Lets go shopping!

[Cory]

Sounds like both of you have seen it. If memory serves me I believe the girl was making a bowl from the copper disk Glenn. There was also a student making an axe and it showed the process of drifting the eye

[Bjorn]

I think I'm in a relitivaly similar situation. But instead of going into probuction blacksmithing, I've looked into other fields, such ferrier work, and being a smith on the side. In the mean time, I'm just doing it for fun.

[Shane Stegmeier]

As at least one, if not both;-) I feel qualified to respond:-) Farrier work is plentiful here where I am in West Central Indiana, but there is a wide disparity in what one farrier makes versus another. If you are good with horses, can see a horse's lameness, and can read dynamic balance on the foot in motion, or can be trained to be, and you are a quick worker you could potentially make a lot of money as a horseshoer::-) But it is not easy work, and the horses are not always all that willing;-), and the hardest thing for some guys is just to build up a cliente. Most good farriers are busy enough that they have to turn work away much of the time. You only have so many horses in your back, and only God knows how many that is? So if you want to burn through the horses, and your back working cheap, you can easily do that... I would not recommend it;-) But to be competitive you need to be fast, and/or do really high quality work. Aquiring a good reputation is the hard part, and can be ruined quickly by a causal mistake and an outraged and vocifereous client. If you are serious check with one of the better farrier's in your area, and see if you can work with him a bit. You can get a feel for if you truly are interested in doing this for a living, and you can cultivate a mentor relationship with the farrier, which will be useful if you would like to work as a full time apprentice with him, and he can pass work your way. Try and find someone with a good reputation, and good skills. Schools are useful in laying the ground work, but apprenticing puts a polish on things, and you get the added bonus of your mentor can shift workhe doen't want your way... And starting out you can starve, because no one trusts a farrier who needs work. Years ago the AFA Journal had an article that said that the average working life of a professional farrier was 7 years, lots of guys start out from shoeing school and think they are going to be abe to make a good living quick, and before the summer is over they have gotten a new occupation. Then you have the old boys who have been shoeing 30+ years, but the dropouts have them out numbered three to one... I am trying to switch my business back to more blacksmithing and less horseshoeing, but I am addicted to the cash flow:-), and I have some very nice, very loyal clients.