[TheForge] blacksmith's boot dance

[peter fels]

Honored
On Mar 30, 2011, at 7:45 AM, Ron Childers wrote:

> And the FABA Clinker Breaker?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Saint Phlip
> Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 4:22 PM
> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] blacksmith's boot dance
> 
> 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
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