[TheForge] question for part-timers & hobbyists

[Daniel Crowther]

>Back to the questions.
>What are your personal goals for blacksmithing?

To be proficient in all aspects of blacksmithing and make it a full time 
profession (Why aim for a small goal?)


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

This changes from season to season and project to project.  I have a good 
handle on the majority of basic and intermediate smithing skills.  So, 
recently my focus has changed from acquiring new technical skills to 
designing projects that incorporate smoothly more esoteric features 
(wedding bands, more complex twists, decorative hot cuts, etc).


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

I rarely do projects in magazines or from the internet without first 
modifying them.  I'd much rather let the projects spark ideas that are 100% 
useful for me than do them verbatim as posted.  There are a couple of 
reasons for this.  First, the chances that a project is going to fill my 
needs fully is quite rare.  Secondly, I have a real hard time out-right 
copying something someone else has made, even if it IS meant to be copied 
(such as from "Hammer's Blow" or "Blacksmith's Journal")


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

Right now I work about 16 hrs/week at the forge.  That can go as high as 30 
hours if we have a large project on a deadline.  (My wife Sarah works 5 
days a week on the business at home though, so total number of business 
hours is much more than that).


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

About 30 hrs/week.  My full time job allows me great freedoms so I'm often 
able to do research while at my regular job.


>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.

Nothing quite as rigid as that.  I do however get in "modes".  When I've 
learned (or want to learn) a technique I will take whatever orders that 
have come in and see if they are candidates for that technique.  Or maybe 
look at them in a different light so that they CAN be candidates for a 
technique.  Although this can lead to the old "when your only tool is a 
hammer every problem looks like a nail" mentality, it has also lead to some 
really good solutions because the technique used WASN'T the typical answer.


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

Many times the customers decided this for me <grin>.  Otherwise, I just 
listen to the voice of curiosity or that other little voice that says 
"You've procrastinated too long, get off your butt and learn too....."


>What motivates you?

Learning!  I want to learn something I didn't know. I want learn enough to 
be successful at a given skill.  I also, love the idea of being able to 
create USEFUL objects that are BEAUTIFUL at the same time.  Add to this 
that these objects are made from a material that most modern people view as 
so strong, durable, and mysterious that it is impossible to work without 
access to a factory and it's sheer delight to be a blacksmith!


Dan Crowther
http://www.oakandacorn.com
http://home.nycap.rr.com/clancrowther