[TheForge] blacksmithing / metalwork formal training and higher education

[Bob Ehrenberger]

I'm about a year from retirement, or at least a serious cut back on 
production work.  I'm thinking about what I would like to do as far as fun 
and educational projects. There are a lot more options when you don't have 
to worry about making a living.

Actually I really like the problem solving aspect of blacksmithing, and 
making tools. There is so much more available than there was 20 years ago I 
need to look for that nitch market, and provide something that the 
blacksmith community needs.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Brown" <lp.brown at verizon.net>
To: "Bob Ehrenberger" <eforge at centurytel.net>; "Blacksmithing List Sponsored 
by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 26, 2013 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] blacksmithing / metalwork formal training and higher 
education



Loosing money can be a great educator. I try to remember that each time I
do or break even. There is something to learn in each disaster. I have
taken a few jobs that were close to the profit/ loss line because I wanted
to do them and now I just try to keep them far from each other, still not
as smart as I should be.

L Brown



>Ries has a point,  back in 2000 I took a forge welding class from Bob
>Patrick.  It changed my life and forge welding became a normal part of my
>work.  Before that it was kind of a last resort.
>
>I might have figured it out on my own if I had spent a whole week just
>practicing forge welds, but that wasn't going to happen in my shop where I
>had paying work waiting for me to do.  It was hard to block out a whole 
>week
>for a class, but was well worth it.
>
>I can only imagine what would be learned if you could dedicate a whole year
>to just practicing new things and not trying to turn out sellable product.
>
>My tendency is to only take jobs that I know I can do and avoid the ones
>that have a big learning curve, knowing that I will loose money on them
>initially because they will take a lot longer than they should as I learn a
>new technique.  In the long run they probably make money because they give
>me a skill that I can apply to future projects.
>
>
>Robert Ehrenberger
>Shelbyville, Mo.
>eforge at centurytel.net



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