Ian Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Hello folks, Figured I might as well add myself to the growing list of illumni's joining the site I've been interested in Smithing for around a year now, before that my main hobby was as a Silver Smith. I made everything from rings to chains and was getting close to being able to make a living at it, when things changed in my personal life. I've worked in more jobs than I care to remember, from qualified Car mechanic to Bus driving, but I've always had two passions: writing and making things. I met a Smith at a craft fare and spent all day watching him work instead of trying to sell any of my own stuff and have been fascinated by Blacksmithing ever since. After trying to set up a small forge at home without real success in September of last year I decided to travel around the world to try and find other Smiths to learn from and to try and make a record of their work and the techniques they use. Ultimately I want to make myself a better Smith. I travelled through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and finally Norway before a car accident forced my return to England. I met 55 Smiths in those 5 countries and learned a massive amount from them, I owe every one a huge debt of thanks. In around a months time I will be going to Australia for a year to see how they do things 'Down Under' and from there the plan will be to travel through the Americas and on to Canada. I've been posting reports as I get chance to the website (Ian's World Tour) so that other people can get a chance to see how the rest of the world forges iron. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have trying to put them together. I have a small family, only one brother, a fantastic Sister in Law and a wonderful niece. Oh and of course there's Mum. When I get the travel bug out of my system I hope to go back to the place I loved most on my trip, find a good spot, set up a little workshop and just make interesting 'things'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Ian, we have followed your journey with great interest (sorry about the accident, though) and have enjoyed it tremendously. We can hardly wait for your journey to continue through the US, Canada and Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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