I saw one young lady from the Norh West of England who is an artist blacksmith. She works on her own. I had never before been jealous of a bar of steel.

I am short squat, and working my way up to rotund, so I don't know if I fit the mold.
Some charactaristics are common though:

1. Hands somewhat impervious to burns and blisters. (will actually break a blister and keep working, so as not to lose a good heat)
2. An eye for scrap or "recyclable" steel laying along the ditch, or in a back lot somewhere.
3. Can actually stare at the sun, but choose not to, to save eyes for forge welding.
4. Able to drink copius quantity, my average is 2-3 liters in an afternoon of forging.
5. Actually plan vacations around coal suppliers, and ponder how many 50lb bags can safely ride in the backseat of a passenger car.
6. Ears perk up at the sound of a blacksmith working an anvil in old westerns.
7. Carry a tape measure at all times, and occasionally a sketch book.
8. Think a leather apron is sexy, and actually like the smell of one, sweat and all.
9. Can tell the grade of most coal and coke by the smell of the smoke.
10. Asks for nothing but Home Depot, Tractor Supply, or Lowes gift certificates for Christmas, in any denominations.

I guess it depends how I am dressed at the moment. Do these pants make me look fat?

Im pretty sure that outfit is a fire hassard. Clowns creep me out and dont look like blacksmiths:p

People used to crack up, or not take me quite seriously when I said I was a blacksmith. Not surprising, I am 5'6" and 120 pounds. (Most of that is in my right arm) These days I just keep some work handy to show people.

ya know i get the "you look like a blacksmith " comment all the time... ime pretty sure its not really a complement .. ime 6ft 3 and 390 lbs with a beard and glasses and kinda homely.. i think its because i look like a can pickup a 100lb anvil one handed.. kinda stupid to stereotype blacksmiths that way tho.. if you look at old fotos of smiths they were generally skinny guys probably cause they worked hard and long ...

Yeah most of us have similiar traits, I'm about 6-2, 250lbs, yet when dealing with kids, if you get down to their level, they don't seem to be too intimidated.

One of my favorite ladysmiths Lynda Metcalf one doing a demo the other on her wedding day.

Then there's Lindsey, do her pants make ME look fat?

Then there's me and Bob Bergman from a couple years back.

It's like we're all cast in the same mold isn't it?

Frosty

All the same but different. A few pics of me over the past few years and then Bill and Betty Printy ( Bill is the smith at Bentonsport Iowa ). Also Richard Rumph ( ZW ) on his trailer forge. Life is good.

when I was little I was very concerned about doing the trade with my dad. He asked why and I said "I don't want pop-eye arms."

My 'smithing buddy, Steve and I look a good bit like Laurel and Hardy. He's around five eight and thin. I'm six one and... perhaps I should say husky.

We both look like smiths to me.

No, I don't think you can really spot a blacksmith. I'd say blacksmiths tend to have beards (I don't remember what the survey said), and they dress like blacksmiths, so when you get a group of them together, they look like a group of blacksmiths. But I've had a couple of experiences meeting a new group of blacksmiths, such as at a hammer in. A couple of the least likely looking guys were the best smiths, and vice versa.

like every ones said, "if you leave blood samples on your work you might be a bladesmith". im still young but most forge freindly people can tell im a knife maker just by how messed up my hands are. but the non hammer and steel folkes just say im realy **** up. so i guess it all depends on who you talk to
:D

Edited March 1, 200917 yr by steve sells
language

I'm accepted as a member of a black family, but their name isn't 'Smith'... oh, wait...

dont know bout the whole stereotyping thing though. Im a little far from the regular on that. I'm 6'1'' 250# with a Mohawk that I color Bright hues + everyone that I tell thinks I'm pulling their leg when I tell them the I beat steel for fun!!!

True story ( really ). Two friends and I went up to JCC School a few years back for a class with D. Fogg. Got there just before dark and were standing outside reg building. Now .. I may be a little 'ragged' but my buddys are 'normal' looking, the tallest of us at about 5-7, 5-8. A lady drives up, parks and starts to go inside. Then she stops, turns around, takes a long look at us and says - "yall must be blacksmiths", then went on inside.
ksb

What should a blacksmith look like??

Myself, bout 6' 170#..... 3 musketeers mustache and beard...( had an incident and didn't want to loose all my facial hair) Heavily callused hands... and the uncanny ability to twist the heads off bolts in the shop at work.

I also consider the sound of a hammer hitting things musical...

Well , I aint got no big beard YET, LOL. But I`am a bit on the HUSKY side. I`am 5'7 167 lbs.

... and the uncanny ability to twist the heads off bolts in the shop at work.

We used to joke about proper torque being '1/4 turn before it breaks'. :D

Ok, I'll throw my pic in......I've been told (by a Professional Artist Blacksmith) that I look like a blacksmith....only a tad over 300 lbs. Wellllll....here I am all cleaned up, methinks coming from the shop would be looking a whole 'nuther matter....:)

Here are a few of me. Taken just a FEW (LOL) years apart.

The first is me working in Dads orthopaedic shop about 1976 or '77.

The second was taken a year or so ago working in my driveway shop.

I stay cleaner smithing it seems.

The third is myself, Loren Roper (simplysmithing.com), and Vern Ridgely at Quad State last fall. See, we dont all look alike.

Don't mean to necromancy this thread but....


Hmm, I really don't have a neck

Edited July 9, 200916 yr by Drewed

Okay, might as well jump on the Bandwagon.This picture was taken on Canada Day at the Town Park in Gananoque. Rikasso was doing a demo in the Park as part of the celebrations for Canada Day. I don't have time to do one this day as my wife and I are the organizers of the events and I do the fireworks in the evening so no time for me to demo. Rick kindly agreed to do it and had a great day. I am on the left and Rikasso (Rick) is to the right.

Terry

the anchor gang, all fulltime blacksmiths

Wells I can most assuradly say I'm the atypical blacksmith... about 6'2" and 150.. pretty muscular... look more like a surfer/ swimmer than anything... course there's a good reason for that lol... but at less than a month from 17 I am deffinently a non- steriotypical blacksmith