Alec S, Two weeks with Brian Brazeal

[Perry Thomasson]

Hey Alec,
It looks like you had a very rewarding and enjoyable time. Brian,Karen and Lyle are awesome people to be around. I hope I will be able to go back some day for more instruction. I only had three days and can't imagine what two weeks would be like. Hope you go far in your blacksmithing endeavors.

Perry Thomasson

[Bryce Masuk]

its been awhile since I have been able to use a real computer I have been posting on my cell phone so I couldnt really view the pictures all that well,
but they are excelent

Alec, you seem like a very hard working young man, you have really done a great job and I am sure the hardwork has really paid off for you and Brian and Lyle, I am sure it was really rewarding to teach you and a great lesson in itself.

you can really go anywhere with your ability's I wouldnt be concerned with where exactly you head but rather heading in the direction that makes you happy.

obviously you have something special going on in your head, the more you blacksmith the more you will find its mental than anything, maybe its because the physical aspect becomes easier or because you know what you want to do quicker.


Not many people at your age have your work ethic, and the ability to stick to what they are doing,

as a young person I had many hobbies and many of them became my life but I never really stuck to anything I would do one thing for about 3-6 months and then quit and start something new and do it everyday until I was entirely bored of it. I started blacksmithing when I was about 14 but I didnt have equipment or resources to learn from so I wasnt steady about learning it

1. taking anything electronic or mechanical apart and putting it back together (once when my dad went to work when I was 9 I took his brand new lawn mower entirely apart and attempted to convert it into a gocart)
2. guitar I used to play but now I dont
3. shooting
4. racing remote control cars (not cheap ones but ones where you would go to a track and race them)
5. Making knives (I started making homemade ones from lawn mower blade
6. setting traps all over our old property (once I decided to protect our tree's with welding wire I took a whole roll and wrapped it around all the trees in the front of the property because the linesmen were cutting and trimming trees. after I had the wire setup I simply plugged it into 110 volt power and burned myself (I think this was the same year I took apart the lawnmower)

eventually I progressed and began to work on other engines gopeds and and chainsaws and then I was rebuilding small block chevy's and building up all kinds of things, that were loud eventually I would go and work in a machine shop it wasnt too bad but eventually I got bored and decided that being a heavy duty mechanic would be better and it was for awhile.


anyways the point I am trying to make is that there are alot of things to do and to work with in the world and that you should experiance them as much as you can, just keep up the blacksmithing dont burn yourself out on it, stay steady with it but do it because you love to do it and not because you feel compelled to do it.

[Alec.S]

Thank you very much, Bryce, for your wise words...This passion i have is definitely not a "phase" i do intend to stick with it, because i enjoy it so much...And i agree with you that it is important to do other things- and i do do other things and i enjoy them also... But nothing captivates me quite like forging. ....alec

[Alec.S]

Alec,
Thank you for sharing with us! I am so excited for you, as i'm sure Brian told you, you can take blacksmithing so much farther than many of the great smiths out there today. You have the chance to do with it what many of us wish we could.
Your previous post about your time with Brian, Karen, and Lyle was very eloquent and highly respectful. Keep up the good work, i know we are all excited to see what amazing work you churn out in the future.
Brian

thank you very much brian!!-ironstein<br>

[Alec.S]

Thanks for the follow up report Alec, I have been following this thread closely and I am amazed at what you did during you stay with Brian. I will be looking forward to your posts in the future, I have also learned so much from Brian I just wish I could have started at a younger age.

thank you very much clinton!!