Scalebar Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I've been forging for well over a year, only just made the jump to ferrous but I was using exactly the same kit for silver and bronze. I've always been conscious it makes noise and stuck to one hour stints. The set up is on the opposite side of the house from the character I'm about to introduce and I have a tiny anvil. Not being able to drive I'm kinda limited on venues. The neighbour has suddenly started objecting. After having a go at my wife a few weeks ago I agreed to keep it between 4&6pm, I've only fired up the forge five times since then - and limited it to half an hour sessions no more than twice a day (which is frustrating but at least the oversized burner gets the forge hot quickly), I'm keeping notes. Today he voiced his objections by banging on the gate with a hammer and threatening legal action - after ten mins. As far as I understand it - I have a legal right to carry out my hobby as long as I'm taking reasonable care to minimise disturbance - which I reckon I have been. Anyone got any experience? I'm tempted to take up the bagpipes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Legal action for what? Calling and having someone do something are 2 different things, and try the pipes anyway, he will enjoy them and perhaps relax a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Did he damage the gate he was banging on? Did you get video of it if he did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalebar Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 Noise - I highly doubt he'd get anywhere, but we do have to live next door to them. 2 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Did he damage the gate he was banging on? Did you get video of it if he did? Nope, no damage and no video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I have a noisy neighbor; but I've been living with it as I hope to have a powerhammer and belt grinder going in my home smithy soon. Having their Guinea Hens squawking outside our bedroom window on our property did prompt my wife to call the county animal control. Who told us that my neighbor was responsible for keeping his animals on his property and if they were on our property we could deal with them quite harshly. (Time to polish up the Lund Spit!) Have you read any local ordinances on noise? What is allowed, for how long and when? Now have you silenced your anvil? UK is not as rich in quiet anvils like the Vulcan or Fisher as the USA is but there are known methods to drastically reduce the sound of hammering on a typical anvil! And if you have any tendencies towards Super Villainy: I have had great luck with finding members of the local police and fire services who have an interest in smithing. Getting the people who would get the calls about your activities; doing the same activities at your place can lobby heavily in your favour! Bwahahahahahahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalebar Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 As soon as I can get a lift I'll be filling a sandbox for the anvils. One's a cheap 5kg cast iron draper job (now dented xxxxxx) on a block of oak, the other's are a ten and a thee inch length of rail track used loose on a sleeper at the moment. The noise is definitely below anything that would be considered actionable, this presumably comes under "industrial activity" but as a hobby that just means not before 12 (from the govt website). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJustice Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Drown out the anvil noise with some loud heavy metal music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Make notes on anything actionable he dose. Then if he dose get stupid you nail him. Generally sends then home. tho I find that law enforcement generally takes a dim view on “intimidating” ones wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Rail can be pretty loud but if you mount it on end and bury the end with a little sand it'll quiet down significantly. Unfortunately there are neighbors who just hate whatever's available. A good friend had one such, even got sued twice. The second time the judge fined the plaintiff $500 for abuse of process. We had one just down the hill from us who complained several times a week about our livestock guardian dog barking like there was anything she could do but be a pest. We had a hobby farm at the time and a livestock guardian dog for about 3 years before they moved in. I talked to her husband a couple times, a nice guy, an Alaska State Trooper in fact, great guy we hit it right off. Their dog "Hershey" would bark and ours, Buran would talk back, they'd converse for up to maybe 10 minutes unless there was something to bark at. One morning about 3:00 she calls to complain about Buran barking, he wasn't our window is open and his pasture is maybe 50' away. I hung up on her. Sure enough she calls back in about 3 minutes, she probably needed that long to chew some nails or something. I didn't answer and sure enough I hear the answering machine pick up and her talking. She wasn't, probably still isn't, the sharpest cup of cocoa on the tree, the first thing out of her mouth on the recording is to inform us they are law enforcement. Uh, she drove a van for corrections which is a pretty low level of prison guard if one at all. I'm sure her husband didn't k now when was impersonating police. Then she goes on to threaten to have our dog taken and put to sleep and it just got worse for a good 4 minutes. I gave her husband a call the next day, he dropped by for a cup of coffee and I played the tape. I told him I didn't want to cost her her job or play it for the DA, his kids deserved two parents not a jail bird Mom. If he could please have a talk with her please? He was not only appalled he was humiliated. I assured him it wouldn't go any farther unless she pulled another stunt like it. Sometimes bad neighbors cure themselves. Put up a camera with sound so you can show how loud you were being when he accosted you or your wife. Around here $100 (maybe $200, it's been years) will buy a little time with a lawyer and a letter informing him of pending legal actions if he doesn't pull his head out and behave. Getting your local constables involved blacksmithing at your place would be a SWEET solution. If you need some petty vengeful suggestions let me know, The voices are full of those. Say for instance buy yourself a nice 125lb. Soderfors anvil and just spike it down to a wooden stand. You'll need to wear double ear defenders though but he'll have something to complain about. Hopefully the police will have tired of him enough to tell hem to leave them alone. