Forging Carver Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 If you think about it, blacksmiths built America. I am sure that they built other countries as well, but I can only speak for what I know in my country's history. If it weren't for the blacksmith, we wouldn't have the luxuries of today's society. We probobly wouldn't be where we are today. I say this becuase if it weren't for the blacksmiths, there wouldn't be any carpenters or Mason's, for they wouldn't have anybody to make their tools. This leaves us with no one to make homes, buildings, churches, etc, as well as fine cabinets, furniture, clocks, and much more you can think about around the house and the town. If it weren't for the blacksmith, modern day lighting, machinery, cars, electronics, appliances, etc. would not be of existence either. We would be living primitively just like the Native Americans did, which in fact would be kind of nice in my opinion. I love the way they used to live and how they survived of the land. Anyways, many take most of what they see and use for granted. Many overlook their computers and smart phones and take them for granted. Many overlook the blacksmith, and some don't even know what a blacksmith is. If it weren't for the smiths, people would have none of which they use in their daily life. It is a shame how I have to describe to some people what a blacksmith is. Blacksmiths were extremely important to build our country, but yet they are not included in the history books describing their importance. Heck, if it weren't for the blacksmith you wouldn't be looking at this post, or even have an account on iforgeiron. Don't take everything for granted and be sure to appreciate that it was becuase of people like you, blacksmiths, that made that thing possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 "By Hammer and Hand All the Arts Do Stand" famous quote about the essential craft of smith's work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 For a long time, I've been intrigued by the Blacksmiths that "specialized" in making and maintaining the tools and equipment associated with one particular type of work. A Blacksmith supporting a logging operation, required a very different set of skills, than one working in an Armory, or aboard a Whaling Ship, or a Coal Mine, or building a Railroad. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 if that opening statement were anyway true, then forget Greece and Egypt and Rome and Myans, because in fact there have been masons long before iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 2 hours ago, Steve Sells said: if that opening statement were anyway true, then forget Greece and Egypt and Rome and Myans, because in fact there have been masons long before iron. Ah, but that is why I said America and that I cannot say for other countries. The ancient Incans made the stone village of Machu Pichu by hand cutting stones with rocks. Then you might ask why I said that if there were no blacksmiths there would be no masons. That is becuase of a few reasons. The first is that becuase America got Blacksmithing from Europe in which smiths were used to develop their towns and cities. Masons by then were using steel tools, and by then lost the ancient skill of cutting stone with other rock. The second reason is that to make that little village of Machu Pichu (compared to America), took years and years to do so. The village was never even finished. Now imagine how long it would take to build up this entire country. Greece, Egypt, and Rome are all very small compared to the US as well. The last reason which is a bit off the topic of masons, is that if there were no carpenters or blacksmiths, there would have been no ships sturdy enough to make the voyage to North America. Without the tools that the European blacksmith made for the carpenter and mason, there is no way we would be where we would today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 North American had stone work look around Nova Scotia among other places, and S American has Peru, the Incans, Myans.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 When reading the history of the settlement of many New England towns you discover the first two professions that were given land and buildings were Ministers and Blacksmiths to lure them to the area. Would the towns have been settled without a blacksmith? I presume so but would have been a lot more difficult. in my home town in Vermont in 1900 there were 1801 horses and 26 blacksmiths by census but certainly a lot of their work wasn't shoeing horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 I totally agree, that is why I mentioned the Incans and Machu Pichu. My point is that there is no way it could have been done efficiently enough to create a strong nation. Let's take Machu Pichu again. It took about 30 years to do most the building of it. Now this wasn't on and off, it was day to day work. They worked hard to cut and place these stones. They were just about done when the Spanish then came and overthrew the Incan empire and the Incans were not able to finish the village. They didn't have any way to sufficiently protect themselves. They had probobly 5-10 years of work left into finishing the village. Now think about doing this to about all 20,000 habitated areas of the US. Remeber that we don't have the tools to manipulate wood properly to build houses, or nails for houses, so this is the way we are stuck to building. We wouldn't be close to how built up we are today. So maybe we have a few states built up enough by this time. That is if we somehow found a way to get across from Europe without the need of boats that require steel tools beyond stones to make. We have a few areas out of the entire country. What stops the Natives or someone else from preventing us from our snail speed expansion? Each town is going to take at least 20 years to make. We also are going to have less forts to protect our land as well. This leads to another thing. Without the blacksmith, we have no fire arms which means we are left with bow and arrow to protect our selves. This leaves us with too much of a weak nation and not likely to suceed. By this time the nation is poorly built up if even still exists. Lack of ways to get here from Europe becuase of no ships. I'm not really seeing a way our country could have gotten built up without the blacksmith. The blacksmith provided for ships, tools, firearms, nails, and mostly everything you needed. The blacksmith was basically the factory back then. I don't know how else to explain this. Let me know otherwise, but I am pretty proud of my logic and think I did a good job explaining this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 The working of stone, wood, ceramics and textiles all pre-date the working of metals the world over where ever any civilisation evolved. So one could say, if it where not for the foresters, and carpenters, the farmers and ropemakers and weavers, the Pilgrims would not have had the ships to cross the atlantic to found the country! The modern America you are alluding to that was built by Blacksmiths, sent men to the Moon, with the help of a German rocket scientist by the name of Von Braun, Using mapping data produced by the Englishman Patrick Moore, and the endless contributions of Einstein, Watt, etc etc..... No single craft or trade builds a country on it's own, it contributes to the effort of others, and depends on them for support, the farmer that fed the smith, the miner that provided the coal and ore, the forester that cut the lumber to build the smithy....etc etc, All contribute and prosper together, that's what a country is, not just the location. Mankind benefits and expands upon the work others have done before. I think the Great Issac Newton is credited with the quote "... If I see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 The original smiths were the fellows that made the first hand ax that butchered the first animal that some other creature killed. Flint Knappers are smiths too only in a different material. You end up in a semantic void if you strain hard enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 1 hour ago, Charlotte said: Flint Knappers are smiths too only in a different material. The first stock-removal bladesmiths, if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Yeah I have tried flint knapping before. After a lot of frustration and cutting myself every minute, I haven't knapped since. I should really buy some more materials some time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 2 hours ago, Forging Carver said: Yeah I have tried flint knapping before. After a lot of frustration and cutting myself every minute, I haven't knapped since. I should really buy some more materials some time soon. You don't need to buy materials. Just take a stroll along any stream that flows over gravel or go to a gravel pit or rocky shore line. Burns are the price of learning to blacksmith and cuts are the price of flint knapping as paint stains are the price of learning to paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Yeah but they say obsidian is e best learning rock since of its easy cutting. Just like mild is the best learning steel becuase of its easy moving. I will look around the stream though. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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