[TheForge] Making letters from wire/new-old equivilent tools

[Bruce Freeman]

Just say "no!"

I knew a fellow who did such horseshoes because they sold.  He hated
it and only did it for the money.  Life is too short.  Especially when
you're volunteering.

Tell the powers that be there that you'd be happy to show someone ELSE
how do stamp names on horseshoes, if they don't know how already.  YOU
are there to demonstrate blacksmithing, and blacksmiths don't stamp
names in horseshoes.

The fact is, anything you make will sell.  S-hooks sell well because
people know what they are.  If they see you make something, they'll
want one.  So come up with a few quick demos of things you like to do
and that produce a product people understand.

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 2:41 PM, David Childress <trollkeep at gmail.com> wrote:
> I am working this summer in a historic village doing blacksmith demos.
>  They sell "horseshoes" that someone, maybe me, stamps kid's manes
> into.  They are really ugly and seven smiths have quit in the last few
> years because the "horse shoes" are not much fun to stamp and any
> smith would be a embaressed to be associated with them.  The
> "horseshoes" are 1/8" X 3/4" bar just bent into a "U", no other
> features, not even the name of the village.
>
> You can buy pony shoes for what the village is paying for blanks, but
> putting names on becomes problematic.  I would like to bend names up
> out of wire and string the name between nail holes.  But I am not real
> good at shaping some letters and would like all letters to be in the
> same "font".  I have seen something for doing this but can not
> remember where, might even have been an ad in the back of a comic
> book.
>
> 2nd item: A couple of years ago I helped teach boyscouts how to forge
> "S" hooks.  As part of the intro there was a display of new and old
> tools ie.- a tape measure and a traveler, a cordless drill and a brace
> and bit, etc.  I can not remember all of the sets but am looking for
> suggestions of additional things.
>
> David Childress
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-- 
Bruce
NJ

The total lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working.