The last Blacksmith in Hanoi | The Business of Blacksmith | Forum

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11......html?_r=1

Me, I dont believe there can ever be a "last blacksmith", anymore than there can ever be a "last cockroach".

Blacksmiths are like those african frogs that hibernate under the dried up lake bed for 15 years, then, when the rain finally comes, the whole damn pond is full of frogs.

If there is a need for making tools, or weapons, blacksmithing comes back.

And in Vietnam, what we are seeing is a repeat of the urbanisation and modernisation we saw here in the USA in the 1950's. Where blacksmiths were considered old fashioned, and newfangled factory made stuff was all the rage, and you wanted your kids to go to college.

Now, however, we have more blacksmiths in the USA than there have been in 100 years or so, and certainly we have some of the most skilled blacksmiths who have ever lived working today.

Part of it is a culture that doesnt frown on "lower class" working with your hands type stuff as much as the asians do, but part of it is a gradual realization that mass produced consumer items lack soul, and that handmade objects have a presence that no factory can duplicate.

My guess is that, in about 2 or 3 generations, the Vietnamese will come around again, and realize that for a rice cutting knife, the best ones are made by hand by blacksmiths. That for a restoration of a 19th century french inspired country house, mig welding and square tube just dont cut it.
At that point, we will have to send some kids over to retrain the vietnamese in how to pound on hot iron.