[TheForge] The mind 1st to go

[Jason Nass]

I am, and I do, regularly hit the yardsales etc. and grab things if I happen
to stumble across them, but they have gotten to be pretty scarce. I can
honestly say that in my neck of the woods, I have only come across any
blacksmithing tools at a sale like that on 3 different occasions, all of
them tongs. I am not really looking for tools for myself, and such was not
the point. As a younger smith, (40) I am seeing a distressing lack of truly
young blood in the trade, and often because all of the older smiths and
antique dealers have bought up just about all the old tools that exist, and
both parties tend to want an arm and a leg for them. It honestly disgusts me
to hear one of the old timers bragging about how they managed to find a 250#
Hay Budden at a garage sale for $20 and then sold it to some young guy for
$500. This is just my opinion, but I don't see how the trade is going to
survive another generation when all the tools have been bought up and have
had their prices inflated into oblivion. Don't misunderstand me, I have no
problem at all with making a buck, I'm just saying I'm seeing a lot of
gouging going on (look at the price of anvils on flea-bay if you need
proof). 

I am re-tooling a shop after a rather messy divorce 8 years ago that lead to
me GIVING all of my tools to my buddy who had been working with me for 3
years at the time. The cost of shipping the tools from Oregon to Ohio was
astronomical, and at the time at least the prices and availability of tools
in Ohio were considerably better. I figured they'd do him more good than if
I spent the nearly $2000 to have everything shipped back here. Sure, I could
have sold them out in Oregon for an insane high price, but that wouldn't
have helped out my buddy any and, considering as I had lucked out and
obtained them for next to nothing anyway, It wasn't much of a financial hit.
I have replaced most of what I had out there for  about 1/2 of what it would
have cost me to ship them here. The ex got the car, the house, and damn near
everything in the divorce and I was reduced to taking a grayhound back home
to stay with the folks for a year. Now, I am remarried, have a house, and
have the time to take the craft back up. 

I'm not sure what the dig about my email address is about, but considering
as I own the domain name, it's far simpler and easier for folks to remember
than jasonnass at wargoth-dot-com or similar. It has nothing what-so-ever to do
with charity. 



Jason Nass - me at wargoth.com


-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of peter fels & phoebe
palmer
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 3:19 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] The mind 1st to go

  Oh Jason:
Why aren't you out combing the yard sales, swap meets and talking to folks
like we did? That's how we got them.
If we don't sell them for market price,
how can we buy the tools we want ourselves?
How do we feed ourselves when we are too old to work?
Did you notice  our plush blacksmith's retirement plan?
I don't see any thought of your offering any alternative compensation here.
Charitable consideration for ME@ Wargoth?   WTF?
Grin...pf

On 10/12/2010 11:33 AM, Jason Nass wrote:
> Oh, you certainly won't take away the pleasure of tool making from me, 
> I do a heck of a lot of that already, and as for shedding tools at the 
> swap meets, too many of you guys get into the mindset of "how much 
> money can I get out of this" rather than pricing things so that you 
> are helping out the new guys. If you don't need it, and you aren't 
> desperate for the cash from it, pass it on. I keep hearing about how 
> someone picked up a nice anvil at a garage sale for $25 then turned 
> around and sold it for $300. Sure, it's capitalism, but it's also not
doing anything to help keep our craft alive.
> If you get a great deal on something pass it on...?
>
>
>
>
> Jason Nass - me at wargoth.com
>
>
>
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