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I Forge Iron

Stuck in the city. Now what?


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Seize the opportunity to meet/get on the good side of the art school dean's secretary. Don't bother with the email: you want her to think of you as "that nice polite young man who came by the office and was so polite when I told him the dean wouldn't be in until the next week", and that's best done in person.

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E-mail is impersonal. It is especially so if the Dean is over 45 years old.

Also, it is a plus if the Dean is not aware of your reason for seeing. He will be a little surprised. That is better then "some young fellow wants something".

Presenting him with a list of keen students could prove to be a big headache for you. Let me explain, your primary goal is for YOU to gain the use of the smithy and machine shop.

He probably can allow that. But presenting him with a herd of enthusiasts will make him have to consider a whole proposition. A new course? A new course of specialty? That would probably entail the school administration consider the novel concept, and the changes required and then get the school to o.k. it.

You will have graduated before the concept is officially approved.

All that presupposes that the Dean will agree and act on it. He won't. Trust me on that.

Keep it simple and you can succeed.

SLAG.

 

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If he's out of the office for a week it gives you some time to get on his secretary's good side! gift her with some examples of why the school NEEDS blacksmithing as part of the art department. Perhaps a letter opener W/stand, a cala lily bud vase, card holder of course. Be sure to take a careful look around while you're there to pick up clues to what s/he finds attractive so you can forge up something that fits. 

Heck, if the Dean has his name on the door, make him a custom forged name hanger, frame or heck name. A little butter goes a long way. ;)

We are pullin for you Brother, give it heck!

Frosty The Lucky.

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SKIP THE LETTER OPENER!!!!! Anything that can be misconstrued as a blade is not a good way to get a foot in the door.

Now at New Mexico Tech they have a Knifemaking club and the fine arts metals classroom has a forge, anvils, treadle hammer, postvise, and a couple of times a semester---me.

Oooh, good point about the letter opener. Maybe have to come up with one that doesn't look like a knife. Be back in a while. Hmmmmmmm. Okay, how about one that's like a seam cutter? The blade could be enclosed so the only thing it could touch is something that fit between the buard thingies. I think I'll do some sketching and see if my dents will cooperate.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Something like that, maybe two leaves with the stem turned between or maybe a thorn. Do you know what I mean by a seam ripper? It looks a little like an old can opener and the smaller curved blade is underneath. The things are scary sharp but it's almost impossible to get more than pinked with one.

Okay just searched seam rippers and my memory is only sort of right. A version still might make a good letter opener.

https://allstitch.net/mediaviewer.cfm?mediaID=12097

Frosty The Lucky.

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Something like that, maybe two leaves with the stem turned between or maybe a thorn. Do you know what I mean by a seam ripper? It looks a little like an old can opener and the smaller curved blade is underneath. The things are scary sharp but it's almost impossible to get more than pinked with one.

Okay just searched seam rippers and my memory is only sort of right. A version still might make a good letter opener.

https://allstitch.net/mediaviewer.cfm?mediaID=12097

Frosty The Lucky.

I can totally see where you are going with that. You don't really need two sides of a blade to open a letter anyway. The curved blade of a seam-ripper design really sounds like it might work. 

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Another design asset that the seam ripper brought to mind is that it is small and light, both of which are winners when it comes to a tool on a lady's desk. Of course a plastic handle on a seam ripper would be much less heavy than a forged one, but it still is a good thing to think about for your design. Just my half a cent...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have yet to ask since classes are really starting to pile on. There are a few issues with me completing some of the advice. One, the secretary is a guy. Two, I dont have the time or ability to forge anything right now, hence the initial post. Thats a good point about trying to get a lot of people involved, Ill keep it limited to me for now. I'll let you guys now when I finally find time to ask.

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