[TheForge] Opinions & advice

[wmullett at bright.net]

Jessie,

Here is the link to your local ABANA affiliate.  As has already been suggested, you should really start there.  There will be I'm sure, several smiths willing to talk to you.

http://www.hallowellco.com/nrba.htm

It would also be useful to join ABANA.  The publications from them are easily worth your membership fee.

And finally, you can't beat a subscritption to the Blacksmith Journal to get some fundametal knowledge.... especially if you can find a collection of some of their earlier publications.

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From: "Jesse Seipel" <jsguardian at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon Jun 26, 1:14 PM
To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: Re: [TheForge] Opinions & advice

Dan, you are going to make me sound stupid here. :)  I realize what I have 
asked makes me sound like an over eager 12 year old, however, I assure you 
that is not the case.  Like a 12 year old, I have a strong desire to lean, 
although I am very in experienced and honestly am not sure who to talk to or 
what to study.  I know almost nothing about blacksmithing and I am on this 
mailing list to basicly tap into the many years of experience and vast 
knowledge of the most skilled smiths.  To clearly state my intentions here, 
I want to spend my reitrement (albeit many years from now) as a humble 
blacksmith in the mountains of Montana.  At to reach that time in my life I 
want to start now learing the trade, because although blacksmithing uses 
basicly the same tools as it always has, methodes and technology have and 
will continue to change.  I want to know as much as I can so that I spent my 
retirement smithing, rather than learing.  That being said, I will turn 25 
this November.  I have a wife and 2 children.  I have been working as a real 
estate appraiser for the past 5 years.  I don't like sounding like an idiot 
on this list, but I just dont know anything yet...so the only way to to gain 
the knowledge I seek is to ask.  I greatly appreciate all the help and 
wisdom that is offered.

~Jesse