[TheForge] Guild System Titles

[Jerry Frost]

Paul:

Don't wait till there's nothing else going on to ask a 
question! It's not like we're paying by the message. 
<grin>

It's a good question too and comes up every now and 
then.

While you're right about there not being a real guild 
anymore, there is still a union representing 
blacksmiths though I don't recall which one it is. If 
you're looking for the "real" qualifications, they may 
be the ones to ask.

If on the other hand you're wondering what to tell 
people or how to "rank" yourself I think there's some 
common sense criteria to compare. (Of course there has 
never been a real consensus on this list so. . .)

In the old days (good is a matter of perspective) an 
apprentice was little more than an indentured servant. 
You'd do all the grunt work, cleaning, hauling, 
packing, fetch and carry, whatever the smith needed. 
Depending on what the shop's main focus was an 
apprentice would eventually work up to doing some basic 
smithing functions like: striking, straightening, nail 
making, etc.

After a while the "master" (I'll get to what a "master" 
smith is in a bit) MIGHT let you borrow, maybe RENT you 
a hammer and sell you some scrap to practice on. If 
he's generous he'll let you sift through the ashes for 
useable coal for your fire.

Eventually the apprentice would have made a enough 
basic tools and learned enough to start drawing some of 
the "master" smith's business away. At which point the 
"master" smith was most likely to send you down the 
road to find your own market. Thus making you a 
Journeyman.

Master smith. A master is the owner of the shop. We 
discussed this at length a few years ago and nobody 
could come up with a set of qualifications for "master 
smith" other than owning his/er own business. We all 
agreed there were and are people who'd qualify on 
anybody's list as Master smiths we just couldn't agree 
on what those qualifications should be. I have my own 
idea of what a master "anything" is but I won't bore 
you with it. <grin>

In these modern times you have it a LOT better than in 
the "good" old days. While blacksmithing is no longer 
an industrial trade you won't have to worry about 
selling yourself into servitude to learn the trade. 
With a little research you can get a set price for 
courses with guaranteed curricula from people with 
credentials.

Okay, your basic question is where do you stand in the 
skills level of the blacksmith's craft.

Have you lit a few fires, deformed some steel, iron, 
etc.? Really have the bug? = Novice, beginner, newby, 
etc.

Can you do all the basic skills somewhat reliably? Made 
a few tools, christmas gifts, drawn the neighborhood 
kids with a fire and the ringing of the anvil? = Level 
1. (whatever you wish to call it)

You can do all the basic stuff reliably and repeatably. 
You can make a set of four somethings and have them all 
come out with enough differences they have personality 
but are obviously a matching set. You can take a 
commission from somebody who want three more toasting 
forks (or whatever) just like THIS one and make him 
spend a few minutes picking his original from the set. 
(okay, I can't do this very well.<grin>) = 
Intermediate, practitioner, journeyman, etc.

You can reproduce damned near anything and make it look 
easy. = Expert.

Of course that's just my opinion.

I could be wrong. <grin>

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Paul" <crosspein at sbcglobal.net>


> Since there's nothing else going on here, I figure 
> now would be a good time to ask.
>
> Since there doesn't seem to be a formal guild system 
> for blacksmiths anymore, How might we "experienced 
> beginners" rank ourselves?
>
> Are we forever doomed to be "Apprentices"?
>
> At what point might we become a "Journeyman"?
>
> Better still, what qualifications might be required 
> of someone to acquire the title of "Master"?
>
> Sorry if this was discussed in the past. I didn't 
> bother to search the archives, as I thought it may 
> generate some interesting discussion.
>
> Thanks,
> **Paul N.
>