Annoying Spectators.

[ken leedy]

I do one or two demo's a year. It seems there is almost always someone that wants to dominate my time. They know that I can't leave. They talk about anything and everything except blacksmithing. How do you handle these people?

[Francis Trez Cole]

talk about blacksmithing. Take over the conversation. Get them to buy an item I am making.

[jmccustomknives]

Put your ear plugs in and hammer louder! B)   If that doesn't work, try to sell them something.  ^_^   If that doesn't work, try to get them saved! ;)

[John McPherson]

The subtle approach seldom works on these clowns, so you need to bring out your "A" game.

 

(1) Hey buddy, have ya ever seen forge welding? Is that a synthetic shirt? Stand ***right there*** and I'll show you.

 

(2) You know, my coven meets tonight, and we could use a guy like you. :huh: What's your blood type? :blink:

[SmoothBore]

I'm one of those Misanthropes who never learned to "suffer fools gladly".

 

So obviously, ... I simply avoid "public" demonstrations, ... and instead, concentrate on a more structured enviornment.

 

Since I'm not actively trying to make any money, ... Lodge functions, Boy Scout and Church groups are my primary audience.

 

Still, ... even that limited exposure, generates a surprising number of folks interested in repairing and/or replicating a fascinating variety of objects and mechanisms.

 

 

Most recently, I find myself making all new handles, knobs and tools for an antique cook stove.

 

The owner has been unable to locate some missing Nickle plated bits and peices, ... and I have no way of duplicating them.

 

But, what I can do, ... is make a complete new set of matching Stainless hardware, handles and tools.

 

 

While this is not "pure" and "traditional" work, ... I find it to be an interesting mix of forging, fabrication and machining.

 

And it came about, out of a presentation to a Boy Scout group, about making simple "Campfire" cooking gear.

 

 

 

 

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[dablacksmith]

it is a skill you need to learn ... look for someone looking like that want to talk about your ironwork and try to engage them .. usually they get idea but if needs be get rude!

[David Einhorn]

Like jmccustomknives said, sell them something.  This works very well, especially if they have a lady friend with them.  Flatter them and point out that someone with their excellent eye for quality ...... and/or that they will want to buy a something for their girlfriend. .... I learned this trick talking to, and observing,  the carnies as a youth in Atlantic City, N.J.'s midway.

 

A few years ago, a youth thought he would show off for a young lady by bothering a fellow smith.  I stepped up to the counter.....well to make a long story short, he left with empty pockets, and the young lady left with a new ring.   :D  

[Frank Turley]

We call loudmouths who try to let the demonstrator know how little the demonstrator knows, sharpshooters. Same way with one who tries to let the demonstrator know how much the detractor knows, a sharpshooter. I demoed at Quad State, Studebaker Homestead, in 1982. I was getting ready to weld with borax as flux, and an older man sitting in the back of the shop began sharpshooting. He wanted to know why I was using borax, He asked why I didn't use a proprietary flux. Didn't I realize there were better ways to approach the lap weld and better fluxes to use? How long had I been blacksmithing? Perhaps I shouldn't be one of the demonstrators.

 

At that point, I took off my apron and offered it to him. I told him to come up and do the lap weld. He declined and was very quiet after that. Later that evening, one of my friends said that I was cruel to that man. I replied, "No I wasn't. That man was either going to hush up or he was going to come up and perhaps share some good information with his demo."

 

When I returned home, I found out via the grapevine that the sharpshooter was the owner of the Anti Borax Company, the manufacturer of the compounds: E=Z Weld; Cherry Heat; and Climax. :P

[L. M. REESE]

Had a guy tell me one time that I was holding my hammer wrong. I bet him 10 bucks that if he laid his thumb on my anvil, I could splatter it even though I was holding my hammer wrong. He declined and left.

[Joel OF]

I haven't done any demos yet but I can sympathize because I know the sort from when I've done market stalls.

Thinking ahead to demoing & running into this sort my instinct would be to lie about needing to do something dangerous to the fire that would require them to step away, eg put wet coke on the fire which spits & could blind them, or do something very loud that'll make them want to leave, eg a few ear piercing blows on the heel of the anvil.

[BackyardBlacksmithin]

I did my first demo just a few months ago, lesson number one I learned? I NEED something to keep the crowd away from my anvil and forge. I turned around for one second and I hade someone standing behind me turning the hand crank blower on my forge.... Really... get away from my tools......

[divermike]

I try to remember I am an ambassador to the craft. When the inevitable jerk does arrive, I give him some time, then go back to work, and speak to others, ignoring the jerk. They get the message eventually. And I try to check my ego at the door, we need to remember that everybody's grandad was a blacksmith, and most of the jerks are wanna bees, so if they try to run the show, I just smile and occasionally ask them a question they likely can't answer. And if all else fails, I mention maybe next year they should get their act together and open their own stall because they surely must be good enough with all they know.

[Jim Coke]

Greetings All,

 

I still like my method..  Turn your anvil around and work with your back to the interrupter.   Tell them that you are working on a secret process for blacksmiths eyes only and ask them for some quiet time..   They rubber neck for a while and soon leave..    Works every time..     Ahh the mystery of what we do..

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[Frosty]

I like JM's final solution, "get em saved," I have to remember that one.

 

Still, like Mike says, we're representing an ancient craft that is just making a rebound so we need to make good impressions, even with the nimrods.

