teeth into the work - really pleased for you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 Good show, Ian!! Really glad to hear that your plan was accepted. Good luck with getting everything set up and up and running. We'll bee looking forward to hearing updates from you, and........maybe a few pix. LOL. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 That's great news Ian! I've been feeling bad for not doing like I said I would and writing a letter of support. Unfortunately every time I tried it turned into a disjointed ramble and I figured it might do more harm than good. You may not notice but you're probably used to my rambly style by now or more sensibly just skipping my posts. I AM so happy for you Buddy. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 LOL Frosty, I have no objection to a rambly style at all. I'm just as guilty of it as you are mate. As a quick update the contract was emailed to me yesterday. Very much written in legalise and something that I need to let a few people I know look at. Some things I know from my read through will definitely need amending before I sign it but on the whole it isn't as terrible as it might have been. In between times progress is being made on the extension to the forge and I've had a chance to make a couple of things, including a nice cube twist candlestick. The reason for that being Sean has possibly found us an 'in' to a very exclusive designer store in London and they might well like to see some examples of what we can do. All things considered this year might turn out to be a pretty interesting one B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 LOL Frosty, I have no objection to a rambly style at all. I'm just as guilty of it as you are mate. As a quick update the contract was emailed to me yesterday. Very much written in legalise and something that I need to let a few people I know look at. Some things I know from my read through will definitely need amending before I sign it but on the whole it isn't as terrible as it might have been. In between times progress is being made on the extension to the forge and I've had a chance to make a couple of things, including a nice cube twist candlestick. The reason for that being Sean has possibly found us an 'in' to a very exclusive designer store in London and they might well like to see some examples of what we can do. All things considered this year might turn out to be a pretty interesting one A free wheeling rambly writing style is one thing here between friends but it's always a good idea to write grant proposals and such with a bit of professional polish. That would include letters of support though I imagine the powers that be would cut a motly bunch of blacksmiths a bit of slack. That's great news on the designer store in London, give Sean a raise! Well, maybe both of you will get a raise which is a better deal all round. I know I was more than happy when Deb's spinner friends all decided the doffers I made were the must have doffer and she sold me out of the ones I had made. Looks like I may have a little $50 something, folk really want that I can make reasonably quickly, 15-20 minutes ea. In a couple months I'll be hosting the local Boy Scouts and teaching the blacksmithing option of the metal working merit badge. As one of the projects I think a flint striker will be popular as will coat hooks, etc. etc. The handbook has suggestions and what they could include to qualify for a badge. What I'm thinking about for another easy to make AND profitable item will be the flint strikers. There are plenty of reenactors hereabouts to sell them to. I was more than able to make the doffers, flint strikers and such by hand, no problem but with the introduction of a power hammer they got quick, really quick. A hand made doffer was about 2 hrs depending on the finial, now they're down to 15-20 mins. depending on the finial. The doxy head took longer than the leaf finial. Another good note on the doffer front is the twist, the cable twist is VERY popular, it looks like yarn, feels good and offers a nice solid grip. I made a couple with a pine apple twists for the handle but the ladies think it's too sharp. Oh darn, I'll just HAVE to make the very much faster cable twist than the unpopular pine apple twist for the same money. Now I'm hoping I discover THAT magic thingy everybody absolutely just MUST have and will be thrilled to get for only $50-$75 each but only takes me 10-15 mins to make. I don't know what the magic thingy is but am keeping my eyes open. I'm thinking a custom designer store might just be the perfect place to discover what the magic thingy is and have a bunch of folk ready, willing and ABLE to pay the piper. Get noticed by the right people Ian and Sean! How's the weather on your side of the pond? Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Super news Ian! Been a bit out of the loop here and am trying to catch up. You have worked hard for this!! GOOD SHOW! Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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