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1:22 am
November 17, 2010
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So? How did you get started smithing?
I was apprenticed out at the age of seven to the local smith, and beaten if I made a mistake.
OK, I met a guy while working on his cable TV who took me under his wing and got me set up. He patiently taught me the basic skills of smithing even though I showed a huge learning disability. Smithing brought us together, and we've become great friends in the process.
3:57 am
NWBA Member
April 26, 2010
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The living legend himself Gene Chapman.
My wife dragged me too a end of year teacher party, and I found myself hanging around the pool table..talking to this guys in bibs and looking really crusty.
After a small amount of small talk he pulled out this knife, he'd made. That was all it took to get me thinking about this smithing thing. Some time later may dad came to visit and I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing a real blacksmith. So gave Gene a call and he said to drop by. Not the kind of place where you watch and ask questions. Gene puts a piece of iron in your hands and has you making a sharp pointy thing. Thats all it took!
Mario Suquamish
4:47 am
March 22, 2010
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Have you been following the postings about the fall conference at government camp oregon, Big Doins, should be a grand show.
5:44 am
NWBA Member
July 9, 2010
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We became interested in Blacksmithing when we were on a family vacation about 11 years ago. My son Ryan was 10 years old then. We watched a blacksmith, Jon Scott, working on a street corner in Virginia City, MT. Several days later Ryan asked if we could try blacksmithing when we got home. We asked around and were introduced to Gene Chapman, who lives a few miles from us. He kindly invited Ryan to visit his shop and helped us with our first forged project. He also introduced us to the NWBA. We attended the next conference where Mark Pierce , "real blacksmiths don't flux", demonstrated. Ryan was really hooked then, and I too. We have a small shop out back where I forge a bit. Ryan works full time for Steve Lopes Blacksmith near Port Townsend now. If you see Wilson and Son Blacksmithing, remember it is really "Son and Wilson". Ryan is the PROFESSIONAL blacksmith in the family!
My son is the Blacksmith
1:50 pm
May 15, 2010
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I was introduced to smithing at a UW summer corse by Brent Kingston and Rick Smith in 1989? The first year they had it and had just installed a Chambersburg 250, I didn't now squat, and they let me use the hammer.... Holy shit I was hooked, I remember they used to tell me " Ok, Michael when you step up to the machine go at it a little slower this time, I thought there was only one speed, full out! Nutten much has change I guess.
Michael Dillon
http://dillonforge.com/
2:13 pm
NWBA Member
April 19, 2010
Offline
started out wanting to make swords in high school the shop teacher was a nice guy tho really didnt know much about forgeing so he let me play! after that my dad retired and we moved to washington state ... got into black powder and went to a big rondezvous (camas meadows) and saw my first working blacksmith! spent hours watching him saw what he was makeing and was hooked! i already had a anvil and had tried to build a forge (without a clue) bought a portable forge from another mountian man friend and started makeing stuff! joined the nwba shortly after and have been a member off and on ever since !
3:54 pm
March 22, 2010
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My Dad...
My pop has a pretty profound interest in old iron, he has a whole fleet of tractors and engines and other 50-150 year old machinery... He took a blacksmith class in California about 30 years ago, I think mostly becuase he wanted to do some simple repair stuff for some of his collection.. I remember him bringing home steak turners but not sure what else they made in the class... Not long after that they set up a forge at the fair and I got recruited to make hooks and trinkets.. I was maybe 14... That was my first exposure... It wasn't until I was about 30 that I really caught the metal bug though.. The last 10 years I have been learning and am thinking in the next 10 I might be to the point where I can say I understand the most basic, simple forging techniques.. Then I can start learning the intermediate skills and with any luck make it though those before Im 60... 60 sounds like a good time to start my "advanced" studys:happy:
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
12:09 am
November 17, 2010
Offline
Larry L;6550 wrote: My Dad...
My pop has a pretty profound interest in old iron, he has a whole fleet of tractors and engines and other 50-150 year old machinery... He took a blacksmith class in California about 30 years ago, I think mostly becuase he wanted to do some simple repair stuff for some of his collection.. I remember him bringing home steak turners but not sure what else they made in the class... Not long after that they set up a forge at the fair and I got recruited to make hooks and trinkets.. I was maybe 14... That was my first exposure... It wasn't until I was about 30 that I really caught the metal bug though.. The last 10 years I have been learning and am thinking in the next 10 I might be to the point where I can say I understand the most basic, simple forging techniques.. Then I can start learning the intermediate skills and with any luck make it though those before Im 60... 60 sounds like a good time to start my "advanced" studys:happy:
I'd say 60 is a good time to really start focusing. Maybe my smithing A D D will be cured by then as well.
My buddy brought in a 19 year old kid who is just creative as hell. I'll draw something out and figure how I'll do it. This kid says "You know what would be neat?" Tink, tink,tink,tink,tink,tink. "One of these!"
I refer to him as "Bastard".
He has a 14 year old coming soon.
11:13 am
May 22, 2010
Offline
I suppose that it's been culminating for a long time, but what triggered my getting into blacksmithing was my girlfriend, Brenda. I met her at work, she said to stop by the Puyallup fair in 2008 to see her work. Then next thing I know, she's shoving a leaf in my hand and walking me through turning it into something. That's all it took and I was hooked.
I know next to nothing when it comes to Blacksmithing other than I enjoy the hell out of it and it makes me feel good when I make things. I have more to learn than I am sure I will be able to learn about it in my lifetime I'm sure! :bounce:
Brad Roland :hot:
4:53 pm
March 22, 2010
Offline
shortdog;6561 wrote: I'd say 60 is a good time to really start focusing. Maybe my smithing A D D will be cured by then as well.
My buddy brought in a 19 year old kid who is just creative as hell. I'll draw something out and figure how I'll do it. This kid says "You know what would be neat?" Tink, tink,tink,tink,tink,tink. "One of these!"
I refer to him as "Bastard".He has a 14 year old coming soon.
Yeah my 18 year old son works with me and I am often pissy about how fast he picks things up... He really is a good hand. But he thinks he knows way more than he does (of course, he is 18) but you only need to show him once or twice and he has got it... he was drawing tapers on the anvil the other day and I watched him for a bit an realized how good his hand skills really are... In just a few years he is going to zing past my skill level...
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
12:17 pm
November 17, 2010
Offline
Larry L;6578 wrote: Yeah my 18 year old son works with me and I am often pissy about how fast he picks things up... He really is a good hand. But he thinks he knows way more than he does (of course, he is 18) but you only need to show him once or twice and he has got it... he was drawing tapers on the anvil the other day and I watched him for a bit an realized how good his hand skills really are... In just a few years he is going to zing past my skill level...
It's all that damn Playstation and whatnot. Builds good hand-eye coordination.
Me....I grew up with Pong.
3:17 pm
March 22, 2010
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Yep I had a pong when I was a kid.... I remember when we got an Atari 2600 for Christmas and thought the graphics on the games where AMAZING!
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
12:26 am
November 8, 2010
Offline
I'm part of the Nintendo Generation but I like most of the classics, too.
The Magnavox Odyssey is a pretty neat piece of kit. The cartridges were passive and are used to 'assemble' the various game information stored on the console's ROM.
After that everybody pretty much started using Intel 80XX, Zilog Z80 and MOS 650X microprocessors along with ROM cartridges.
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