Biggest challenge learning, and how you overcame the challenge.

[jacobd]

What was your most difficult challenge you have faced in blacksmithing or the accompanying tasks? What was the most difficult to learn for you? How did you overcome this obstacle?

[VaughnT]

Patience.

 

I used to really get miffed when something didn't come out exactly like I wanted, or didn't happen fast enough.  What I needed to acknowledge was that my skill level and tool selection wasn't the same as Peter Ross or the like, and it was going to take me longer to get the same results.  

 

Once I recognized that truth, life became a lot better in the smithy.  

 

What I tell new smiths that are constantly complaining about not having all kinds of tools --->  the vikings were making pattern-welded swords and fine gold jewelry without all those tools you think you need.  If the Egyptians could build pyramids without steel tools and bulldozers, you really have no excuse for not forging a nice s-hook, other than laziness.  

 

It just takes the patience to stick with it, using what you have, and mastering it.  You can make a knife with nothing more than a chunk of leaf spring and a handful of gravel from the driveway.  It's going to take time, but you can do it.

[rockstar.esq]

Finding time.

 

Lifes responsibilities being what they are, and blacksmithing being a hobby I'm taking much longer to progress than I would otherwise.  Adding to what Vaughn wrote, I've found that rushing while I have those precious minutes works against my aspirations.  Plus I strongly suspect that coal reacts to desperation by burning nearly completed projects...

 

I have to remind myself that I'm short of time Blacksmithing because the family is my priority.  Kids aren't young forever and the anvil will wait where I left it.  In the mean time, I've got to remind myself to avoid deadlines for progress on my hobby.  It took me a few years to figure out that making gifts was actually setting my learning back because I was inevitably rushing to get them done in time.  If I'd spent that time dedicated to improving my skills, I'd probably be making better production by now.

[Borntoolate]

The most difficult is when I get frustrated.   Basically as stated above.  Things not working the way I thought.   Taking a heat (or three) and basically not getting much accomplished.   Or accomplishing screwing up.   Once I get frustrated I have learned to stop and walk away.   Gives me time to think and learn.   

[Fe-Wood]

Coming to Blacksmithing from a wood working background, it has taken a long time for me to go from a cut and paste mentality to an isolate and distribute mentality.

[jmccustomknives]

I could say making Damascus, but not really.  Or forging and tempering a sword, that was surely tough.  But not that.  For me it is impatience, trying to rush something that I shouldn't.  I haven't overcome that yet. :blink:

[SpankySmith]

When I first got into this my biggest difficulty was the fact that I was sooooo excited and thrilled with all the possibilities that I'd fire up the forge and try...EVERYTHING. Which resulted in me not really getting ANYTHING done. And certainly not done well. Learning the wisdom and origin of the phrase, "Too many irons in the fire." I benefitted greatly in learning to plan a forge session, with only a few items to make, allowing myself time to explore things slowly. It kills me sometimes because I spend time here at IFI and looking around on the web, and there's so much I want to learn and try! But learning to temper my enthusiasm in favor of deliberate forward progress, however slow, has been my biggest challenge.

[SJS]

Time management skills, and prioritization... and I haven't overcome it yet...  I can only free up time every so often, and I can't get things done as quickly in reality as in my mind. Lillico, Clifton Ralph, and my power hammer taught me to think in isolate and distribute, and changes in cross section.  I have 30 years of doing high end hobbist/low end professional smithing;-) SO once I am up and running in "the flow" things go pretty good, its getting up to speed, and sometimes remembering what comes next (I used to be able to forge a realistic wizard head that was really cool, cant remember how I did it...)  I have been wanting to make some hammers for a few years, but it never makes it high enough on the priority list to get done...  There are lots of tools I want to make to improve my capacity and efficiency, but I often make complicated projects that don't have a great return on investment... Like my lovely horse head hooks that take around 2 hours each... and I have one more holiday craft fair and my stock is low... and lets not forget obsessing over some minor detail in the process that causes it to take 150%-200% of the time it should...

 

Do the important thing 1st - making the tools to help you be a better smith is important

Work at constantly improving, but don't obsess.

