Dillon Sculpture Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Your tongs are shinny. You have no more left hand gloves. Your out of gas, again. If it feels like your on fire you probable are. You forget to take you earplugs out until dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 You pick up the kids from school with dirt smeared on face, lines from goggles embedded into your forehead, and scale covered steel toe caps... when all the other mothers are dressed smartly :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle Brooks Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 tryin to explain that its really ash from the flux and not dandruff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Colleen, That is a funny one for sure. Where we used to live most of the dads on school open house night were "professional" men, whatever that is and it sort of shut them up when they asked what I was and I would reply "blacksmith". They didn't shake hands with a fellow with one really black hand with a strong grip, afraid the dirt would rub off I guess. I always had more interesting stuff to show than spread sheets or law books on share your parents occupation day. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 You are so right about the share your parents days/nights. Trouble is that I think the days of me showing up at school with a fire and hot iron are over. I have to do a FULL risk assessment and submit it to the school before even turning up, not to mention the Child Safety course I have to complete. Its all in the insurance industry and the Australian habit of importing all the american hobbies, like suing each other. Still, the kids keep dropping in for an arvo of hammering but not through school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 On the days I used to pick the kids up at school(back when I had long hair)I used to just wait out by the car or bike but couldn`t help but notice all the "professional" parents used to congregate just inside the door and look my way alot while talking. While waiting one day one of the "professionals" strode past on his way to the BMW when his kid stopped in front of me and just stared."something on your mind son?" I asked him. He looked me in the eye(good for him) and said"I think you look like a girl!". I walked over to him crouched down to his level and looked straight back at him before asking"What was that?". He didn`t even flinch but I could see his dad shifting from foot to foot trying to coax him to the car.Once again he said "I think you look like a girl,and my Dad does too." This sent his dad`s shifting about into overdrive and he started to call his son over to him. I put my hand on the kid`s shoulder looked in the direction of his father and told him"Well boy,if you two think I look like a girl then your Mother must be REALLY,REALLY ugly.Now get to the car son." and steered him in that direction. Gotta hand it to the little guy.He sure showed more class and nerve than his Dad that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie C. Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 There is a permanent black hand print on the shower curtain and the wall. When you blow your nose and its all black. Your white socks are now grey. Your hands have a black tint to them, even when they are clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 When at the end of the day you rest your hand on your anvil and burn yourself, takes alot of hard swings and some large iron to bring a 175lb anvil to an uncomfortable temperature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 "you can't get rid of the smell of burnt hair because it's the hairs in your nose that were singed by the dragon's breath" Shoot last time I did a demo at a middle school *I* had the principle put it in writing that I could bring knives and swords onto school property to show. Did a demo at the University yesterday; just showed up and set up in front of one of the buildings and had the class come out to watch. The Prof said she would rather beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission...Always good to have some profs on your side in a University town... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec.S Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 when a week later from forging you still have coal dirt on your hands!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 when you clean up reall well and nobody recognizes you anymore! when your hammer callosus get to be 1/4 in thick!When you can use your hand as sandpaper.. when you answer questions with HUH? cause you were working the power hammer too much without earplugs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasklking Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 ....you run into the devil and he remarks, "Hey, we have the same cologne!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forging-fool Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 When you are so hungry that you can no longer carry a conversation that requires more than a yes or no from you. When the large slack-tub it hot enough to cook a leg of ham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 You don`t wear out your clothes,you burn them out. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 A bunch of little spark burns on my forearms, usually ignored and noticed by the 10 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 When the kids bring their friends over to show off the fact that you can flip steaks and burgers on the grill with your bare hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 You know you been forging when you boil half the water out of the full size whiskey barrel you use as a slack tub by lunchtime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 When you hold your beer in your non-hammer hand at the end of a day.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Dave Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 When your forging clothes get placed in their own separate pile away from everything else to be washed. And the wife wants them taken off before you even sit down on anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Outside, and you live in a crowded area! (I sometimes think my wife would like to have a high pressure fire hose where she could clean me up before I got *near* to the house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I worked well servicing for a short time when the oil boom was winding down and my wife would NOT allow the work clothes in the house.We had an old wringer washer outside just to wash the work clothes. Some nights I`d come home so covered with carbon black I had to strip down,pour a can of motor oil over my head and rub it in to loosen the black up and then use up a 1/4 bottle of cheap dish washing soap getting the oil off before going in the house. Most homes in the oilfield had at least one area outside,around back that had a mixing valve like a shower and a concrete or stone slab just for that purpose. My wife never complained about washing the clothes with "that metal smell" after having to deal with the clothes that came from both the oil patch and the ones from the fish holds when we worked on the fishing boats. Other professions may make clothes smellier or harder to clean but nothing tears them up as quick as metalworking,Not even roofing. Roofing is tougher on shoes though. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 When I was working in the deep Anadarko Basin, (OK), we had a time when they went to spray a load of pipe with corrosion inhibitor---in a 30 mph wind with lots of dust and didn't bother to tell us what they were doing or that our cars were downwind. Came out of my logging unit and one side of my old van is a nice sandy black as was my boss's yellow sports car! We informed the company man that we were shutting down logging to work on our vehicles. Had to wash them with diesel and then with rig wash and with the sand it made a nice matte finish. No loss on my old phone van but my boss was a bit more than warm under the collar... I have picked up an old stainless kitchen sink that I will be installing on the side of the shop extension and plumbing to use with a hose running through a solar heating unit and draining to a dry well so I can clean up a bit before getting into the house as my wife would prefer me not to use *her* kitchen sink to clean up in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Your finger prints are shiny and slick from all the mildly hot steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 As I`m sure you know,Thomas"If Mom ain`t happy,ain`t nobody happy". ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 When you forget to eat another meal until it's too dark to see anything except by the light of the forge. I used to take my smithing equipment to school, they never let me light the forge but I took copper to show the kids how it was done. I also took my turtles and tortoises to school, the kids loved them. The principle however thought that my metalsmithing talk was not appropriate for children headed to professional careers. There is absolutely no type of industrial arts education in our school district. Then she started asking me if I thought that turtles and tortoises were healthy for the children. Whenever I took the critters to school I always took cleaning supplies(soap, paper towels, disinfectant, spot carpet cleaner, hand sanitizer) and after the kids handled a turtle I had them all wash up in a sink. No one ever got sick. The middle school art teacher had me do a cold bronze casting demo for the art classes but the principle told me not to come again as industrial arts were not a part of the curriculum of the district. The high school biology teacher ask me in a couple of times but here again the principle thought the risk was too great for the students health. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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