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I Forge Iron

Who am I and what am I doing here?


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Im not as confused as the title sounds... I really think I have a pretty clear idea who I am and what I am doing here..


But I thought it would be interesting to see how other people saw themselves...


Who I "am" is a tradesman, I do the average day to day work of a tradesman... I fix things and build new things but its average work.. I am not a master or specialist... I aspire to someday be a craftsman but I know I will never be one of "those" guys who has there name in the title of a book... The reason I will never be one of those guys is because I am a generalist... many many things pull at my attention... Most are related to metal but a handful are not...

I am a machinist, blacksmith, tinsmith, welder, fabricator contractor and repairman.. and because I am happy to do all of these things I will never have the focus to be "great" at any of them... And I am ok with that... I use to get depressed when I would go to a conference and look at the astounding work of a great smith... I would think, "why do i even try? I'll never be able to do that" But what I have come to realize is that even though I might never be able to do what "that guy" does I can and will do things that I feel good about and am proud of. I associate what I do with who I am... I use to call my self a ironworker... because I worked iron (ok steel but ironworker just sounds better) but now I call my self a blacksmith.... I changed because my idea of what A blacksmith is and what he does has changed... I used to think of a blacksmith as someone who dealt with hot iron and stood at an anvil... And the more I have learned the less I see the old town blacksmith that way.... I think he was a fixer and builder of things... I think he used everything at his disposal to do his work.. He was a ironworker, he made the iron do what he wanted any way he could....

Anyway, Im a blacksmith... Im a blacksmith who knows (or kind of knows) how to run a milling machine and can tig weld and can build you anything from a set of titanium tire irons to a stainless steel smoker.... Thats who I am....

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I have the same problem, I can do many things and I'm not a master of anything. (Yet!)

Now, here is what I think about you and what you wrote monster.....I have seen your work, I have seen pictures of your shop and your machines. You should be proud, and I'm sure you are. I have always thought that MOST people today go to work, come home watch T.V., attend to yard work, take a vacation once in awhile, and thats about it. Craftsmen such as ourselves I believe strive for more, we have perhaps over active minds, and want a more fulfilling life. When I'm seventy or eighty and look back at my life I don't want to say to myself that all I did was go to work and watch sports. You do excellent work and you will be remembered for it.

Who am I?? I'm not sure.... I blacksmith, travel and explore, fossel hunt, read and study history, own classic trucks, too much my wife says. I'm not sure which of these things are more important to me. (Actually blacksmithing and history first before the others.) But then again traveling is high on the list. You see, I can't make up my mind. :( For instance, I'm planning to take a trip to Yellowstone in one of my classic trucks in the summer of 2011, I think about the trip then switch to thinking about history sometimes while I'm blacksmithing in my shop. It drives me crazy!

Who am I?? Confused....

P.S. - You know Monster, you made me think. I had to come back to this topic. I guess it may be easy for some people, they know who they are and what they do. I never have! I have always wanted to master something and produce something special or meaningful. I need to nail this down before it's too late! Thanks for this topic.

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I admit that I have not devoted enough time to the art to expect mastery of even some simple processes (hammer control, punching, etc). However, I have found within the past few months that I am gaining some proficiency in making woodworking tools ('crooked' knives to be specific). It's a simple affair by comparison to other bladework, but has served to teach me important aspects of drawfiling, gauging material in comparison to the finished piece, tempering, and so on. Right now, various orders for carving knives are helping pay for my new flintlock (I teach 18th cent. history as a hobby). I am currently entertaining the thought of making knives consistently and making a small business out of it. The trick is marketing though, and I don't know if I'll kick myself in the butt enough to do it.
Like the deceased Mike Ameling, I've been working on various flint striker designs and have had very good luck with them. Now that he's no longer with us, I'm the only one in the (reenacting) hobby making sheet iron pipes (that I know of). I've got a few niches I can fill... Just wonder if I can motivate to do it
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Who I am is what I've made myself - What I am is satisfied.

Does that mean that I don't strive to improve, or to seek more? No, but it does mean that I'm incredibly comfortable in my own skin and that I'm on the right path.

