[TheForge] Basis smithing exercises...

[Andy Vida]

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