[TheForge] The mind 1st to go

Wed Oct 13 14:37:26 EDT 2010

Pete,
Apology accepted, no worries. Glad to hear though that you are one of the
"good guys" though. As I said, I have no issues with selling tools at a fair
price. I guess I just tend to run into the schmucks who are always out there
combing the sales and looking to turn a ridiculous profit. I can sorta
understand if they are flea-market guys who do flea markets for a living,
but it really burns my biscuits when I see fellow blacksmiths doing that. It
just tears me up inside, much like the people who have say an old PW 500#
anvil holding the door of their barn up and refuse to sell it for love or
money. I know of 2 such anvils in my immediate vicinity, and I can't tell
you how tempting it is to play the part of Anvil Liberation Front, but that
is another topic entirely. LOL.

Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
me at wargoth.com

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jason Nass
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 12:26 PM
To: 'Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA'
Subject: Re: [TheForge] The mind 1st to go

Guys, you are all missing my point here, It was initially a JEST... you
know, humor? It has gotten a lot more serious than I ever intended. I do not
mean to imply that all oldster are gouging the youngsters for tools. I
merely meant to make a semi-casual observation that it seems to be more
prevalent these days than it was when I got started 20-some years ago. I
mostly blame the fleabay antiques speculators for the sharp rise in market
price. 

If you are seeing $2 / lb. as average on there for anvils, I'd love to be
using your browser because the majority of them I see which are of any
quality and not beaten to near uselessness are running $4+ / lb. Hell, I
keep seeing 165# range ones with 1/2 the face shattered off going for $2-$3.

As I said, I make my tools, buy them new, and when I find them at
flea-markets, etc. I grab them up. When I find myself having a redundant
tool, usually I pass it down to another guy for what I paid for it. I am a
blacksmith, I make my $$$ with my work, not by putting a 200% markup on
tools I've lucked out with and gotten a below average price for. 

All I am saying is if you get a great deal on something, and you don't need
it anymore, pass on the deal. We need to stick together and help one another
out. 

End of discussion, It was a jest and an observation, you guys seem to have
taken it as a personal attack on yourselves, and it was never intended to
be. 

Jason "Wargoth" Nass - MacTalis Ironworks me at wargoth.com

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of CGRAF
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 10:02 AM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] The mind 1st to go

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
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