Are blacksmiths willing to help?

[Mpenswick]

Hello sons of odin, this may seem like a strange question but i have heard that because there is a lack of young lads wanting to try out blacksmithing alot of blacksmiths are enthusiastic about teaching people. I am asking this because i want to get into the art of blacksmithing and am thinking of taking a trip to the local blacksmith to talk to him. But one thing i have heard from alot of people is that most blacksmiths are rather nasty and unwilling to give out advice or help.

 

Now i know its more about the individual and i hate to generalise. But would you say that blacksmiths are nice and happy to help out an enthusiastic 16 year old like myself.

 

Thank you in advance and i hope to have a good time on this forum :)

 

EDIT: oh yes i feel as though i should point out the people who said blacksmiths are unpleasent have never met one before.

[Jeff Lodge]

I'd suggest posting your location on your profile and you might find someone here that's close and willing to help you learn.

[MLMartin]

I am very sure you will find some people in life are friendly and some people are not.  This is pretty much standard across all Jobs, Hobby's, Races, and Religions.

 

So some smiths will be happy to bring people into there shop and teach, and some will not.

 

Look Up        ABANA     Artist Blacksmith Association of North America. This organization will have listed all the guilds across America. Most of the guilds are happy to have new people show up to a monthly meeting.

 

If you are not in America try and find a blacksmith association in your country and look into attending a meeting!

 

Many people on this web site have posted there General location, (Do not put down an exact address!) I have met a few fellows around my town and have them over to my shop form time to time. I met them both on this site.

[Mpenswick]

I'd suggest posting your location on your profile and you might find someone here that's close and willing to help you learn.

Ah sorry. I done that now.

[Mpenswick]

Oh sorry i just realized that this is mostly an American website. I am from Liverpool in the uk

 

IFi has members from over 150 countries it is not only american.

[ah1988]

I am the same age as you and I find that most people are more than willing to help me out, I get alot of stuff for free because I am "young and have ambition" If you ask nicely most people will give you what you ask for or try to help you out.

I got my forge from a freightliner dealer they just gave me the brake drum and wished me luck, same thing for my ash dump I went to a tractor repair facility and they gave me a new exhaust flap and asked for pics when I was done lol.

I havent run into any rude or snobbish blacksmiths yet they all want to show me what they know and answer my questions, just be polite but as posted above there are nasty people in every profession.

You are more than welcome here we have alot of people from around the world on this site,several from the uk.

[Mpenswick]

Thanks matey. Guess its good that im considered to be a very nice guy then :)

[Rich Hale]

Let me point ouit that this site was started by blacksmiths,,is run by blacksmiths..and all  of the wealthof information on here is because of blacksmith that are able and willing to help. Keep that in mind as you read this" Your question bothers me a bit, as you'r willing to post this apparently withouit reading anything in any of the posts threads or information on here. i cannot speak for others in this craft..but the ones in here do not fit that picture you have been given.

if yoiu just educate youirself on here,,you may find that knowing at least some terminology about tools and methods, it may make a meeting in person go well.

[Glenn]

i want to get into the art of blacksmithing and am thinking of taking a trip to the local blacksmith to talk to him. But one thing i have heard from alot of people is that most blacksmiths are rather nasty and unwilling to give out advice or help.
 
EDIT: oh yes i feel as though i should point out the people who said blacksmiths are unpleasent have never met one before.

You say you are interested in blacksmithing and have registered and posted to IForgeIron. It is not an American forum, but a world wide forum visited by 150 or so countries each month. 

 

Please look at the first section on the site > Blacksmithing, and the first topic in that section > Blacksmithing, General Discussion. The third thread down is titled >Finding a Blacksmithing Group near you, and if you read that thread the first reference is to a list of world wide blacksmith groups and organizations which include UK > British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA).

 

If you locate and visit a real blacksmith, contact him, explain why you want to visit. Please be considerate enough to bring lunch and a cold drink for both of you. You are taking his time from his work which puts food on his table and supports his family.

