Femininity, clothing, and dealing with heat- was Re: [TheForge] Watch Rob kill me

Fri Jun 21 04:31:01 2002

At 08:49 AM 6/20/02, you wrote:

Phlip;
Darn near eloquent!
The burning pants in question ( Carharts) are all cotton allegedly 
and  were the most fire resistant available at one time...no more. And 
while the prospect of you forging in nearly naught but skin is much more 
appealing than the same condition would be for the rest of these 
crusties...it is the heavier hot flying objects that do the major 
damage...the tongs slip or the piece fails and some yellow-hot piece of 
steel suddenly wants to be intimate friends. Just a little pat and  skitter 
from one becomes a big nuisance fast. Still and all, when the weather gets 
really hot, the protective clothing  gets shed.
RE our lightweight president and his idiot nuke statements, they are 
inexcusable in light of out massively dominant position. Using a weapon 
that will continue to kill long after our country is history is just plain 
petty and stupid. I spent a year in the cancer ward and didn't like it 
much...it is a very bad way to go. That our nation stocks chemical and bio 
weapons is similarly idiotic. Somehow, we put intelligent and powerful 
people together and the sum of their wisdom is the equivalent of a paranoid 
9 year old.
Hands....I think that because we tend to develop even calluses  across our 
hands it is less obvious...I know that my tactile sensitivity is diminished 
when my heat tolerance is greatest.

>Yes, Andy, I am very much a woman ;-) My proper name is Philippa. I'm
>neither gay nor particularly butch (not that sexual preference has much to
>do with essential femininity), although I'm certainly not fluffy effeminate.
>I get along very well with most men, because many of my interests are in
>traditionally masculine areas, including smithing, and other than asking for
>help with lifting things as a result of back and knee injuries, I generally
>do for myself.
>
>And, while I'm certainly no beauty queen, I do not lack for interesting,
>intelligent male companionship- ask John Husvar, who knows me well. Only
>time I dislike being female is for a few days each month, and I think you'll
>find most women agree with me on that ;-)
>
>And I really don't see that it matters- I wasn't planning to ask you to
>dance ;-)
>
>Back to the clothing- Yes, as I said, I stick with natural fibers around the
>forge- not only because I'm allergic to the synthetics, but because I
>dislike materials which are likely to melt and stick to me as they burn. On
>hot days, I cut back to a halter top and cut-offs. A halter top is not
>particularly modesty, although I forge in public enough areas that it's a
>consideration, but rather because breasts, even small ones, tend to project
>into the way when I'm trying to do things, and they're much more convenient
>bound out of the way.
>
>When Duke Andrew was teaching me, he made me wear boots, until I had some
>scale fall down one, and got a good burn. Certainly skin is vulnerable to
>burning, but if it's uncovered, it is far less subject to having fire
>trapped against it, and any burns are in the "ouch, damn it" catagory. Yes,
>it's a risk, but much less so than you'd think- I seldom deal with the
>molten metal you get when you do certain types of welding, so skin is
>sufficiently protective. I also usually smith bare handed- dipping the
>non-working end of a piece in a slack bucket keeps it cool enough to handle,
>and tongs or occasionally channel locks work just fine for shorter pieces.
>
>I would strongly reccomend against loafers or any short shoe while on the
>forge0 wearing jeans over your boot tops prevents scale from falling into
>them, but if you've got an open shoe top out there, scale will jump for it
>;-)
>
>One thing I've noticed, since two of my hobbys are so involved with fire
>(cooking and smithing) is that my hands are much more resistant to heat. I'm
>not heavily callused, but I can deal with, and not be burned by, heats that
>tend to have other folks yelling for first aid cream, or ice or cold water.
>I'm really beginning to think that it's as much a mental attitude towards
>dealing with fire and hot stuff, as it is any toughening of the flesh. That
>might be, in part, why smithing without clothing against much of my skin
>isn't really a problem. What do you guys think?
>
>Phlip
>
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jeff Harding" <[email protected]>
>To: <[email protected]>
>Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:44 AM
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] Watch Rob kill me
>
>
> > Um.... Andy...
> >
> >    I knew Philip was of the female gender when I made the comment
> > about lamenting that more men weren't half the man she was...   ;o)
> >
> >    Jeff   ><>
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Demon Buddha" <[email protected]>
> > To: <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 10:10 AM
> > Subject: Re: [TheForge] Watch Rob kill me
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Phlip wrote:
> > >
> > > > My choice is cotton- jeans, usually, or leather- chaps, apron,
> > boots or
> > > > jacket when I'm around a forge. Unless it's REALLY HOT out, and
> > then I cut
> > > > down to shorts and halter top, but natural materials, and bare
> > feet. Skin is
> > > > more resistant than you think ;-)
> > >
> > > Um... halter top?  OK, I'm confused... or just stoopid.  May I
> > > ask your gender?  I assumed you were male, "Phlip" being some
> > > variation on "Philip".  Or do guys  wear halters and I just never
> > > knew?
> > >
> > > -Mr. CluelessAsUsual
> > >
> > > PS:  As for skin being resistant, you must have some skin.
> > > I've had loafers on at the forge and the scale burns attest
> > > to how unresistant MY skin is to fire.  My hands are a
> > > different story, but the rest of me is comparatively, erm...
> > > *delicate*
> > >
> > > -Mr. I'mSoSensitive
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