[TheForge] trade secrets

[Chris Worsley]

. . . and what about the potters. To my knowledge, those guys have 
nothing but secrets!
I had a good friend in school who years later became a potter, and when 
I asked a few casual questions about glazes you would have thought I 
wanted to see the Popes nipples.
We were both painters and print makers then, and had exchanged  paint 
and ink formulas for years, but potting was a different story.
Chris

Ries Niemi wrote:

>
> On Nov 25, 2006, at 11:22 AM, schade at acegroup.cc wrote:
>
>> I was wondering what kinds of things that we talk about here every 
>> day might have been considered "trade secrets" at some time.
>>
>> Are there still trade secrets? Would we know if there were?
>>
>> Bob
>
>
> Interesting question.
> It seems like originally trade secrets were secret to protect your 
> income, and keep your family fed. In medieval times, the guilds 
> jealously protected trade secrets, because live was very tough- if you 
> managed to scrabble up from being a peasant who worked the lords land 
> at his pleasure, you wanted to stay that way. So you regulated the 
> amount of people who had the knowledge to compete with you.
> Similar motives were present later on, like in machine shops in the 
> early part of the 20th century- a laborer made a dollar a day, a 
> machinist made 3 or 4 times that- so you dont go giving away your meal 
> ticket.
> I think blacksmiths had some similar secrets- particularly weapons and 
> armorers, tool makers, and some farriers. Some of these trade secrets 
> were formula's or techniques, that could actually be copied, but most 
> were the result of years of practice. Even if somebody knows your 
> secret damascus recipe, or how Fisher poured molten iron anvil bases 
> onto steel tops, that doesnt mean they can repeat it without similar 
> experience as you have. I have often found that people who are 
> actually capable of copying some of the more complicated, desirable 
> processes, are skilled enough by the time they get there that they 
> have their own creative agenda.
> I do know a few Mokeme-Gane guys, and some knife guys, who still have 
> a few trade secrets- processes or tricks they have developed over many 
> years, that they aint telling.
>
> Ries Niemi
> Industrial Artist
>
> http://www.RiesNiemi.com