[TheForge] Blacksmith YAK

[Jerry Frost]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Lane" <scotty@one.net>
To: <theforge@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Blacksmith YAK


>
> >It's a pretty common question from folk who don't know me, the local
smiths
> >or farriers. When asked if I shoe horses my standard reply is. "Only if
they
> >get too close when I'm working."
>
>          And two many blacksmiths have a crook in their craw about the
> whole deal.  It's not an insult people.  Just explain the difference and
> people will know.
>


It's been a while since I wrote that so I don't recall if the above
paragraph of mine is taken out of context or I wrote it out of context
(probably).

When I do demos my method is as an entertainer. It's been my experience a
smiling laughing person is much more receptive to new knowledge than one
who's listening to somebody mystify a subject. Too many folk try to enhance
their image by attempting to add an air of the supernatural to what they do.

When I demo I push knowledge and practice as the only real secret to the
arts. I tell jokes, point out my mistakes, hum, sing, dance, twirl my
hammers and tongs, etc. It's not a clown show to be sure but I do my best to
be fun to watch so folk will stick around. People aren't as embarrassed to
ask a question of someone who's just screwed up, especially if I point it
out, then show them how I'm going to correct it.

Even the guys I used to be associated with had no idea how often I turned
the finial scroll the wrong direction to loosen up a quiet crowd. The "shoo
horses" joke is always followed by the explanation of the differences
between a generalist like myself and specialists like farriers. I also
discuss the differences between a modern generalist and what a generalist
smith would've been historically.

I don't put anybody down, even the ones who really REALLY ask for it. For
instance there was the father and son who approached as I was taking a heat
on a length of 1/2" sq. The son was really excited about the fire and dad
told him it was a special effect, colored lights and aluminum foil rocks.
The 30 or so other spectators did some double takes and most managed to
stifle their giggles but not all. I pulled the nearly sparking yellow bar
from the fire and dad told the boy it was soft plastic with batteries and
light bulbs to make glow, just like a light sabre in Star Wars. I'd already
upset and done a lateral draw on the hot end so there was plenty of contact
surface when I touched it to the anvil block producing a clearly audible
whump as the wood burst into flame and smoke.

After proving it was really HOT I finished the next step, quenched the piece
and banged it on the anvil so dad could hear the clank of steel on steel.
Then I let him off the hook with a short talk about how fun it was to watch
hollywood TRY to produce blacksmith characters in movies, how pitiful they
were and thanked dad for stopping by AGAIN. Left the audience thinking dad
was part of the demo and his relief that I didn't make him look the fool in
front of his son made him one of my biggest boosters for the rest of the
day.

I don't put people down, it's worse than nonproductive. I especially don't
put specialists down who have tough demanding jobs with serious consequences
for mistakes. Sorry if I posted the "shoo horses" joke out of context and
lead you to think I don't respect farriers.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.