I made a harpoon for my 11th grade English teacher after we studied Moby Dick. He used to carry it to keep order in study hall; it later fell off a bookcase and skewered a copy machine. 

A memorable gift is the best kind! How long did it take to pull it out of the copier?

Frosty The Lucky.

Well, they had to slice off the blubber first....

Did you make ulu shaped pole flensing knives to go with? How much blubber did they get, a toner two?

Frosty The Lucky.

Guess I wouldn't be so late to the show if I checked out IFI more often. This is a great thread, and I hope it continues so here's another Saturday Evening Post Cover.

Al

IMG_4319.HEIC

Uh, Al, that's a 1.55mb file and a bandwidth hog, it's a bite even on my high speed connection. Many IFI members don't have high speed connections and pay for data. Can you reduce the file size or post a link?

Frosty The Lucky.

Sorry everybody, I'm still working with the 1st pic. If I could straighten it out with a hammer, it would already be done! I know there's a way I just can't figure it out. I took the picture with an iPhone and I'm working on a Mac. any help would be appreciated.

Al

How about now?

1938.HEIC

  Just in case..... 

  I hope it's the right one.  Good addition.

  I could not downsize your photo with my editor for some reason so just searched the date.

Another good one, thanks Scott!

Frosty The Lucky.

  No, Frosty, that was Al Stephens image.  I just was trying to re-size it for him.  But here's an odd one:

Publisher
W. Davison Alnwick

Description
Anonymous undated engraving which depicts a scene familiar in the era before professional dentistry, when suffering patients sought the services and tools of the village smith for purposes of tooth extraction. Reproduced from an original engraving “Printed and Published by W. Davison Alnwick.” Original piece measures 22 X 29 cm.

That's quite the tableau, the two unhappiest people in the pic are the lady getting the tooth pulled and the smith who is getting his nose extracted. Think the guy holding the patient's head is her husband? I wonder if it occurred to him that if she pitches back he'll end up sitting in the forge.

Maybe it's a twofer, cure a toothache and hemorrhoids on the same visit?

Thanks for the pic Scott, it's a great look into the past. 

Ooh OOH! Rojo Pedro I think I have a suggestion for your next chasing and repousse project!!

Frosty The Lucky.

Although it is not an image I'd want to hang on the wall of my house or shop it is interesting and has some details I wouldn't expect.  The smiling guy in the back is probably the smith's helper/apprentice because he has his hand on the bellows leve.  You can tell what it is because there is  cow horn on the end which is traditional, at least in the UK.  

I can't figure out what the child on the left is holding or what he is doing unless he is about to give the Smith a whack in the fundement.

Note that the anvil is shown "backwards," at least for a right handed smith standing between the forge and anvil when working.  Probably artistic license. 

Just on general appearance I'd date this to 18th or early 19th century.  It has some resemblance to 18th century English humorous/political engravings/cartoons.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand." (This may be one of the "all arts")

I believe the kid behind the dentist is holding a broom though it could be a shovel. 

Frosty The Lucky.

  One guy in the back has a eye bandage or patch.

He has a hand on the bellows lever so maybe the apprentice or hired hand? Another thing that stands out to me is how misshapen everybody's head is.

Frosty The Lucky.

Ugly and misshapen was a typical way of portraying "rustics."  Outward appearance was an indication of the soul and mind.  Beautiful folk were good and virtuous and intelligent while plain or ugly people were the opposite.  Although not outwardly spoken some of the same attitudes exist today.  Attractive people have an easier time in life while those less attractive hoe a harder row.

GNM

That makes sense. In truth attractive people tend to be in better health, more prosperous and in general a better candidate for producing healthy strong children. Physical beauty is preferred mating material in the higher animals. 

It's a good and documentable example of selective breeding and evolution.

Where it can break down is when popular notions taint the selection process such as. A plump person says prosperous enough to have more food than necessary to survive. Where it goes bad is when over eating and gross obesity becomes glamorous. Henry 8 being a good example, he gorged regularly to maintain his Kingly image.

Frosty The Lucky.

  It makes it easier to glide through life if you have good looks and wear golfing attire to the supermarket to buy a can of beans.  It applies to many things.  The guy holding her head almost looks like a pig.  I wasn't going to mention that but.....

  Dunkleosteus didn't do so well well when the small fry died out.

Haha. Love it. …Next blacksmith challenge? 
 

Tooth extractor. Molar or bicuspid, your choice. 

I think dunkleosteous ate everything smaller and starved out.

A new challenge? A blacksmith tooth extractor. EZ PZ, one pair of Cestus coming up and both molars, bicuspids, incisors and . . . and oh heck, all of them coming out! 

Frosty The Lucky.

  How about a small forged sculpture of a hammer and chisel knocking a tooth out?  Or an air chisel, if there's a lot of them.

Maybe a forged pry bar to hold the patient's mouth open?

Frosty The Lucky.

Let's try this again. I bought this in Gap, Pa.   probably 20+ years ago. The stone shop is a reverse image of one I did some volunteer work at in the area, about 7 miles from Lancaster ,PA.

 

 

I'm  sure this one is a reproduction, but I always liked it. It is labeled "Reading the Bible in a Blacksmith Shop.

  Thanks for sharing, Al.  I like to look at details in these, like the wagon up on a jack in the first one.  I can't help joking but it reminds me of my vehicles.  The second one really speaks for itself.  Nice.