Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: I'm going to learn to be a blacksmith.

This is topic I'm going to learn to be a blacksmith. in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 06-26-2009, 08:52 AM:

I'm going to book myself onto a blacksmithing course; it seems you need a few days of instruction, and you then just learn by experience. I've been looking for something to keep me occupied when I retire from the I.T. business, and I think this might be the answer.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 06-26-2009, 12:46 PM:

Sounds like it would be an interesting and fun hobby, but where do you go to practice the art? Unless you already have all the blacksmithing stuff at home.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 06-26-2009, 01:11 PM:

Renaissance festivals. Actually, there's a blacksmith place here in Waterloo that had made many props for movies. Chains for Amistad, the Gatling guns on the giant spider for Wild Wild West, that sort of thing.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 06-26-2009, 01:29 PM:

Here:

http://www.westsidemag.co.uk/features-iron-maidens--10667

Kew Bridge Steam Museum. Not actually part of the Museum, two local blacksmiths rent the old forge on the site, and there are various other craftsmen there as well.

One of the smiths there runs courses; here's a report by somebody who went on one of them.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/my-first-tongs-day-tuition-10774/

I've met Kath, she did some work for me some years ago.

When I finally retire I'm moving up to Yorkshire, and then it's a question of finding a local smith who's looking for somebody to work with them a couple of days a week; there's a growing demand for this type of work, and there are more smiths around now than there were a few years ago.

While most types of metalworking tend to be male-dominated, quite a high proportion of blacksmiths seem to be women for some reason. I don't know why, but it's not a recent thing, around Dudley and Netherton where things like nails and chain used to be made when such things were made by hand light chain makers and nailsmiths were normally woman; men generally did the heavier work, like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LA_R4ifYk&feature=related

It's not only a job for women though; here's a (male) light chainmaker demonstrating at the Black Country Museum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRPos5uyy0A

I quite like the idea of doing things like decorative gates and railings. I did a bit of it when I was at school, but that was a long time ago now.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-26-2009, 01:44 PM:

A friend of mine is a blacksmith who occasionally works the county fairs and historical reenactments. He showed me a few tricks.

Rule #1: Hot metal and cold metal often look exactly alike!

Rule #2: You WILL forget Rule #1.

[Wink]

Other tips:

Get your metal good and hot.

Swing your hammer hard. Don't "tappity-tap".
Try to do each step of your operation in one heat if you can.

Build a good rhythm. Tap your hammer against the anvil between beats. This knocks the slag off the hammer face, allowing you to work more efficiently. Besides, it makes a good sound "BING!-Tap!...BING!-Tap!...BING!-Tap!" If you can get a good ring out of your anvil you will attract spectators all the way from the other end of the fairground! [Wink]

I'm glad to hear somebody else is learning blacksmithing. It's a lost art that needs to be preserved.

Good luck! [Smile]

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 06-26-2009, 03:15 PM:

Congrats Stephen!! You will enjoy it! My good friend is a blacksmith, we just finished a run at Corona, Ca for our Ren Fest there. Koroneburg Fest Click on "Regular Events"

Randy has it spot on with the Rules. [Smile]

Watch out and be ready to burn yourself a few times. [Smile]

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-26-2009, 03:38 PM:

sounds good!

I, myself, would like to try "bending" neon in my retirement! Louis

(Whatever, it is, it has to be retro. . . .maybe I'll just stay with film!)

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-26-2009, 05:38 PM:

HA! I used to watch the blacksmith (Farrier) do my Horse's shoes... trim his hoofs and so on... Its VERY DIFFICULT! Especially when you have to sedate an agressive horse so you don't get killed doing it. You have to watch how the horse walks, learn how the horse SHOULD walk and then fit the shoes appropriately. No easy task. These guys are true artisaians...

Or do you mean that you'll just be banging on hot metal all day long? If so consider becomming a welder that makes iron type fensing. There is a huge demand for that stuff and I know someone that does it for a living. Pretty cool stuff.

quote: Louis Bornwasser
I, myself, would like to try "bending" neon in my retirement! Louis

Donno Louis... I heard a rumor that you already glow in the dark..

Good Luck!
Mark

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-26-2009, 10:14 PM:

quote: Louis Bornwasser
I, myself, would like to try "bending" neon

Louis, you may remember Lori did that just before we moved to Louisville. It's great fun, and considerably more difficult than it looks. Takes some practice. [Smile]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-27-2009, 12:18 AM:

Blacksmith work isn't easy.

Another comparable craft is neon tube bending. Yeah. Have LOTS of patience melting and bending glass without creating any leaks. Be very tolerant of burning the shit out of your fingers. Splice various pieces of glass together, again without creating any leaks. Then fill the glass with argon or neon and then bombard it with more voltage used in a death row electric chair! Big fun. Great times.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 06-27-2009, 04:27 AM:

Kath replied to my e-mail last night; she's got a place available in August. I'll post some pictures of whatever I manage to make.

Posted by Jarret Chessell (Member # 5077) on 06-29-2009, 01:14 AM:

I never wanted to be a projectionist, I wanted to be........... A LUMBERJACK!....

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 06-29-2009, 03:34 AM:

quote:
I never wanted to be a projectionist, I wanted to be........... A LUMBERJACK!....

Well, you're in the right country!

The thought did cross my mind that it sounded a bit like that, but in my case it would have to be:

I never wanted to be an I.T. technician, I wanted to be........... A LUMBERJACK!...., and there aren't many mighty rivers in Croydon.

I did have a habit of wearing a dress at one time, a blue 'Alice in Wonderland' one which belonged to a just slightly older, by a few months, tomboy friend of mine who wouldn't be seen dead in a dress of any sort if she could possibly avoid it, but that was when I was aged about 4. By the time I was 5 *I* wouldn't have been seen dead wearing a dress!

I am serious about wanting to be a blacksmith though.

Does anybody recognise the music of the Lumberjack Song? It seems to be based on something by Mozart, with a couple of extra notes inserted to make it fit the words.

Posted by Hugh McCullough (Member # 1542) on 06-29-2009, 05:46 AM:

I might be wrong but, I think that the music comes from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 06-29-2009, 07:10 AM:

Thank you Hugh; I've been told the same thing by somebody else this morning, so this seems quite likely. I'm familiar with a lot of Mozart's works, but I don't think that I've ever heard 'Don Giovanni'. The piece concerned, or at least part of it, can be heard in 'Amadeus'. I suspect that, were he still alive, Mozart would not object to the use of his music by the Python team.

As people's everyday lives become more 'digital', 'virtual', 'automated' etc. there seems to be a big revival in the traditional manual skills in their spare time.

Posted by Jarret Chessell (Member # 5077) on 06-29-2009, 04:46 PM:

Funny about being an I.T. Technician, I was considering doing some of the CISCO courses online so I'd have some more papers to back me up. I've been installing structured cabling for some time too [Smile]