 

Take two note books and extra pencils. Write down the questions you ask and the answers he gives. It shows your interested in trying to learn. The amount of information available is directly proportional to the interest you show. Be sure get safety glasses and ear plugs or ear muffs. Put the safety glasses on as soon as you arrive on location, the ear plugs or muffs as needed. Everything there will be either hot, heavy, sharp, or dangerous. Do not do anything without asking first. Wear a cotton shirt and long pants (jeans) not shorts, and real shoes or boots. All this shows that you have some grasp of the environment in which you will be visiting. 

 

In the stories section of the site is an article titled S0008 Advice to New Blacksmiths. Read it and then read it again. There are many pearls of wisdom there just waiting to be harvested.

 

Listen to the people that know of which they speak, and surround yourself with the very best in that field. These are the folks from which you want to learn. 

[Frosty]

Another thing to keep in mind when talking face to face with a working blacksmith is to NOT try including them in a club. Greating someone as a "Fellow son of Odin" could get you off to a bad start with a devout Christian, Muslim, buddhist, etc.

 

Don't sweat it, I doubt you offended anyone here. Someone who is making their living blacksmithing is probably a pretty busy person and if you're interrupting his day you're not off to a good start. Asking if s/he has time too talk and not getting upset if s/he's too busy is a good start. Asking questions NOT based on internet games is a REAL BID THING. Read around this site and you'll find young men who have notions based on online games, World of Warcraft seems to be one of the biggies.

 

Polite, respectful and interested goes a LONG way towards learning from guys in old, not so modern crafts. Therre just aren't that many people looking to get into smithing, not seriously that is, some guys want to be a swordsmith without learning to smith at all. Heck, you might end up with a job.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mpenswick]

The sons of odin part was a joke. And i will try to make sure i am not interupting anything and if i am i will leave.


XXXXX clicked post for some reason before i was finished. Honestly if its possible i would love to make a living off blacksmithing, my interest is not from games for me its always been the love of history and when i was a tiny lad i thought blacksmiths where like magicians, able to make beautiful and practical items from dirt pretty much. I would be more than willing to learn any basic thing. be it heating a furnace or even how to hold a hammer :)


If would help if you read a bit before posting, such as the terms of service you had to agreed to follow when you joined, prohibits foul language, I edited it out of your post. please read the rules.

[eseemann]

Blacksmiths are like anyone else, they love free labor if you can take orders. If you are willing to listen more than talk and help out you will go far. Remember that people respond very well to please and thank you.

[ironwolfforgeca]

There are many smiths from the UK on this site, maybe ask a ? like any smiths in you,re area ??

& yes if you,re will to learn & help out most smiths will teach young folks

[macbruce]

Welcome!

I think Blacksmiths are the most willing group of all the artisans I've ever encountered who love to share their knowledge. That includes potters,glass blowers,woodworkers,stained glass......the lot. Anyway you've come to the right place. There are many UK smiths here as well as Aussies so I think you could safely the English language (and it's cousins )seems to be our biggest common denominator here.

[Frosty]

The sons of odin part was a joke. And i will try to make sure i am not interupting anything and if i am i will leave.


XXXXX clicked post for some reason before i was finished. Honestly if its possible i would love to make a living off blacksmithing, my interest is not from games for me its always been the love of history and when i was a tiny lad i thought blacksmiths where like magicians, able to make beautiful and practical items from dirt pretty much. I would be more than willing to learn any basic thing. be it heating a furnace or even how to hold a hammer :)


If would help if you read a bit before posting, such as the terms of service you had to agreed to follow when you joined, prohibits foul language, I edited it out of your post. please read the rules.

 

I figured it was a joke but I inhibited my career by making jokes I shouldn't have and most weren't actually . . .Bad.

 

Hitting the "post" button early is one of Murphy's little jokes on us. I do it all the time. Evidently there is a hot key I don't know about so if I miskey and press CTRL instead of SHIFT, message posted! Edit works for a few hours but not very long. <sigh>

 

I'm an archaeophile myself, it's a pretty common thing among the gang here. Do any knapping?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Francis Trez Cole]

some advice watch, listen, take notes and ask questions. If you walk in and say to a smith I want to make a sword you probably will not get a favorably response. There is a lot to learn do not put the cart before the horse. Find the local blacksmithing group and meet people. networking will help. hope this helps  

[SmoothBore]

It's generally agreed that I'm a cranky old so-and-so, ... but I didn't know the rest of you were, too.  :P

 

 

Figures .....

