[TheForge] The mind 1st to go

[CGRAF]

On 10/12/2010 2:52 PM, Jason Nass wrote:
> 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.

This is presupposing that the only source is the old tools selection.
What happened to making things from scratch or  Heaven forbid buying 
new? My collection of equipment/tooling is a combination. Scrounged the 
initial bit , bought a used PW at a reasonable price, had a treadle 
hammer made (it was cheaper than giving up the day job to have the time 
to make my own and a fellow smith had a hand in putting food on the table.)




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.

The cycle will repeat.
If I die before I get smart and sell off my shop, my estate will in all 
likelihood end up getting pennies on the dollar for my blacksmithing 
equipment. The collection is not large enough for its own separate sale, 
so my wife or other heirs will end up unloading it just to empty the 
space, or it will just go on the block with the books and furniture if I 
am the last to go.
At any rate someone will get an anvil or power hammer, most likely at a 
cheap price and turn around and sell it at a profit.


  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).
>



That is $2.00 a pound. While not the deal of the century it is hardly 
price gouging. The $20 a phenomenal price, but does in no way affect 
what the anvil is actually worth.



Mike Graf