[TheForge] Basis smithing exercises...

[Robert Morris]

Andy,
Is there another way that you can send these drawings? I tried to print them 
but I can only get about 1/4 of 1 page and it stops.
Thanks,
Bob M.


>From: Andy Vida <osan at netlabs.net>
>Reply-To: Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>To: "blacksmiths at yahoogroups.com" <blacksmiths at yahoogroups.com>,4g 
><theforge at mailman.qth.net>,"knife-list at kepler-eng.com" 
><knife-list at kepler-eng.com>,"artmetal at wugate.wustl.edu" 
><artmetal at wugate.wustl.edu>
>Subject: [TheForge] Basis smithing exercises...
>Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 10:02:45 -0700
>
>Pardon my burning brain, but I forgot which list this came up on, so
>I'm sending the link to everyone.  You many send all mail bombs to me
>in Vancouver WA.  You're welcome.
>
>OK, the four basic blacksmithing exercises are now at the following
>links:
>
>	http://netlabs.net/~osan/Documents/ex1.jpg
>	http://netlabs.net/~osan/Documents/ex2.jpg
>	http://netlabs.net/~osan/Documents/ex3.jpg
>	http://netlabs.net/~osan/Documents/ex4.jpg
>
>They look simple and in fact they are VERY simple.  But doing them
>correctly AND to dimension isn't nearly as easy as it may appear.
>
>Spend a few days doing nothing but these exercises and you will gain
>something in hammer control and your knowledge of volumes.  In order
>for the exercises to work, you MUST adopt an attitude of pushing the
>limits of your control, which in turn requires an adjustment of your
>standards (maybe).  Peter Ross had me up on the rack for an entire
>week, stretching me for all I was worth.  I came away from the class
>with a fundamentally altered perception of what I could do and what
>it meant to be a real blacksmith working to specifications.  If you
>are patient with yourself and the exercises, they may bring you to a
>place you never thought you'd come to, or even that it existed in
>terms of what is possible in precision with nothing more than hand,
>hammer, anvil and a pair of eyes.
>
>Do each step as if it was the ultimate goal.  That is, when you finish
>a step, all planes whould be flat and at the right angles; all edges
>should be dead straight, and the piece should look FINISHED.  Then
>move on to the next step and not before.  Peter Ross was emphatic on
>this point, saying that one's work cannot, except by mere chance, come
>out right unless you adhere to this principle.  It changed my smithing
>forever, and for the better, even though I say Peter ruined it for me
>forever.  Knowing what I was capable of, I no longer had the excuse to
>do sloppy and imprecise work.
>
>If you think these may be boring... well, I never find swinging a hammer
>so.  But even so, when you start producing these objects such that they
>begin to look closer and closer to machine-made (to a degree), I think
>the sense of satisfaction will speak for itself.  Flatter planes and
>straighter lines than you perhaps thought possible... very satisfying
>to know they came from your own hand, that much I can and will promise
>you.
>
>I will also way that if your work doesn't improve and you are certain
>that your attitude and attention were correct, the result may call into
>question things such as your hammer, posture, anvil height.  Don't be
>afraid to change these if by chance things aren't improving.  Either
>that
>or you're already a perfect smith. :)
>
>Best wishes.
>
>	-Andy
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