Master Blacksmiths

[ciladog]

Simply put a master is someone who has attained a high level of proficiency and consummate skill in their craft, whatever it is. They know they did the best job possible and they are their worst critics. It is however; just a label and different cultures give it different weights. If you think you are a master then chances are you are not. A true master will know there is so much more to learn and achieve.

I think there are many master blacksmiths from around the world that post right here on this website. Their work is magnificent whether it is forging faces, making a 2 ton hook, an unusual fence or gate, a hammer, a sculpture, or a knife or sward. They know who they are and so do I. Just my humble opinion.

[Mainely,Bob]

I think southshore and mainly bob have Said , it all, many of the old ways are gone , forgotten, and/ or lost. my mentors have all passed, and with them went at least one hundred years of things I still wanted to learn. Many of the techniques are not needed
( mostly ) but when a job stops because of mech. Failure and a smith does it by hand,
People stand there with their jaws hanging. South shore was right when he said a master smith could work in any shop, but he left out the part where the rest of us are embarrassed for thinking we were good smiths. I've seen some amazing things

One of the most eye opening things I saw up here was when I was making a stainless steel headstay stem pad for a yacht.This bit of deck hardware had to conform to the shape to the bow of the yacht and had quite a bit of compound shape in it.The original print called for 5/8" 316 stainless plate to be used for both the backing pad and the tang.The powers that be considered everything from having this pad machined from a solid block of material to having the backing pad made first by way of a 100 ton hydraulic press and then having the cold molded hull laid up to match the pad rather than the pad be made to match the contour of the hull.

My solution was to make a reverse pattern of the bow using fiberglass and then taking the stainless plate I had left over down to Clayton Waltz,a fellow I knew who worked straightening hulls in another boatyard that specialized in steel hulls.
While the boys in the office were arguing over cost and contractors Clayton and I formed that plate to a perfect fit to my pattern using nothing more than hammer,anvil, heat,water and a rag.I roughed it with hammer and anvil but Clayton fine tuned it with a torch and a wet rag.He used much the same technique to fair the hulls after they had been distorted by welding.
I had seen a young Hungarian millwright do much the same trick to straighten a large stainless shaft for one of the machines at a plant I worked at.The office put in an emergency call to a supplier to get the material shipped in overnight so a new shaft could be made.While the bosses were wringing their hands over all the lost time and profit he took one of my torches and showed me how to make a "water wand".Together we had the shaft straight,repolished,and back in place in under 3 hours.
The new material went to the warehouse till it was needed.
Neither of these gentlemen were considered masters at anything,they were simply "workers",that didn`t stop them from taking elementary tools(fire and water)and saving the day(and many thousands of dollars) on more than one occasion.
Watching those two men use their skills,training and deep understanding of simple processes was a real eye opener for me.

Many people are too much concerned with degrees,certificates and titles.I`ve found if you keep an open mind and an eye out for the opportunity to watch,listen and learn then sometimes even the guy who sweeps the floor can show you something the "master" didn`t even know existed.

[Frank Turley]

I've responded once to this thread, but someone mentioned the British Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths' gold medal. I had no clue about the gold medal, and it is not explained well on the Company's site. That brings up the name of Edward Martin.

Many blacksmiths have not heard of Mr. Martin. He has recently passed on, but he used to frequently come from his home in Closeburn, Scotland, to the U.S. to demonstrate for the American Farriers Association and other farriers' groups. His specialty was making Clydesdale horseshoes, and he willingly shared his knowledge and expertise. It was little known that he was also a skilled ornamental smith. A friend and I visited him in Scotland about 6 years ago. He was kind enough to drive us around to show us his excellent ironwork which was installed in three churches within a 30 kilometer radius of Closeburn.

As we were relaxing and visiting in his living room, Mr. Martin said that he had something to show us. He brought from a back room a gold medal about 3.5 inches in diameter. He told us that it was awarded to him by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths in the year 2000, in London, England. It read in part, "Awarded to Edward Martin - Supreme Master Blacksmith." Mr. Martin shared with us, "It's the third such award presented in the last 100 years."

From the above, I assume that a smith of the Worshipful Company does not simply become good and receive such a medal. It is a special award for a lifetime of excellence in the field.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

[Steve Shimanek]

Thanks for mentioning Edward Martin. My mentor Ted Shanks hosted Master Martin for a week in Hawaii some years ago. Ted had laid tools out in preparation for his visit; when he arrived, he said in his brogue "That's a fine collection of tools ye have there, lad" and then proceeded to open a small case from which he took out his hammer and and chisel. Over the course of the week,starting with just the hammer and chisel, he made every other tool he needed for everything he made. He would hammer powerfully, make a masterpiece, then fling it on the ground, and begin something else. When Ted asked him if he wasn't even going to look at it, Master Martin replied, "Lad, I looked at it when I made it!"

[Dragons lair]

just my 2 cents worth. You are a master when all of your peers say you are. If your peers are a 3 then you are a 3+. I have been an aircraft welder. a fabricator, blacksmith,driver, shooter. Who among ya gonna judge what i do.
I am a jack of all trades master of none. Might be who knows?
ken.

[lupiphile]

I dare say, tom bredlow fits into this category nicely. His work was flawless, It's just a cryin' shame he no longer practices the craft.

[Falconer]

Jose "Pep" Gomez in Las Cruces, New Mexico... He listed a few above but his name deserves to be on the list. He is a Master of bladesmithing! I've seen good knife makers all over the country but Pep is the BEST! His Damascus knives could rival any I've ever seen...

[Blakksmyth]

We have a lot of very talented blacksmiths in Australia, but the only one I know of, that I would call a Master, is Malcolm Paine. Malcolm began blacksmithing in 1945 and is a nominated member of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths.

To watch Malcolm work in a forge, is to see a man who is so at one with his working environment, it sends shivers up your spine. He creates magnificent forged work that leaves you breathless in it's complexity and skill.

It is a rare privilege to have been in his company on a few occasions.

[njanvilman]

Dimitri Gerakaris should be on the list.  Amazing creativity and execution.  And I second the add of Doug Wilson. 

[beammeupscotty]

A little known smith who has been working in the Bay Area for at least 30 years, Eric Clausen.  Not a particularly friendly guy, but brilliant nonetheless.  The first time I walked in to the San Francisco Gordon Biersch brewery, nearly 20 years ago, I instantly knew the metalwork in there was Clausen's work.  

 

http://www.clauseniron.com/

[petere76]

From the great state of Maine, Derek Glazer of the New England School of Metalwork as well as DG Forge. Also, Peter Brown. Owner of Iron and Silk forge. Peter was an understudy apprentice of F. Whitaker Carbondale Co. . Both are professional smiths that do work we would all envy and they freely share their knowledge. Real gentlemen, great guys and an assets to our trade.

Peter

[Robert Yates]

I Would Like to Put "Glenn Connor" on the list !

 

As He has Mastered " Blacksmithing Without Boarders"

 

Ret, Sgt.Robert D. Yates