[TheForge] Super Quenched Dies? Now trial and error

[Grover Richardson]

Problem is.......and I quote"""""

>>> one of B/S'ng biggest problems is the 90% ratio of hobbyist to pro's. If
you have to do it to make money, you do it different than someone doing it
for fun and pleasure. """""

However, it's also one of Blacksmithing's biggest benefits.  I've heard time
and again, that a professional smith won't come to a meeting because, he has
hungry mouths to feed, and doesn't have time for pleasantries.  So, the many
hobbiests who put forth their $$ for the memberships, and to volunteer their
time to the organizations, to keep them going; is a great benefit to all who
wield a hammer <G>.

I know Dan.  Nice guy<G>.  But I just had to put forth my 2 cent's worth<G>.

Luckily, at least face to face, most Smiths are nice fellas and want to
help.  On the web usually too, though it's very hard to tell if I'm just
pulling Dan's chain, or trying to be helpful.  Of course, in this case, it's
both situations.

I'm a hobbiest myself, hope to retire and not loose money at blacksmithing
during my older years.  I've been to Dan's shop several times (not
enough!!), and learn much that would help most any smith, each time I visit.
Not just tooting Dan's horn here, but the situation is, if a person can
visit a working smith (or one who has at least worked for a living at it for
a while); then a person can learn new ways to do things easier, quicker, and
not re-invent the wheel.

I learned in grade school.  "Learn from the mistakes of others, for
certainly you will not live long enough to make them ALL yourself<G>."

I was a the Tunnel Hill Celtic Festival a few weeks ago, and a fella from
Chattanooga (don't remember his name, sorry, but I have his card at home)
showed me how to make a leaf.  I've seen leafs done dozens of times, most
with similar results.  But he made a couple of mentions that caught my eye.
I won't mention them here, don't know how much is "trade secret," and how
much is public knowledge<G>.  I don't want to take food out of his mouth<G>.
But the bottom line is, he didn't reinvent the wheel, but he did find a
valid method of making them look similar, and more importantly, pleasing to
the purchasing public's eye.  I will try his methods as soon as I wrap my
hands around a stick and weld a jig together<G>.

Hmm.  Did I get tooo far off subject?

Woof




But if someone has done it before us, 
shouldn't we consider their "trial and error"?
You can forge a leaf MANY different ways,  but if you had to make 200 of 
them( and the customer didn't know the difference)
would you do it the hardest way?

I do not mean to put down experimentation, some things are done way too long

just because" that's the way  we've always done it".
Super quench has it's place.  Tooling for repetitive operations is not it.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Kilpatrick" <crimsonkil at lycos.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Super Quenched Dies?


I have spring shop drops, lumber yard bandsaw blade, a couple of axles and 
other odds and ends, However, none of them is large enough for a power 
hammer die.  My point was not to be snide or demeaning, but to help those 
professional smiths out there remember some of us are not full time smiths, 
with well stocked smithies.

-Chris K.


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