[Frosty]

It's generally agreed that I'm a cranky old so-and-so, ... but I didn't know the rest of you were, too.  :P

 

 

Figures .....

 

Agreed?! Heck we tell misbehaving children about you to scare them into being good. :rolleyes:

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Alec.S]

Mpenswick, If you ever get up to norfolk give me a bell and you can come hang out in the shop, make some tools etc in return for some coke and steel ;) 
 

[ThomasPowers]

BABA is the UK version of ABANA IIRC.

 

Here in the states blacksmiths are generally overwhelmed by young lads wanting to learn the craft---but very few of them want to put in the effort to do so and so are generally a waste of time for a smith trying to actually make the craft pay.  I enjoy teaching and run my smithing at a dead loss as a hobby and so don't have to worry about the $$.  In the last 30+ years I'd say I averaged about 1 to 5% of the people I've started who have gone on with the craft; any many who did have done very well for themselves in it, indeed!

 

Also many european smiths remark on how open and friendly american smiths are not having any remnants of the old Guild system that wanted to hoard information rather than scatter it to the winds.

 

Another thing I've been approached many times by people wanting to "be my apprentice"  who get very puzzled when I ask them how much they are offering to pay me for the privilege.  They seem to think that a few hours of unskilled labour should be enough to pay for the time, supplies, effort and the knowledge of over 3 decades.  In knifemaking forums we discussed this at length and the trade off we thought was fair was that for each hour of one on one instruction the "apprentice" should expect to do 10 hours of unsupervised gruntwork---andf most smithies don't have that much!  (As one bladesmith said "I sweep the floor when I need to take a break and think about a project".)

 

Personally I'm much more welcoming of the students who have done "due diligence" and read several of the basic smithing books, read the right forums and are not blithering idiots talking about 30 pound swords or anime weapons as if they would work in the real world.

[BorisTheSpider]

"I wanna make swords" can really be like nails on a chalkboard to some, but I'm a fan of honesty. If your primary interest is swordsmithing, then tell the guy when he asks what you want to make. However, you had better be willing to learn to do 6 million other things before you make your first sword. You'll really learn to appreciate S-hooks. I would say that it's so far off, you'll either lose interest in the craft, or lose interest in exclusively swordsmithing by that point. Others may disagree.

 

Read a bunch, do what you can on your own time, read some more, ask questions, and write a bunch of stuff down.

 

Some of these guys can spin a yarn, some beat their chest a little, and a lot of pro-level guys downplay their abilities. Whatever the case, pay close attention to what they say, and closer attention yet to what they do. Ask 3 smiths how to do one thing and you will get 5 answers, and they're all right. You'll develop your own methods, but be willing to try everyone else's methods too.

 

Never, NEVER undervalue any help or advice you get, especially when it's free. There are lots of guys who charge an arm and a leg to teach even the basics, and lots more who should. Anytime you get the opportunity to learn something, it is a privilege. Remember to treat it as such.

 

Offer to help any way you can. I often offer to hold pieces for other guys (while they strike, cut, or whatever) in my local ABANA chapter, in hopes that I will learn something about their methods; and unsurprisingly, I have.

 

At least that's the way I try to approach it.

[Mpenswick]

I figured it was a joke but I inhibited my career by making jokes I shouldn't have and most weren't actually . . .Bad.

 

Hitting the "post" button early is one of Murphy's little jokes on us. I do it all the time. Evidently there is a hot key I don't know about so if I miskey and press CTRL instead of SHIFT, message posted! Edit works for a few hours but not very long. <sigh>

 

I'm an archaeophile myself, it's a pretty common thing among the gang here. Do any knapping?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Funny enough i did have a knapping habbit when i was like 6 i used to just grab two rocks and try to make on sharp.