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalebar Posted June 1, 2021 Author Share Posted June 1, 2021 Well I knocked on the door which I don't think he was expecting and lead to an immediate back down. I've now got them texting me when they go out - I'm not going to let them dictate when I do my hobbies but it adds another example of me being reasonable. Got a camera to set up and I'll just see what happens next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalebar Posted June 2, 2021 Author Share Posted June 2, 2021 Finally we get to the bottom of it - they're putting the house on the market and worried that I'll put it off viewers and think I'm doing this in revenge for last years fortnight of jackhammering from them. That means I should hold off from my real revenge plan - which involves a large bag of nettle seeds cos I wouldn't want to inflict that on new neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 I suggest that you start off with a peace offering to the new neighbors after the sale. Introduce yourself, welcome them to the neighborhood, tell them about yourself and your hobby and give them something you hand forged, e.g a bottle opener, BBQ tools, a fire poker (if the house has a log fire), etc. as a house warming present. Invite them over to watch what you are doing. Many folk have never seen a real blacksmith working. You may keep the relationship sweet with occasional hand forged small gifts such as gardening tools or a candle holder at Christmas. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Nettles are nasty plants, right up there with poison ivy, goats head, bindweed and kale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Griffin Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Kale? Nasty plant? I love kale. My favorite green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Sorry.... We used to grow it for the farmers market and I ate too much of it. Now I don't like it. Spinach, yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 I love how spinach tastes, but lately it’s been doing a real number on my insides. George N. M.‘s advice is excellent. If you’re feeling exceptionally generous, you could contact the real estate agent and talk about how much you forge and when, extending the same invitation to them as well and maybe giving them a bottle opener or the like. If a potential buyer hears from them “The neighbor is a blacksmith, and he’s a really cool, friendly, and considerate guy”, the ones who wouldn’t make good neighbors will tend to shy away and the ones who will, won’t. Investing five or ten minutes in being nice could well pay dividends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Good job Scalebar, defining the problem IS the next step in problem resolution after recognizing there is a problem. I MUCH prefer Georges suggestions over some of our last resort petty revenge ideas. The neighbor has a legitimate concern, overblown maybe but legitimate. I think a card holder would be a nice little gift for the real estate agent. AND if you "just happened" to put your name or logo in a prominent position you might realize some commissions. Hmmm? Here's hoping the best for everybody involved. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 What you DON'T want to do is to stop forging during the showing/sale! Much harder for the next owner to say they didn't know you were a smith when they moved in that way. (Can make a difference here in the USA.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Thomas, that is known as "moving to the nuisance." If you were on notice that there was something offensive on a property and you moved there anyway you cannot bring a nuisance suit against the person creating the nuisance. Examples include a feed lots, noise producers, bright lights, etc.. This has been an issue about airports, the people buying houses knew the airport was there but their answer is that the air traffic and noise has increased since they moved in. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 When we lived in Texas (heaven forbid I should ever set foot back there....) it was out in the country when we first bought a house. There was a shooting range about 5 miles away. Never bothered anyone out in those parts then. Fast forward 40-50 years and the shooting range is now completely surrounded by subdivisions of homes. The shooting range is still active and in business. Gets really noisy around there in Sept-Nov. when folks are sighting in their deer rifles and shotguns......I often wonder how many (unsuccessful) lawsuits were filed against the range, considering George's explanation of "moving to the nuisance". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 In Texas that may have been a selling point for houses in those subdivisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Folks from LA and Chicago probably didn't feel so homesick moving there. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 I lost it at the "Besides this is Texas!" line in one of the Terminator movies. Being from Arkansas it is considered a duty to rag on Texas. When I was working in Juarez MX, I was the only member of the American team that didn't live in TX; I lived the closest to the border crossing we used in in New Mexico! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 Well, for the record, I *was* what they call a Native Texan, but after being born there and living there for some 62 years and seeing what Texas has become...I wouldn't live there again for anything, any reason.....off soapbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 "Moving to the nuisance" only is a valid concept if the nuisance activity remains constant at the level it was when someone moved to a place affected by it. In my earlier example of people moving near an airport the issue of increasing the disturbance is an issue. An over flight by a DC-3 once an hour is not the same as a 747 every 15 minutes. Also, there is the practical issue of the fact that the new people are all voters and the people creating the nuisance have less clout with the local government officials. This can result in the nuisance activity being banned by zoning regulations and only being allowed to continue as a "nonconforming use." Which means that it can only continue at the current level and if it ever ceases or reduces it cannot be increased again, even to the current level. Over the years I have had to deal with a lot of people who have moved to a rural area and expected urban levels of services and considered normal agricultural activities as nuisances. I have seen examples of people who moved to a mountain area and then expected the county to plow their road just because they had moved there even though there was a notice on the road that there were no snow removal activities from November 1st to April 1st. It's not just teen girls who feel entitled. Being from CA or TX seems to increase the problem. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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