[TheForge] guild question

[keporter at comcast.net]

You might want to slow down a little bit about "popularizing" blacksmithing. There's an old saying about being carefull what you wish for. From the middlle fifties till 1970 I worked in ornamental iron on the west coast. It took about ten years for ornamental iron to gain enough shops there to come into popular awareness; it took another ten years to have every Tom, Dick, & Harry who didn't know what else to do with there lives start ornamental iron shops. Orange county had around sixty shops by the mid seventies. My father, who was too old to leave it and start anew, told me there were closer to 120 shops there in the eighties--all of them starving together. It is much better to educate architects and 'well to do' customers, letting them spread the word to their freinds, than to educate the general public; who are a lot more likely to provide you with endless problems than with opportunities. Blacksmithing is even easier to do, so far as equipment cost is concerned, than general ornamental iron work. As to doing it well, moronic competitors don't care, and while they are educating their customers the hard way, your trade can be ruined.
Mike P. 


> not a bad idea. Just nee to find some organizing principle to create
> drama--orange county chopers has the tension between the dad and son,
> monster garage has the character of jesse james and the time and money
> contraints, monster house the time issue etc. Smithing has nevr been a
> high-speed art, I don't think--and I don't personally think much of the
> soap opera appoach to drama. But I'm sure there's a way--even a
> charismatic central person who jouneys around visiting shops and
> discovering new techniques....
> 
> "croikey, the little bugga burnt me!"
> 
> You know, or something like that.
> 
> J
> 
> --- debmiller at fuse.net wrote:
> 
> > We need a great new hit series on the order of Monster Garage or
> > American Chopper. 
> > 
> > Something like American Iron Works!!
> > 
> > They could rotate smithies and smiths around the country showing the
> > wide variety of work performed.
> > 
> > I'll contact someone I know in TV reality show production and make
> > the suggestion. 
> > 
> > Ray
> > Cincinnati
> > > 
> > > From: "Dan Tull" <dantull at numail.org>
> > > Date: 2005/07/13 Wed AM 09:58:28 EDT
> > > To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> > > Subject: Re: [TheForge] guild question
> > > 
> > > We have an ongoing problem.
> > > 
> > > How do some of you others overcome the lack of knowledge of the
> > public
> > > on what a blacksmith does?
> > > "You shoe horses!"   "There aren't anymore blacksmiths." "How do
> > you make a 
> > > living?"
> > > 
> > > I'm wondering if demonstrations in public places  ( downtown parks,
> > hotels, 
> > > convention centere,) during
> > > conventions, etc. instead of the backwoods B.S. shop would help.
> > > Blacksmiths biggest problem is educating customers on what we CAN
> > do.
> > > 
> > > Suggestions?
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
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