[TheForge] novice to do list

[Jacob Parker]

When I did an 'apprenticeship' in order to get started with smithing, I
searched for some of these similar concepts online. It appears that ABANA
has taken down their page on apprenticeships and replaced it with their
'national curriculum', which you can find reproduced in various places
across the web. I believe they've just copied the curriculum used by the
California Blacksmith Assoc. This curriculum is a very well laid out set of
tasks for beginners <https://abana.org/abana-curriculum/>, starting with
making basic tools and working your way up to the journeyman grille. Before
ABANA adopted this curriculum (sometime in the last 5 years at most) they
just listed a journeyman grille as a proper project for an apprentice. I
think this is now part 3 of the national curriculum.
This grille project is sort of like the original meaning of a masterpiece,
albeit not nearly that complex. Historically, especially in guild-ruled
medieval Europe, a masterpiece would serve as a kind of resume a craftsman
could show to a guild they wished to enter or to potential patrons as a
demonstration of their skill mastery. Guilds would often retain these
masterpieces as a way of showing off their collective skill and prowess.
Anyway, the grille is designed so that it requires a wide variety of skills
in order to complete- all the basic mechanical skills (drawing out,
upsetting, drifting), forge welding, swaging, making symmetrical pieces,
and precisely following a drawn plan. The idea is that if a student can
complete the grille as drawn and with the correct methods, they clearly
have an understanding of the various smithing skills required of a
journeyman- whatever that term may mean in modern times.
The other things on my to-do list for the time that I was an 'apprentice'
were making my own toolings and things like tongs of various types, and
making hooks... lots of hooks. One of my first tasks was to be able to
reliably make three identical 'one-heat hooks'.


On Thu, Apr 1, 2021 at 1:52 PM jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net> wrote:

> I believe ABANA has blacksmith skills levels on the site. Search the ABANA
> website and maybe ask them. Of course this is a site sponsored by ABANA
> hopefully someone can link you shortly.
>
> Your terminology might be a problem too, "Novice" is a term used in the
> "Trade" and if you aren't learning a career what you're really interested
> in
> is the blacksmith's "Craft." They are two different things.  Try using
> "beginner" skills rather than "Novice," when you search.
>
> Frosty
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of J. Petrila
> Sent: Thursday, April 1, 2021 2:14 AM
> To: terry l. ridder; Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] novice to do list
>
> that is a huge question and rather open-ended.
>
> Just to cover it briefly in the USA it was much different than in Europe.
>  Many immigrants were blacksmiths so brought that trade from home..
>
> In Europe, most smiths specialized in a particular field.. Wrought iron,
> tools, armor, etc, etc..
>
> Once in the USA and in larger cities. They might be able to setup a shop
> based on what they did in their old country..  But often they became
> general
> smiths simply because working metal under hammer is a universal skill set.
>
> Here there was the apprenticeship system for many just starting out and
> this
> lead to the journeyman who was supposed to move around from shop to shop to
> learn from other smiths until he was ready to settle down and open his own
> shop..  The line between journeyman and master is kind of fuzzy in the USA
> with Master becoming an owner of their very own shop which then leads to
> having an apprentice to continue the process..
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 31, 2021 at 8:55 PM terry l. ridder <terrylr at blauedonau.com>
> wrote:
>
> > hello
> >
> > Is there a novice blacksmith to do list?
> >
> > Thinking back to Tudor or Victorian Times What tasks would a novice
> > blacksmith expected to know?
> >
> > early 20th century North America what would a novice blacksmith be
> > expected to know?
> >
> > How did the blacksmith trade/occupation change through the ages?
> >
> >
> > --
> > terry l. ridder ><>
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > TheForge mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
> >
> > TheForge mail list group photo site is http://www.shutterfly.com
> > Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> > Password: anvil
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
> > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to
> > jlpservicesinc at gmail.com
> >
> ______________________________________________________________
> TheForge mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
>
> TheForge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.shutterfly.com
> Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> Password: anvil
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message
> delivered to akfrosty at mtaonline.net
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> TheForge mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
>
> TheForge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.shutterfly.com
> Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> Password: anvil
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to jacobparkervt at gmail.com
>