 

I've silently offered my hammer to spectators who tell me how a REAL blacksmith does things. Other times I've asked if they have any of granddad's tools or if they're done with them do they want to sell them where they'll get used.

 

Still, there are folk who just aren't going to be happy unless they can show how smart, or whatever, they are by trying to make YOU look a fool. Engaging these folk is a no winner so just let the troll starve. If you don't feed them they will go somewhere they can feed off the angst/etc. they sow.

 

We can't win by engaging them, even if we land a good shot, we lose. They're never the only person in the audience or they'd move on to richer fields, so when we engage them two things happen, they're satisfied by gaining attention and the audience loses some respect for US. Lose lose.

 

Don't feed the trolls Let them starve.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Countryforge]

I do a lot of demos, after the first one or two I looked around and at one point there were at least 10 small kids with parents around the anvil. That was the last time I used iron after that it was all copper, would get hot just like iron  it flows and forms and it works out fine they dont know the difference but best of all no sparks  All are happy

[jmccustomknives]

I'm seeing several here that don't set up a barrier.  My personall rule is a minimum of 6-8 feet.  I'll usually just use caution tape and some hand made poles.  The combination of that extra distance and ear plugs (safety first) keeps spectators safe and makes it difficult for dummies to distract.

Usually it's just shows where I'm selling that I run into "those" guys.  I did a gun & knife show recently when a old man walked up to my table and asked, "Is that your wife?."  I said, "yes".  "That's not who I saw you with last night." 

I drifted over to a paying customer at that point, my wife however had to put up with him for the next 10 minutes.

I don't know if she will ever do a show like that with me again. :o

[BackyardBlacksmithin]

I was thinking of making some chain to use as a barrier and some poles. That way I could use the barrier as a kind of conversation piece as well. Just do it with hand forged and welded links. Keep them at a distance and give them something to look at and examine as well.

[Willis]

You can always ask 'Me Bevis' to show you his forge after the show. When he replies 'my name isnt Bevis' you reply 'Oh, sorry, you must be the other one".

[divermike]

"Never argue with an idiot, an innocent bystander may not be able to tell the difference"!

 

I have a big thick 1.5" rope that I string through metal poles made out of old coal pokers, to keep the folks back, and I keep my finished pieces on tables just out of reach,my sign hangs in front of this table so they cannot easliy lean into it to reach over,  I have a second table of pieces they can handle, and look at, if they walk off with it, it is of little concern.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Double post, and eddeted. for content.

[Charles R. Stevens]

I have a name for those kind of folks...
Strikers! (Get the biggest hammer you can find)
This of corse said in jest, I will offer to lease my farrier tools to an obnoxious client tho.

[DSW]

I was thinking of making some chain to use as a barrier and some poles. That way I could use the barrier as a kind of conversation piece as well. Just do it with hand forged and welded links. Keep them at a distance and give them something to look at and examine as well.

 

 

I like that idea, Right now I have an old barn door I set up as a table and put out items for display that blocks one side, then set up a rope to block the rest. the forge is behind the table out of reach and the anvil is set back far enough someone can't just reach over to it.

[Geoff Keyes]

Not a demo thing, but a show thing that I have noticed.  I can sit at the table with my best, friendliest face on, answering questions and such and get mostly reasonable people.  If I get up to take a break, walk the floor, or run to the head, all of the crazies and weirdos come out like they've just been waiting for me to leave, so they can talk to my wife.

 

The guy who wants to talk about how I do some small thing and then argue about how I'm doing it wrong.  The guy who won't believe that my work is hand made.  The guy who thinks that this special steel is the ONLY steel to use and wants to argue about it.  The one who wants to nitpick my every artistic choice.  The guy who believes that ancient forged blade are superior to modern ones because:  they used human sacrifice, because they had secret ways of making steel, because the edge packed the blades and didn't harden them.  As soon as I start back for the table, they're gone, like they've got radar.  I can watch them streaming away from 4 rows over.

 

I don't think I'm that scary, but it happens at every show.

 

Geoff

[BackyardBlacksmithin]

Geoff: I love it, I had that happen to me last time as well, my full time normal job is a Deputy Sheriff. I had a bunch of young kids that were very obviously into some lets say... recreational substances, watching me forge and another fella that was I was having a conversation asked what I did for a living, as soon as the words "Deputy Sheriff" came out I looked and those kids were flat GONE, like I didn't even see where they went. I look at my girlfriend who heard and saw the whole thing and she is just laughing her backside off...

[FieryFurnace]

I do one or two demo's a year. It seems there is almost always someone that wants to dominate my time. They know that I can't leave. They talk about anything and everything except blacksmithing. How do you handle these people?

I've done demos for four or five years and have dealt with people who cussed me up one side and down the other, people who told me what exactly was wrong with every single piece if equipment you have, people who are funny, attentive and interested, and everything in between, from ages 5 - 90.

If someone comes up and tries to tell you what is wrong with your stuff or your technique, keep your replies to a minimum. Do not engage these people in argument. That's their whole goal, so if you just nod your head carelessly and say "oh ok," they'll give up after a few minutes and walk off. Then you and the rest of the spectators can laugh at them once they are out of earshot.

Talk the jokers and the outgoing folks in your crowd and ignore the people who know it all. ALWAYS come off as SUPER confident, but not hauty in your technique and knowledge. Hauty comes off repulsive, confidence comes off as unquestionable.
If you present our stuff as if you really know what you are doing, most "know it alls" will move on and search for a more helpless victim.

Good luck!