[TheForge] anvils ring letter

[Brian Hall]

I pretty much agree with the previous posts about
women and blacksmithing; occasionaly an article would
be nice if it shows or discusses how the women's work
is different than other work out there; just as an
article or booklet on African ironwork (like Tom
Joyce's) is interesting because it shows differences
between the African work and more-familiar Western
work/beliefs.

I also thought the railing in the Fall issue was one
of the most beautiful pieces that I have seen in the
Anvils Ring... much more beautiful than anything I
have seen in Sonn's Early American Wrought Iron (which
are all traditional). If the early blacksmiths wanted
to be traditional they would still be forging bronze
(Grin). Also just curious have any of the readers out
there ever had a customer that specified only
traditional building techniques (besides buckskinners
or historical recreations)? Whenever I have items I
have made at a craft show and someone mentions
forgewelded it is always another blacksmith. I have
never personally had a customer who complained about
modern techniques either arc-welding or my propane
forge. It seems to me that the general
art/craft-buying public is not holding us to pre-20th
century technology/techniques, nor designs... why
should we.

ps I still use traditional techniques alot, also my
office computer is still running Windows 3.0 !

just my two cents,
Brian

-Legal stuff: the above letter was written by someone
who just had way too much coffee; any appearance of
confrontation is really not intended (Grin)

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