ThomasPowers Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 well I'm going off an old medieval description with "the body of a goat"; but there are others. Just pointing out that the modern commercialized version is not necessarily the best one...Just like the modern Hollywood version of a blacksmith working all along forging swords in a rural smithy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adair Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 The best tip I can give for public demonstrations, and this is really crucial when your audience is random: Demonstrate items that you can forge in your sleep. Confident, linear processes from beginning to end are infinitely more captivating than fussing and tapping as you try to work out something new Additionally, a well rehearsed operation will free up your mind to interact with the crowd while you forge. That is a skill in itself I've found. I'll make the same product repeatedly, striving to make each one like the next. If you can dictate what you are doing while you are doing it, and wind up with consistent, quality products, you will be honing your own skills in addition to entertaining the crowd. That determined certainty about every move is really apparent, even to someone who has never seen a blacksmith work. -Adair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancho07 Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 11 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: Pancho.... Unicorn-looks like a horse but it has a horn...... a shoe for one of them. Spose I probably walked into that one. How exactly would the shoe for a caprine equine differ from standard equus footwear? or is it the same but you charge a dollar more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 If it's a one shoe horn does that make it a shoe horn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayshore Forge Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Today was my first day demonstrating, here's an update. It went really really well, we had 364 visitors from 11:00am to 5pm. I made a bunch of wall hooks, a few nails, a nail ring, and a tavern puzzle. Here's some pictures, the tavern puzzle isn't perfect, but I was trying to not take a ton of time. Yes we had four smiths counting myself there for the beginning when the pic was taken of the forge. Tavern puzzle was cool because it demo'd forge welding for the folks. Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Dean Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 On 7/14/2016 at 10:43 AM, Adair said: The best tip I can give for public demonstrations, and this is really crucial when your audience is random: Demonstrate items that you can forge in your sleep. Confident, linear processes from beginning to end are infinitely more captivating than fussing and tapping as you try to work out something new Additionally, a well rehearsed operation will free up your mind to interact with the crowd while you forge. That is a skill in itself I've found. I'll make the same product repeatedly, striving to make each one like the next. If you can dictate what you are doing while you are doing it, and wind up with consistent, quality products, you will be honing your own skills in addition to entertaining the crowd. That determined certainty about every move is really apparent, even to someone who has never seen a blacksmith work. -Adair This advise is huge! I demo at a threshing bee and my go to project is leaf key chains. I find it's very important to engage the crowd as I'm working otherwise it's not interesting to the visitors. I will often single out someone in the back and ask them a question or two just to get some interaction. Many times I will start and get people guessing what I'm making as I'm working on it, this does make for some very comical responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 I agree with Adair's advice. It's really important to have everything organised and proceed in an orderly and confident manner. It's our busy mid-winter tourist season here in Australia and we are getting over a hundred tourists past my forge each day. I am often surprised by the number of people who will stay for the whole process of whatever I'm making ... and they always want to buy the one they see made, even though yesterday's demo items on the shelf may be similar. And yes, you need to talk to the people, explaining what you are doing and why. You get asked a barrage of questions, but I do get a bit tired of "What are you making?" so to avoid repeating myself as new visitors come by, I have placed a small chalkboard near the gate stating what I am making at that time, and a sample of the finished product attached to the board. I never try anything new with an audience - leave that for before opening time! And I've said before I do not do forge welding as people do not appreciate sparks all over them ... and I am not confident with it. Sometimes (with parental permission) I will allow children to come into the smithy and turn the forge. They must have covered shoes and I put the gloves and glasses on them. They can generate the heat required to make a little plant hook or something to take away. Good PR. There are also a few interesting things you can show visitors while your steel is heating up. Simple things like the texture of wrought iron compared to mild, a ball bearing bounce on your best anvil ( I reckon 95% on the Kohlswa). And how many folks won't believe you when you say hot steel loses its magnetism! Easy enough to show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.