Make things that sell, not just things that make you happy, or shows off your skills.

Balance helps - make some tools, make some product, build your skill set.

practice, practice, practice - NOTHING teaches hammer control like carefully watching what your hammer is doing to the steel, and responding.

Patience, patience, patience - make an S-hook, make 3 just like it, make 20... make a leaf key fob, make 100... learn tapers, learn how to spread a boss, learn finails... make nails.  Learn half faced blows, and shouldering in. learn to butcher and chisel and punch.

Self discipline, if you want to achieve a certain goal, plan on HOW are you going to get there... Aim for nothing and you will hit it everytime.

Harden your dreams with practicality, and Temper your practicality with your dreams...

 

Your asking the right questions if you want to learn from someone else's mistakes without having to make them yourself!!!

[jacobd]

This is all golden information, and by all means please continue.

[anvil]

the first two posts pretty well sum it up.

here's a few that seem to take a while to grasp.

Get it HOT. never forget when its Yellow its mellow, when its Red its dead.

too many when new and self/internet taught get impatient, or don't know the difference with how long it takes to get to a forging heat- yellow- and pull it out at a red. then get frustrated with the stubborn movement of iron.

the next applies to time and learning. there are many basic techniques to learn in order to be able to go from conception to finished product relatively easily. it becomes a real joy to get to the point where you can conceive an idea and execute it without having to "think" where to hit it and just how hard. a musical analogy would be when you don't have to think how to make a "c" "f" or "g"chord, you just play the music in your mind, the chords are second nature. Francis Whitaker once said this takes about 7 years of serious work. your results may vary.

and finally, being able to lay out my iron from a reference point hanging in outer space. this includes layout from the centerline instead of an edge as most conventional construction does. edges in forged iron change, the centerline stays constant. more complex is realizing your primary layout point needs be in outer space because your scrolls are 3 dimensional, your rail or chandelier curves, walls and floors are not plumb and square ( sometimes by design!). learning this was a big moment for me.

hope this helps.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Inertia...
Simply stated, this midle aged american tends to keep going when I'm working but I tend to keep my butt in my chair when I sit down.
I should burn my chair...

[Tim S.]

One of my early mentors said "Any fool can make one of something- making two alike is the trick." There is a great deal of truth in this statement. It gets at the idea that you have to learn to be consistent in your workmanship. Beyond that though it gets into how you think and plan work, how you utilize your equipment, and your ability to focus on the important details. Having done both industrial and decorative smithing I can say this is a big challenge in each arena. Ultimately, learning how to plan a job and any needed tooling is tougher than learning how to do the job. Then, if you are doing this for a living, learning how to plan the work and  estimate a realistic amount of time to execute it is  critical. If you can’t do that effectively then you can’t cost your work properly. These are skills that come through trial and error, talking to those with experience, and from developing an methodical approach to your work. I was blessed to work with two fine men that were willing to take the time to teach. If you find somebody like that make sure to spend your time with them well- watch closely and listen with all your might

[Frank Turley]

My answer has a little bit to do with the way our society is oriented. I was in school in the 1940's and 50's, and was informed that white collar desk jobs were more desirable than blue collar work. Partly because of that emphasis, we in the U.S. eventually entered a bigger service economy than a manufacturing economy. By hearsay, I heard that more Master of Business Administration ( MBA) degrees are given than those given in the other Masters programs. This makes one wonder who is left using their hands or making anything.

 

My dad taught me after a fashion how to hammer, saw, chop wood, and use a screwdriver. But when I got to blacksmithing, I had to really concentrate on eye-hand coordination, and I was "mechanically declined." I had to study hard the moving parts of hinges, latches, and bolts to internalize their mechanics. Early on, I made a lock and key and was successful at it. That was a breakthrough.

 

If you are a professional, you will meet the client. Then comes a presentation drawing and offering a quotation, Following that comes stock selection and cropping to size. Next comes some forge work and assembly. There is the finish, perhaps painting to be done. Installation is often done by the smith if required. You'll be fortunate to be in the fire 15% of all that time.