Drewed Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 So my Brother in Law and I have a demo at the Wisconsin Highland games coming up and we are looking for some jokes and banter ( or words of wisdom!) for the crowd while one or the other of us is working. We are planning on having one talk while the other works, unless there is need for a striker! Any jokes, lore, banter that you would like to share? I promise that I will mostly quote you wrongly, and not give any credit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Is the fire hot? My grampa was a blacksmith. Can you make me a knife? There are several threads on demos, what happened at demos and the banter at demos. There are several threads on questions ask at demos which you may want to review and prepare for being ask at your demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well you might want to read the instruction on hardening steel written in 1120 by Theophilus in "Divers Arts". Easy to find in a good english translation and it's the source for "quenching in the urine of a small red headed boy; or that of a goat fed ferns for 3 days" For other wild quenchants "Sources for the History of the Science of Steel", has a list of renaissance ones. Might check out the FoxFire books for any anecdotes they have too. If someone heckles I like to offer to hot shoe them---last set of shoes you'll ever need---they wear like iron! And if someone asks "won't it hurt?" I say "No I'll wear my hearing protectors!" Moxon's "Mechanics Exercises" has good info on smithing, published in 1703 "Practical Blacksmithing" a collection from a smithing journel from the 1880's and 1890's might give good background. Something that impresses the young'uns is to press the "cold" workpiece against the anvil stump---the smoke and fire makes their eyes get big. And you can explain how more smiths get burned by "cold" metal than by "hot" metal. I explain how my great grandfather dealt with the problem by chewing tobacco and just spitting on an unknown piece to see if it was hot. I like to know the basics of metallurgy as you always get someone....being able to talk about the solid phase transition from body centered cubic to face centered cubic when the steel gets heated and telling folks it's easy to remember as you go from body to face as the temp goes up and indicating it on your body and face. We always get some kid wanting to enthuse about swords and folded steel so I like to have a billet to hand and another one welded up and perhaps a display piece of what it finally looks like that is NOT a blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 There is a British book that doesn';t tell you haw to forge a dang thing. It's just lore and stories. "The Village Blacksmith" by Ronald Webber. Try to find it on www.dealoz.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 When folks ask me the stupid question"can you shoe me?" I say:"I'm man enough to drive the nails if you're man enough to stand still"... Yes-there ARE stupid questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Roy Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Have you noticed, generally the stupid questions/comments usually come from the adults and the kids are genuinely interested in learning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Peter Ross told me one years ago, I'll make it less abusive: How do you know the blacksmiths' dog? When you hollar at him he makes a bolt for the door! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamptroll Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 A friend of mine took a large bird nest and put teasel tops in it and when people asked what they were he would reply porcupine eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Makes a bolt for the door. I had to read that 3 times before I got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagkver Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 when I am coverd in sweat and folks ask " arn't you hot " I always reply " lord no, thats condensation" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Blacksmith's Air Conditioning-----step away from the forge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 when I am coverd in sweat and folks ask " arn't you hot " I always reply " lord no, thats condensation" That's a great one, I love it. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 In Blacksmithing there are no mistakes, only rapid design modifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 At the rennaissance faires when folk are complaining about how hot it is, we often offer for them to step up to the air conditioner, as we have it cranked all the way down to 3500f. Our front-man, Satyr has a number of tales regarding blacksmithing that he tells with our "aid" one of them I'll share in it's condensed version, feel free to imbellish it: Once there was a king who was bored and decided he wanted to know who was the greatest craftsman in all his kingdom, so he gathered up his lackeys and sent them out to round them all up. When they were all gathered, he asked them "who among you is the greatest craftsman?" (shouts from Lance and I "Yo! Right here!") Well, the carpenters, thatchers, pavers, and on and on tell about how they make this and that, and how they are the greatest, when finally one humble dirty man stinking of sweat, steel, and brimstone walks in and begs pardon for being late, at which point the king ask "and who are you?" "why I am your blacksmith my lord" to which the king replies, "away with you, you are stinking up the place" Well, the smith goes home, shuts down his forge, and lays down his hammers and tongs, and settles down for a wee nip of scotch ( at which point I show off my giant tankard and label it my scottsh shot glass) Well, soon, the carpenters have no nails, the thatchers have no scythes to cut their thatch, the masons have no chisels, etc. and the king comes to the smith and begs him to fire up his forge and once again take up his hammers and tongs for none of the other craftsmen can work. At which point the smith is pleased at finally being recognized, and the king goes away happy knowing that he has found the greatest of all craftsmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 That's an interesting variation on "King Solomon and the Blacksmith" tale (easily searched on) http://popartmachine.com/item/pop_art/LOC+1040884 I remembered another one it's the tale of how Cú Chulainn got his name (Hound of Chulainn) one of the great Irish tales of heroes. The short form lifted from wikipedia: "Culann the smith invites King Conchobar to a feast at his house. Before going, Conchobar goes to the playing field to watch the boys play hurley. He is so impressed by Sétanta's performance that he asks him to join him at the feast. Sétanta has a game to finish, but promises to follow the king later. But Conchobar forgets, and Culann lets loose his ferocious hound to protect his house while they are feasting. When Sétanta arrives, the enormous hound attacks him, but he kills it in self-defence, in one version by smashing it against a standing stone, in another by driving a sliotar (hurley ball) down its throat with his hurley. Culann is devastated by the loss of his hound, so Sétanta promises he will rear him a replacement, and until it is old enough to do the job, he himself will guard Culann's house. The druid Cathbad announces that his name henceforth will be Cú Chulainn – "Culann's Hound". In the Irish "Heroic" Age the King's Smith had a place of honour at the King's table and the King would not find eating at the Smith's table an odd thing to do either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postleg Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 A Texan walks into a blacksmith's shop and picks up a horse shoe the smith had just finished. He quickly puts the hot shoe down. The blacksmith asks was it hot? The Texan says no it just doesn't take me long to look at a horse shoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 while at a Ren Fair a few weeks ago, during a dead time of the hot day, the jousting group came by on their horses. A stallion wandered over and nuzzled me, Just to say hello. Since had a few kids watching, I had to ham it up... so I said to the horse: If you are here for new shoes, that is fine but I am NOT going to change your oil too. the kids liked that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 It's gotta be the hair, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I was at the forge this weekend and was asked by a horse owner why I was making holes in that horse shoe......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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