Joey van der Steeg quitting blacksmithing professionally

[Frosty]

All the best to you Joey. It's good to see you making and paying for philosophical decisions while you're young enough. I'm glad to hear you're responsible enough to not do it when you have familial responsibilities. 

You are aware electric welding was invented by a blacksmith, as was the oxy acetylene torch, Yes? The reason being they couldn't make a living by spending 4-5 x the time to finish a product with a much higher failure rate. 

That's okay though, you've discovered folk aren't going to pay you to do what makes you happy, they have bills to pay and to do so they MUST make what the customer wants. People just aren't going to pay you even minimum wage to use primitive techniques just to make YOU feel good. It isn't the public that needs the education, it's guys and gals who think folk should buy what the artist likes. Think about that, would hire someone to paint your house who painted it the color you want. OR the one who charges 5x as much to paint it what THEY like?

I've had this discussion many times over the years, starting with Mother and Dad who drummed it into me till I was sick of hearing it. Later I found myself arguing the same points, take the job, learn to do the job and more, the more you can do the more valuable you are to the employer and more likely to be the last one laid off. Show up early, leave late, do what they tell you and don't make trouble.

I spent 30 years working for an outfit I strongly dislike, despise in many ways. I learned early there was s big difference between working for the state gvt. and the other people I worked with, Liked most of the people still thought the state is a corporation, poorly run by bean counters and the mealy mouthed. I ended up running equipment and drilling test holes but the reason I got that position was because I was a trained welder fabricator. The reason I was a trained welder fabricator is because that's as close as the job market had to professional blacksmith. Being an excellent welder fabricator didn't diminish my love of hot steel and hammers and there were a few occasions where those skills sets saved the state a lot of money and time. I never got a dime nor mention though but the guys I worked with and for knew. 

Sorry, drifting off there It''s not my place to lecture you, you're your own man and this is THE time in your life to make philosophical decisions, while you can afford the price and make changes easy enough to find what keeps you warm, dry, fills your belly and sings to your soul. YOu have my most sincere best wishes. I hope you find a profession you wake up looking forward to doing every day. If you find a job you love you'll never work a day in your life.

Mike Rowe says it better than anybody I've ever heard say it. "Don't follow your passion, take it with you."

Stay in touch Joey, you're too valuable a member of the gang to lose track of.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Frosty]

Thanks for the video Rockstar. The first time I heard Mike Rowe say this was part of an interview he did on Dennis Miller's radio show. I've seen a few other versions of the same talk as well. His "Ted Talks" are terrific. It's truly amazing how packing so much wisdom into such a likable, humble package makes a teacher you're just dying to hear from again.

Frosty The Lucky.

[TechnicusJoe]

Thank you all for your kind words and concerns!  This means very much to me!

I'll try to elaborate a bit about my position. I'd call myself a forger, someone who forges, regardless of time period, tradition, etc. 

Firstly, what I don't understand is that many people, especically now, refer to me as a traditional blacksmith. 
I am totally not traditional. I haven't been an apprentice, I haven't had a master to teach me, nor been a Guild member ever.
I don't use charcoal, but bituminous coal, or coke (not the white stuff).
I don't use 2 separate leather bellows in a clay forge on the ground, nor the more modern double lung bellows and a cast iron tuyere essembly. 
Occasionally I use electric blowers, but I very much prefer my Champion 400 blowers which I can crank myself, which is a modern tool. They are not that old. 

Welding (non forge welding)  came about at roughly 1900, that gives 117, nearly 118 years of time for a couple of generations to learn welding, use it and pass it on. 
Arguably welding is "traditional" as well. Though, welding is welding, not forging. Just like forging is not drilling, and grinding not forging. 

I love using my cast tool steel Refflinghaus anvil, certainly because I know Refflinghaus personally and have visited him numerous times in Germany. I like especially the 100lbs model, but also the drop forged steel anvils of Peddinghaus, whom I have visited in Germany as well. 

