[TheForge] Re: Peter Ross Speech

[Mike Spencer]

Chuck Robinson <robi5515 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Peter Ross  has graciously sent me his 1998 ABANA  keynote speech.
> If anyone on the list would like to read it, go to
>
> http://gulfcoastblacksmith.com/conferences/peter-rosss-keynote-address-at-the-1998-abana-conference/ 

Thanks, Chuck (and Peter).  Good piece.  In retrospect, it was an big
advantage that when I was learning to do this stuff, for 8 years, I
had no electricity and no machines except a very clunky post
drill. [1] I was compelled to do everything with hand tools.
I grumbled then and yearned for an angle grinder etc. but I think I
gained from not having them for awhile.

My articulation of Peter's remarks is that an object is not only an
embodiment of what the maker had in h{is,er} head, it's an embodiment
of the process that creates it.  If both of those are visually
apparent in a finished forged object, it's way more interesting than
if they aren't.


BTW, I've just finished a portable, 4-tuyere long-heat forge, ready to
roll it (pneumatic tires!)  outside and try a first fire. (Of course,
something will be wrong and need fixing but at least it's all
together.)  One of our Maritime smiths swapped me a nice Buffalo
blower with an AC/DC motor for a badly chipped swage block so I've
eliminated the air gate [2] and put the blower on a light dimmer.
Seems to work great!


- Mike


[1] And a bench grinder that ran off of a lawn mower engine. It was
    almost always more trouble to use than it was worth.  A pic of
    that "studio" [3] is here:

      http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/temp/shed.html

[2] http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/temp/blower-air-gate.jpg

[3] Atelier, studio, shop, shed.  Depends on whom I'm talking to. ;-)


-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^