[TheForge] question for part-timers & hobbyists

[Mike Linn]

At 09:50 AM 02/28/2003 -0600, you 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?

My ultimate goal is to create a centerpiece to a grille (or something) that 
incorporates the "multipass figure eight". Its a hard item to describe but 
if you have a copy of Decorative Ironwork by Margarete Baur-Heingold look 
up the following... Page 74 plate 114, page 110 plate 222, page 135 plate 
281...



>Are you more interested in technical skills, design skills, or equally
>devoted to both?

Both, Design is more difficult for me but traditional techniques are 
important also. I wont go onto other techniques like tack welding etc.. 
until I have the traditional way down fairly well.



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

I rarely take commissions and those that I do must allow for some "artistic 
license." I dont like deadlines, mainly due to the fact my regular job and 
family come first, and thus I cannot guarantee how much time I will have 
from week to week to get in the shop.


>How much time per week, or month do you set aside for your blacksmithing?
Depends on what is going on, during the summer I try for Saturday 
afternoons or Sunday Morning, and a night or two during the week,

During the winter its usually just on the weekend.



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

Always...  Im always looking at designs and trying to figure out how to 
translate it to iron, I read voraciously and clip pictures from magazines 
to put in my "Idea Book".

>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.


I dont place time limits or time frames for "practicing" , hell doctors 
spend 8 years going to school just to "practice", I prefer to design a 
project that incorporates the elements I want to learn , then spend my time 
working on the project. To just practice leaves one with the skill and a 
pile of scrap iron, using my way I'm left with the skill, a pile of scrap 
AND a finished product that I can sell at a show, but at the same time I'm 
keeping up with the other skill required, ...design, tool making, 
connections, scrolls etc...

>If you don't like to work with a goal system- then how do you decide what to
>work on ?

What ever I feel like at the time..



>What motivates you?

venting my frustrations into a peice of what appears on the surface as an 
immovable object (like many managers out there) nad bending it to my 
will.... ;^)

>Do you have anything else to add that I didn't think about asking?

I like blacksmithing because no matter how long I do it, there is ALWAYS 
something new to learn...



>I'll answer it too, but I don't want it to be about me right away.  I'd like
>to see a cross section of responses from all of the part timers and
>hobbyists.
>-Kirsten
>koka@acegroup.cc

         Michael Linn
       Artist Blacksmith
      McCalla, Alabama
       AFC Webmaster
http://afc.abana-chapter.com