Of the things I've been, son, brother, husband, friend, enemy, farm hand, pine cone sorter, yard dog, production supervisor, furniture designer, furniture maker, illustrator, metaphor man, mentor, diver, foundry man, blacksmith, friend to dogs and horses . . . all of these things are in me and come to life in my work. They help me take in the world and encourage me to see it with eyes that are not my own in the hope I'll view it as others do and maybe in some small way, understand them.

I hate none, envy few, admire many and I have one simple ambition: that at the end of it all, someone will remember me and say - he was a good man.

Thanks for asking the question Larry - I tend to not focus on myself - It made me slow down a touch and peek inside. Good for the soul, that.

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This is going to take some thought so I`ll have to get back to you.

That you do all the things you do and still take time to be introspective enough to keep coming up with topics like this that keep steering us toward self evaluation and cause us to reflect on who we are and what we do says a lot about who you are.
I know one thing for sure though.When I grow up I want to be just like Larry. :D

Now I have to put on my Grampy suit and prepare to herd the grandkids.Big do-ins here at Happy Camp.
As I said I`ll get back to you.

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I also called myself an ironworker for years, I mean thats what it said on my paycheck. Of course when you say "iron worker" people think you work high iron erecting buildings, bridges,etc, Id have to explain "No, wrought iron", pause,.... "oh so your more an artist". And you see I dont think thats the case.

Now that I dont have a job ( I quit to start my company 5 years ago) I can call myself whatever I want like Monster said its all metal related. Heck I even listen to metal brutal hardcore stuff. People have called me Metal Marc for many years because of the music thing and then asked what I did well obviously what else would I do.

I went canoeing recently one afternoon of course I was in the shop working beforehand. I had put on some sun screen, well I must have had some iron dust on me because within an hour I was rusting looked like an xxxxx xxxxxx. Friends were making fun, Metal Marc is so metal he doesnt sweat he rusts.(btw thats why its important to shower).

So basically people can call me whatever they want to and so can I but what it boils down to is what Im doing to get paid this week Im a copper smith next Ill be a blacksmith and the following week ill be on vacation so dont call me.

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Larry, you have a way of making people think. And yes, sometimes that hurts!! LOL. Who I am is a metal worker. I've been a metal worker for over thirty years. I have done sheetmetal, structural, and also welding. Then I started getting serious about blacksmithing. I now call myself a blacksmith. Master? Never will be!! Journeyman, probably not. But I always try to do my best when making or repairing anything. Sometimes I have to come up with an "off the wall" way of getting something done. That just makes me think through a project and keeps it interesting. I listen to my customer and try to visualize exactly what it is that they are wanting. Then try, to the best of my ability, to make it like they wanted. I guess that more than anything, I now call myself a blacksmith. Thanks for getting the old cogs turning, Larry. :D

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I have enjoyed taking stuff apart and making things since I was very small. I took a toy gun apart when I was about 6 and could not put it back together. My grandpa patiently showed me how to fix it then sternly said, "Don't do it again!" but of course, I just went off and did it again - that time I put it back together correctly. Both my father and grandfather were mechanical people and my dad used to walk in with something and say, "I'll show you how to do this once, then you show me". That exercise instilled an instinct that allows me to watch something once and get most of it, especially if I'm allowed to repeat the process soon after seeing it. I subsequently grew up making model boats and airplanes, and flint arrowheads and boomerangs, and helped the older men in the family butcher animals and make sausage; fix carburetors and rifles and lawn mowers, etc. etc. This is not a special talent as I believe many people possess it but like all talents, it must be used or will be lost. Some people are born musicians or have athletic builds but they still must hone the skills or nothing comes out of it. There is a parable in the Bible about "talents" that speaks to this...

Therefore, I simply call myself a "craftsman" because many people already refer to me that way. They don't know I can forge something if I'm asked to make machined parts and no one thinks about metal work if I'm framing a house. In the vast scheme of God's plan, that is also why I am here.

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Hmmmmmmm. Who am I? I am many things to many people. Some know me by my work, others by my personality, or interests.

My Dad fed my mechanical interests by bringing things home from DRMO auctions, and telling me "I want this totally disassembled without breaking anything." We did a lot of things together over the years, and I learned many things from him.

