[TheForge] question for part-timers & hobbyists

[Steve Smith]

Fiorini & Skiles wrote:
> I've got questions for those of you who are part-time blacksmiths (have a
> full time job at home or out of home) or hobbyist blacksmiths.  FYI- I
> consider myself part time because I work part time as mother and household
> manager.
> 
> Back to the questions.
> What are your personal goals for blacksmithing? >
> Are you more interested in technical skills, design skills, or equally
> devoted to both?

I would like to have better design skills, and I work on that. I think 
that technical skills are clearly something I can always improve on. So 
I guess the answer is both, although I don't see a large divide between 
them (except in my skills...). I'm intermediate level technically.

> 
> Do you like to do projects or make up your own, or both?

Some of each. More complex things I tend to borrow ideas for. Like 
others here, I'm in the sca, which leads me in a medieval direction. 
This fits with my interest in traditional crafts.

> 
> How much time per week, or month do you set aside for your blacksmithing?

Per week? I wish. I get one to two Saturday's a month typically. A group 
of us get together once a month to smith, entice newcomers and teach. 
I've been doing this for about 12 years.

Summers I can motivate to smith on weeknights, but in the winter it is 
pretty tough to go out after a full day at work. My shop is dirt floors 
and drafts. Nowhere near as cold as others here, but not motivating.

> 
> How much time do you set aside for studying blacksmithing in other ways,
> through book research or your own sketching?

I've read quite a bit. I re-read often, it helps bring new ideas out and 
helps when I want some smithing but don't want to stir outside.

> 
> Do you set yourself certain goals in the shop?- for example, maybe in June,
> you are going to work strictly on collars, or in August, you are going to
> work on perfecting scroll designs.
> 
> If you don't like to work with a goal system- then how do you decide what to
> work on ?

This sounds far more organized than I. I don't think I have ever just 
sat down to become good at something--if I'm learning a new process it 
is always in the course of making some specific end product. It usually 
works. There are far too many things I want to try to let me focus on 
one to the exclusion of all else. As you probably conclude by now, I am 
not a perfectionist, and have some disagreement with perfectionist goals.

> 
> What motivates you?

I used to be a woodworker. I enjoy it a lot, but now only do it as 
necessity arises. I find iron, fire and hammering very compelling, far 
more than wood. Combining the two works well for me. It is something to 
do with 1. taking a very strong material and (relatively) easily shaping 
it at will and 2. some kind of fascination with fire. I also do a little 
  cold work in sheet. I used to do jewelery (silver sheet and wire 
fabrication), but haven't done that for a long time. I'm sure time will 
come again for wood and jewelery. Nice to be an amateur so I can wait 
for it (but don't have enough time!).

I thought that casting would be a very likely interest for me. I made a 
furnace, mixed some bronze, and my interest died. I like to move around 
material that's already there, not pour metal into a mold.

Steve Smith