Subject: Re: Blowers, bellows..Yak!!

From: [email-masked] (Thomas Boudreau)
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 19:38:54 -0400

>On Apr 3,  7:10pm, Thomas Boudreau wrote:>
>>     Good Point!!>>
>>  I agree with you on that one! People figure it's easy to heat_and_ hammer
>> but soon realize there is more to forging 
   watch and listen on what's going on around them. 
>>----------------------------------------------------------->
>	I cannot agree with this strongly enough.  
>
>	One of the biggest troubles introduced by excessive convenience
>	it the phenomena of not thinking anymore, or perhaps better stated
>	as not paying sufficient attention to what we are doing, as Thomas
>	so astutely observed. 
>
>	Sometimes slow and easy are the best ways to take it, so taske it
>	easy.>
>	-Andy V.
>
==========================================================>

      This could start a nice discussion, Historically!!

How many hours/days did the YOUNG aprentice spend in, (pre 19th cen.) and
around the shop or on the bellow before he got to hammer hot iron?? Call
himself a blacksmith or a master smith??  I could use more info on this and
similar topics!  Thanks in advance!

-->Thomas B.
-->N.S. Can.
-->[email-masked]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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From: [email-masked] (Thomas Boudreau)
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 00:22:22 -0400

>>>  How many hours/days did the YOUNG aprentice spend in, (pre 19th cen.)
and around the shop or on the bellow before he got to hammer hot iron??
>>	I'd imagine several (2 at least??) years.  >	 
>>
>>	-Andy V. offering his plugged nickel's worth.
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------->
>
>         The way I read it, they would spend a few years apprenticing, but
of course that's  all they had to do was to learn the trade. In most cases
there were no schools. Also if they wanted to go on to be a Master Smith,
apprenticing could go on a few more years..and would have to stay with the
same Master to receive the title. OK as long as you didn't get an old
grump!! :o)
> 
>
>>  But actually, if that were the case, given
>>	most folks' apparent lack of patience for these things today, you'd
>>	probably have comparatively *very* few apprentices anymore. :( 
>
>  Ain't that the truth!! Working 12 hr days, 6 days a week, with little or
no pay at first.... 
>
>That's my 2 cents (canadian) worth; even lees in US ;o)
>
>
>   
>
-->Thomas B.
-->N.S. Can.
-->[email-masked]

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From: chris Hubbard <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 19:13:49 -0600

In case any of you in the United States watch the TV program "This Old
House", this past week featured a blacksmith in Savanna GA named Johnny
Smith.  He was making "wrought iron" gates for a house they were fixing up.
At last blacksmiths get their just due!!  Chris Hubbard, Dekalb,IL