SinDoc Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Me being me, I was dead set on teaching myself how to smith. However, after only a little over month, I have already decided that while this is a trade I could PROBABLY teach myself over time, it would be a fairly grueling process. It was most apparent when I was trying my first heat treat over the weekend and noticed I had a really hard time telling how hot the metal was based on its color (I don't currently have any means of verifying temp). Rather than continuing to be stubborn, I decided I should take a class or two. I am not sure who was shocked more, me or my wife. I know at least one person here had mentioned Adlai Stein and that he was a cool/nice person. Well I decided to sign up for one of his classes tonight for an intro to blacksmithing. Does anyone want me to say hi? Seems like everyone knows everyone else who has been in this craft for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Adlai is good people, as they say. I think you will find that a couple of hours with direct instruction will save you months of trial and error. Good decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Yup. This particular class is just the basics. Make a hook with a twist and such. Hopefully I can squeeze into a intro to bladesmithing class as well, but boy those classes sell out quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 ThomasPowers knows Adlai from back in the day, and I think may have been one of his first teachers. I've almost met him in person (saw him at Quad-State, but didn't get a chance to introduce myself), but we've interacted on Facebook. I hear nothing but good things about him as a teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Hopefully his teachings can get through this thick skull of mine. Although it has gotten thinner since being married. The misses beating on it constantly has slowly worn it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Tell Adlai I said "Hi" and that you should hide his anvil in the slack tub! (Perhaps he'll share the story of trading in a "farm ASO" for a Peddinghaus.) Smiths have been using Colour, softness under the hammer and sound for over 3000 years to judge temperatures; *but* what they did was to learn from their teacher/Master and pass on what temp was good for what materials and processes. Taking a course should stand in for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 That sounds like it would be a funny story. I will have to mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 First time Adlai came by my forge he was with Jim Green, (fellow who coined the phrase "Blacksmithing is easy; you hold the cold end and hit the hot end.---Get it right next time!") Anyway; they were discussing that I seemed shy and that they had better tone down their language and banter---that lasted a minute or two and then one of them handed me a straight line and that was that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Sounds like I will get along with him just fine! Along the lines of your quote, reminds me of one regarding a spear. "If you dont know which end to stick 'em with you havent been paying attention!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 That was a very fun experience. Adlai was a very nice person and even though it was only a roughly 3 hour class, I feel like I learned a ton from him. He also pointed out the ~70lb anvil you liked to repeatedly hide lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Did he tell you why? Back in the 1990's when he started; I loaned him my "loaner anvil"; a 91 pound Arm and Hammer. He was living just north of OSU in a not so great neighborhood and working in back of his rental. I castigated him several times about leaving my anvil outside when he was done. He found a couple of old ASO's "farm anvils" and so next time I was over there when he wasn't and saw my anvil outside; I just loaded it up and took it home. Not too much longer and all his smithing stuff was stolen; but it turns out he had renters insurance that specified *REPLACEMENT* and his agent staring at the list of stuff said "ANVILS where in the heck will I find anvils for sale!" So Adlai gave him a copy of the Centaur Forge Catalog....and his ASOs were replaced with Peddinghaus anvils. To add insult to injury; I got to attest that yes he had owned the missing equipment and yes it had been stolen. At least that's the way I remember it; and so I used to hide his peddinghaus anvil when he wasn't looking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 He did not mention that part! If he lived north of OSU, I wouldn't leave anything out that wasn't welded, tied, chained and finally magically held down. Just before I left I told him I would tell you what a horrible, bad teacher he was and how he was very mean. He got a chuckle out of that. But like I said, he was an extremely nice guy and was very...instructive? Is that the right word? Just made a hook but I learned a lot from it. Hopefully I can take another one of his classes in the future, or at least attend one of his open shop events. He was very pleasant to talk to and I would love to learn more from him. I want to try making another hook at home tonight on my own and see if what he showed me actually got through my thick skull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 There are two types of classes IMNSHO; those that coach you to produce an item and those that are geared to teach you the process so you can make items in the future. Yes there's a lot to dump on a student trying to learn the process: materials, temps, hammer and anvil dressing, hammer control, anvil heights, forge types, forge environments (reducing, neutral, oxidizing), safety, etc and so on. It helps to go back for reinforcement every now and then. I tell my students when they complete their first item: "You are now a smith; it can take you the rest of your life to become a great one!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 I would most certainly say his method was the later one. He forged his own along side me and the one other person in the class while we both made our own. He would show us a step then have us repeat it. Would give a hand if required, but made us do it on our own. I personally like that method. I learn a lot from watching others do it, then doing it myself. I am pretty confident I could make another one in the exact same manner. Wont know until I try though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Try soon; repetition is essential to learning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 "Tell me and i forget, teach me and i remember, involve me and i learn" an old quote that has always stuck with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 That is a very nice quote. I am going to engrave that and hang it in the shop lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Ditto Thomas, make more hooks soon. Skills are perishable, especially newly learned skills. Get some repetition in your muscles and reflexes remember much longer. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 That is so true Frosty. I graduated high school nearly 15 years ago (I know, I am still very young comparatively lol). I used to play Trombone in band. I had not touched that instrument in probably a decade but the neighbor kid is learning it so I dug it out and helped him out. I still apparently have the muscle memory for several of the common songs we did, like the fight song. Surprised me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerooster Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I've been working on turning a new hire into a framing carpenter. I've found the best way to do it is demonstrate one, then have him do 200, while giving pointers and assistance when needed. He's picking it up pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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