Pretty much everything of my equipment is modern, from anvils to forges to vises and tongs. And I am not set in a specific time period. 
iron age is "traditional" for the Viking age. The Viking age is "traditional" for the medieval times. Medieval times are "traditional" up to the industral revolution.
And to us the Industrial revolution is traditional again. AND everything that is in between all of them. 

To me, personally, traditional is a word that really has lost its meaning. If it's not welding and grinding it almost immediately is "traditional". Even though for as long as we have had welding, you could consider welding a traditional thing.  Though it's not at all the same as forging. 

I use modern PPE, safety boots, dust masks, safty specs with correction lenses for my otherwise blurry vision, ear deffenders, etc. 
All this stuff we didn't really have in the last roughly 5000 years? Or did we?

Arguably, you really can't call me a traditional blacksmith. And I certainly don't aim to be or become one. I am a forger, I love and want to forge,  specifically with hammer and anvil, and / or with a striker. Or a power hammer or press from time to time if it happens to be convient and present.. But often I will choose for hand forging (with a striker). Because that is what I love and like doing. 
As stated in the video, I don't care for what is economical and don't often base my choices of production in regards of that aspect. 

Secondly, what needs to be established concerning my work and my way of working, is that I go about in way that I like doing it, and that is as much hand forging as possible. 
That is what I like. I will and do run into moments that a drill, welder and grinder are extremely useful. And I make good use of them when I do. Though I rarely use them. 
BUT, you don't see me go about welding, grinding, drilling anything and then present it as a "hand forged wrought iron XYZ". I consider people / "Smiths" who do this, liars. 

Again, I don't care for the economic aspect. I like to forge fast and well, because I like to be good at it, it fascinates me, but not with the economic aspect in mind. 
I haven't started this hobby because I made money with it or desired to make money with it. I started forging because of an interest for learning about it, which became a passion. 

If I had to take economic aspects in mind, I would completely stop hand forging. And mechanise as much as possible. It's silly, in my opinion to forge by hand and try to compete in that outdated manner. I would invest in the developement of machine jigs. Jigs for the production of tools, gates or whatever, that are adjustible. So that I can produce in the largest quantities with the most options to customize still. I would remove as much as possible of that silly time wasting "traditional (hand) forging" which most of the customers " don't care about" or "aren't able to tell the difference from anyway". 
But I am not that type of person. I see more important things in my life than money. Even though I have a very bad addiction to food and shelter. 
I don't get joy from working in that manner and producing machines that will kill the craft I love so very much, even more than it already has been. 
Take that love away, and I have no reasons anymore to forge. And if I were to have to be in this field without a love for it. 
I would completely rip out all "romantical" aspects such as the "traditions", forging by hand, the idea of the village blacksmith. ( all that nonesense, with economy in mind)
I would completely destroy these perspectives/ideas that slow production down and do anything that boosts profits. There is no love to take into account, but only MONEY. 
But then again, that is not my position and no who I am. 

Then why go to France? I was given an extremely unique opportunity. Here I thought I would spend a large % of my time forging, and a low % welding and grinding. 
I was up for doing that. And have gone through the difficult processes such as moving to France, all the paperwork etc.  But reality has proven that to be different. Thus I stopped. 
Again, I like forging, the welding, grinding etc.  not so much. 

I respect different ways of working. And I certainly don't have anything against welding, drilling, grinding. But me personally, I don't like using it much,
and I especially don't like to mix it with forging. If anyone produces a gate or anything, welded, with forged parts. Then it is that, a product with forged parts. That is honest. 
Anyone can produce anything they want and or like. But be honest about what it is. On a new or modern gate, I'd personally rather see tenon joints, forge welds and collars and no welding. 
But that's me. If the gate or product is sold for what it truly is, that is honest. And I have absolutely no problems with that. 

I must also add, that these views are mine. I haven't had a master, or other people who have "taught" me and/or "told me" what I should think is right and what I should think is wrong. 
What I do in forging is what I think is nice and would like to do. Extremely selfish, that I won't ever deny. 
There are also a couple of arguments which I am going to address, which have no value to me, personally. If they do mean anything to you: brilliant!