I have worked as a machinist, fabricator, shop owner, automotive lift tech, all around plant maintenance mechanic for a candy company, dental metals foundry employee, gunsmith, and a tech for a machine gun dealer. Those jobs have given me a skill base that includes machining, Tig/Mig/Arc welding of SS/Ti/Steel/Aluminum/Magnesium/Cast Iron, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, steam, concrete, investment casting, air compressors, various pumps, piping, electrical controls, induction heating,and a few more.

Outside of work I am known by others as somewhat of a Renaissance man due to my wide range of knowledge (gained from not having anything somewhat resembling a social life for many years :rolleyes: ), and artistic abilities. I do woodcarving, leatherworking, ceramics, photography, drawing, blacksmithing, lapidary, woodworking, and more. Other interests include all things automotive, rockhounding, fossils, aircraft, shooting, alternative construction, energy efficiency, and alternative energy for starters.

Some know me for my cooking abilities, and I have become somewhat of a master-baker after many years of being single :lol:

Some know me as a guy who loves the outdoors, hiker, backpacker, fisherman, hunter, former Scout Master, or camp counselor.

Some know me as a loyal friend, and always ready to lend a hand when needed.

I know myself as a frustrated artist, inventor, and stalled entrepreneur. I have an idea of what I want for my future, but not sure how to achieve it. I have several ideas (close to 60 now) for products, and services that I would like to try to bring to market. I would also like to be able to make a living by, or just be able to pursue my artistic endeavors, in a more defined manner.

Then there is the overriding fact that I will be 45 in July, and I am still single. This one fact has had me doing more inner searching than anything else.

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For me the question is, " What do I want to be when I grow up? " I too like all the rest who have posted have run the gauntlet being a metal fabricator. In fact, when asked I tell people I am just a beginner. This is because I have been blessed with such a wide array of work and experiences. When I have told people what I have done, the look I get from them is one of, he must be lieing.

I have also gone to conferences demos and have been in awe of the work and the people there I am still intimidated to show my work. This is also why I have not posted much of my work on this web site because of the great talent that visits here.

All that being said my true passion in life out of all the things I have done is to heat metal, beat and shape it into functional art. It has taken me along time to be able to say this, I am proud to be a Blacksmith and this is who I want be and that is why I am here. ;)

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This has been a great thread! Good on ya Larry!


Harold,

While I understand how you feel, please, share your work with us!
When I post my stuff I know that it surely doesn't represent the top o' the line or stand as a testament to craftsmanship, but it really is a big part of who and what I am, and one of the best ways I know for communicating that to others.

Give us a chance to get to know you better!

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When Moses was out watching his father-in-laws sheep he saw a burning bush and went over to investigate and he asked God "Who are you?" and God answered "I am who I am." Some days, well most days, I wake up asking the same question and never know for sure what the answer will be. When I as younger I could wake up and say a Senior HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection Designer or a Fine Art Foundryman or a Blacksmith or a Sculptor but then came a life changing event and now I wake up every morning not being able to answer that question, "who are you?", as it depends on the pain level, some days it's a 4 and some a 7 but now an awful lot of the are 8's and 9's(and sometimes off the chart). I have found that I can still do some forging of copper in the smaller sizes, 1/8" to maybe 1/4" if I anneal often. I have started making some jewelry(have you seen the price of silver :o ) and these help fulfill my need to create. I don't take any of the narcotics that they have been prescribing, as these are soul stealers, better to know that there is a chance of finding "who you are?" than being lost in the fog forever. :blink:

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This has been a great thread! Good on ya Larry!


Harold,

While I understand how you feel, please, share your work with us!
When I post my stuff I know that it surely doesn't represent the top o' the line or stand as a testament to craftsmanship, but it really is a big part of who and what I am, and one of the best ways I know for communicating that to others.

Give us a chance to get to know you better!

Thanks! I am sure I will dip my feet in the water at some time. :D
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I too get frustrated with myself when I look at some of the amazing work others are able to do (mostly from you guys on this site!) I don't know if I will every get to the point of mastery in anything I do, I strive for it but I think it will take a lifetime of trying.

Its ironic because as a younger man I knew that if I didnt focus my life I would end up a jack of all trades and master of none. Despite my focus on metal and fabrication I never realized how big of a universe metalworking is, you can go much further beyond glueing metal together and machining it down. One could spend lifetimes in the metal trades and still not have learned everything.

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