[TheForge] blacksmith's boot dance

[Saint Phlip]

Cute, Peter. Can I pass it along to the EK Metalsmiths list?

On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 1:17 PM, peter fels <artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:
>
> This is an old article i wrote for the CBA many years ago
>
>
>
>                  Blacksmith's Boot Dance
>
>               An advisory for the B. S.ing tenderfoot
>
>
>
>             Surprisingly. your slake tub needs to be large enough to
>
>        accommodate your entire boot. Space for two boots is seldom
>
>        necessary. Be thankful.
>
>             You will realize the wisdom of this the first time some
>
>        lonely chunk of hot iron nuzzles its warm way down that little
>
>        gap in your boot top.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>             So as to save the beginner some very important seconds
>
>        trying to figure out what to do when there is a sizzling siren
>
>        going off in their footware; the inquiring tenderfoot is urgently
>
>        and rightly advised......
>
>              Plunge the Whole Smoking Boot (be it right or left, his or
>
>        hers) Unhesitatingly Into the Quench Tank!
>
>             There is No suitable means of getting that boot off fast
>
>        enough! Do not even consider hesitating !  Plunk it ,sock and
>
>        all,right in there and never mind the laces or the laughter 'till
>
>        it's under and coooling!
>
>             This lesson can be burned into the student's memory more
>
>        quickly by the wearing of cuffs , sneakers or shorts at the
>
>        forge. Fingers may be used to assist the flow of water into the
>
>        soggy shoe.A cold day can be worse than a hot day.
>
>             The first time, I figured out the right move  a little late,
>
>        then my foot jammed in the bottom of the bucket.
>
>
>
>             While we're on the subject of burns ; the novice smith is
>
>        probably working with fire and iron as a matter of choice and
>
>        thus is apt to have more than a wee bit of the pyromanical about
>
>        them (in a socially acceptable form, you bet).
>
>             This is a condition that results in frequent burns for the
>
>        enthusiast, as their mommy probably told them it would.
>
>             Some practioners of our art rely on butter for the burn,
>
>        others lard or salves, aloe or what have you. More power to them
>
>        (wait, do we really want to give burn victims more power?).
>
>             My own experience with burns (those that do not break the
>
>        skin) is...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>             The Quicker you can quench that burn, the more you can limit
>
>        damage and the less it will smart ( we're smart enough that way
>
>        already). Individual seconds of delay seem to make a major
>
>        difference .
>
>             Unless your slake tub is septic or salted; plunk the hot-
>
>        spot right in and leave it soak there a while. Pass the first
>
>        minute perhaps thinking about the nearest ice cubes (portable).
>
>             To fend off boredom while swishing the burn around;
>
>        contemplate explaining to your significant-other why you have
>
>        your elbow in the quench tank and your butt in the air, as I have
>
>        done.
>
>             Now that you know where the pit falls, take heart. Even
>
>        black heat is a fast teacher and after a while you won't fry bits
>
>        of your anatomy quite so often or maybe it's just that you don't
>
>        notice so much.
>
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-- 
Saint Phlip

So, you think your data is safe?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/23/schneier.google.hacking/index.html?hpt=T2

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Priorities:

It's the smith who makes the tools, not the tools which make the smith.

.I never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary
notices I have read with pleasure. -Clarence Darrow