1. "If blacksmiths X years ago could make use of XYZ, then they would". I hear and read this one very often. 
I totally don't care about this. I set my path on what I would like to do. NOT what someone else's opinion is on what I should do,
or what other people who have been resting in peace for a long time SUPPOSEDLY (and yes it is realistic, I am not saying it's not true) would have done and used. 
I follow what I like, from my perspective and not what other people tell me what I should think or like. 
It's also regardless of again, the economical aspect. I love to forge and that is what I persue. 


2. "I have been taught to do XYZ by ABC. Or, My Father/grandfather has always done it this way". 
That's all brilliant and good. But it's another argument that doesn't hold any value to me. If you want to do ONLY that which you have been told and/or taught. 
Then go ahead, I won't ever stop you. But please let me think for myself what I'd like to do, whether it agrees or disagrees with your teachings.
That's what I recommend people. Do the things that you like! Whether I agree or disagree with it, is totally not important. It's your life. 

3. "Without welding, grinding, drilling, machining, etc. blacksmithing is not viable otherwise and so many others have done it before me". 
I think I have already esthablished that I don't care about that. I am not forging for the viability of a company.   
I am forging because I have a love for it. Rip that love out, I have no reason to do it anymore. 
And in that case, I would rip out all "traditional and romantical aspects and focus purely on production and money. 
What others have done before you, especially if it worked;  Brilliant, is not going to dictate for me what I will do. Please let me decide for myself what I am going to do. 
Just like I let you decide for yourself. 
This is again why I have gone back into hobbyist position. Being a professional smith involves too many bits that are not-forging, in my grossly selfish opinion. 
I don't care for the affordability, I don't get any joy from working like a "modern smith". 
So I totally am in the wrong place and should stop ASAP. And that is what I have done. I am NOT suitable as a professional blacksmith. 
I care too much about forging and how something is produced, instead of profits. 

 


In short. I am not a traditional blacksmith, nor do I care about being one. I am a forger, and forging is what I love to do. 
I found that making a living by actually (hand) forging, whether traditional or not I don't care about, forging is forging,
is not going to be stable and enough to live. 
I don't care for the economic aspects and what other people's views are on what they perceive on what I should do. 
Very often it's good advice, but it drags me away from forging and puts a welder and grinder in my hands, which I refuse most of the time. 
Thus I had better stopped my professional works and stay a little silly romanticized hobbyist blacksmith. 
So that I can forge as I wish in my free time and work somehwere else to make a living and being able to support a family in the future. 
How others want to work and earn their money is their job and decision. Just like it's my job to sort out my ways with which I have peace. 

I am being very selfish here, it's only from my perspective, and that it is. But then again it's my life. 
So I try to fill in as many things in my life that I have peace with. 
I expect others to do the same thing for their lives and respect their choices and let them make theirs. 
But please, let me make mine too. Wrong ones too, I have lots to learn still! 
 

[Lou L]

Joe, not too long ago we debated in a thread the meaning of “traditional” in blacksmithing.  No consensus was reached.  You have basically resparked that discussion here but with one addition:  it’s your life and your personal decision about how you practice this craft.  No one can argue with you there.   To be honest, I think there was some fear you were just leaving blacksmithing entirely.  No one here wants to hear about someone who has lost the passion    

[Glenn]

T Joe, Thank you for the post. Well said.

Best of luck where ever you go and what ever you do.

[Daswulf]

I completely respect your opinion and decisions Joey. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on forging and your opinions of it, and will continue to respect you and always wish you luck in all you do as well as look forward to any chance of learning from you. 

[ThomasPowers]

I tell people that I run my blacksmithing at a dead loss as a hobby.  It lets me do what I want, how I want it, *WHEN* I want it.  I enjoy teaching so I teach and don't have to worry about "charging" for it or if it takes up too much time.  Anything I sell is just a bit more money to buy more smithing stuff with!  (Books can be really expensive!)

So GOOD FOR YOU, Joe!

[JHCC]

TechnicusJoe, thank you again for speaking with clarity and insight. 

[Dylan Sawicki]

Thanks for clearing that up Joey! I hope you find a good job to support yourself, and have fun forging!