GoodOlBoy
11-05-2012, 03:37 PM
This is actually more a comment on the sad state of affairs it is trying to find ANY real craftsmen (and craftswomen) these days.
Also yes, I do blacksmith, the proviso being that I have had ZERO time to do almost ANYTHING in a very long time, and I am sitting at the point where I basically need to build a new forge, and I still need to build a charcoal kiln, etc. IE other than ground forging, annealing, or very simple stuff I am not even set up since our last house move to work, and again have had no time (and that's my excuse and I am sticking to it )
To the point....
My wife and I were at Texas Renaissance Festival outside Plantersville Texas with family for our yearly get together and my yearly day I am very glad my wife cannot read my mind... Well the wife has to stop by the facilities and I go up to the building with her "just in case" (Yes I am protective). While standing outside waiting around I notice one of the blacksmiths with their water wheeled powered setup and all the ins and outs. So when she is done we do a stop by.
Blacksmith #1 - AKA the water wheel blacksmith - I was looking at his work that he was selling goth jerk #417 and was very cynical that the $850 "black scorpion" sword was the ultimate power in the universe, or that it would cut machine gun barrels, was a one of a kind, etc. Once he was done I approached and asked what should have been a simple question. "Do you ever make fire steels?" Response was "what's a fire steel?" I proceeded to explain while he tried to sell me a second $850 "black scorpion that had emerged from a black hole in the counter. After about 15 minutes back and forth his answer was "I don't think we can make those, but there is one other blacksmith and he is two rows over."
Blacksmith #2 - AKA the two rows over guy - No customers so I approach his simpler but still fancy setup. I again ask "Do you ever make fire steels?" I get a couple of blinks and a "uhm...." After the last guy I explain "You know, the kind you use with flint, chert, etc for sparks to start a fire." His response "I know what they are! Do you think I am an idiot? Look what I have on the table is what I have for sale buddy so either buy something or #$%$!& Off!" I thank him for his time and move on with the knowledge that I am out of luck because I have been told that there was "one other blacksmith".
Blacksmith #3 - AKA the guy nobody knows anything about, AKA THE Blacksmith - We are walking along on the far side of the festival enjoying the shows, music, food etc. When in the middle of the road we come across a VERY simple booth. A tarp. With a table, a lady sitting on a board over a bucket of hardwood charcoal while working the last touches on a breathtaking bowie knife with emery cloth. Simple, yet beautiful and danged well made, knives line the table and a large bearded guy in a leather apron standing beside a simple steel table forge with blower, a anvil (cast in the early 1800s) and some odds and ends. I ask the same question (of the lady, the guy is busily looking at something on a small table of scrap) "Do you ever make fire steels?" The bearded guy (henceforth refereed to as THE Blacksmith, or Shane) looks up and says "No but let me see if I have a piece of scrap high carbon." He digs around pulls up a small triangle of steel and tosses it onto the forge. I proceed to ask (very pleased I might add) "How much am I going to owe you?" He looks up as he is cranking his bellows and replies "A cheese burger and a monster energy drink." I am starting to consider how far it is to town (yes I really would have drive there and back) when the lady points out "They are selling both over in the "German" area." I say "I will be right back!" and take off to get a stipulated meat cheese and bread burger. I will point out at this point I forgot my manners and failed to ask the lady what she would like, but I did NOT fail to go ahead and pick up a bottle of water for her. I get back to find a few dozen people now standing around watching him smith as he wiggled his large behind at the ladies, chatted up the crowed, spun his hammer like a rock and roll drummer, and was basically the most gregarious person at the whole danged festival (and that takes a bit!) In roughly no time (THE Blacksmith kept pausing to demonstrate knives, etc which I had NO problem with because he was doing ME a favor not the other way around) he handed me a fire steel, shook my hand, and thanked me while I thanked him. I will NEVER forget his quote he kept saying to folks in a VERY jolly tone. "It's only a dying art if you don't buy something!" By the way if you meet Shane (THE Blacksmith) in the flesh ask him to do his big guy behind wiggle for you. The ladies dig it!
This is a pic of the fire steel (He left the scale on as he didn't want to use his only files on a non-knife object which again I had NO problem with) and a pic of the contact info that his wife (AKA the Lady) wrote on a paper bag they wrapped one of the knives they sold in.
Shane Stainton can be reached through his website http://www.forgedknives.net/
GoodOlBoy
Also yes, I do blacksmith, the proviso being that I have had ZERO time to do almost ANYTHING in a very long time, and I am sitting at the point where I basically need to build a new forge, and I still need to build a charcoal kiln, etc. IE other than ground forging, annealing, or very simple stuff I am not even set up since our last house move to work, and again have had no time (and that's my excuse and I am sticking to it )
To the point....
My wife and I were at Texas Renaissance Festival outside Plantersville Texas with family for our yearly get together and my yearly day I am very glad my wife cannot read my mind... Well the wife has to stop by the facilities and I go up to the building with her "just in case" (Yes I am protective). While standing outside waiting around I notice one of the blacksmiths with their water wheeled powered setup and all the ins and outs. So when she is done we do a stop by.
Blacksmith #1 - AKA the water wheel blacksmith - I was looking at his work that he was selling goth jerk #417 and was very cynical that the $850 "black scorpion" sword was the ultimate power in the universe, or that it would cut machine gun barrels, was a one of a kind, etc. Once he was done I approached and asked what should have been a simple question. "Do you ever make fire steels?" Response was "what's a fire steel?" I proceeded to explain while he tried to sell me a second $850 "black scorpion that had emerged from a black hole in the counter. After about 15 minutes back and forth his answer was "I don't think we can make those, but there is one other blacksmith and he is two rows over."
Blacksmith #2 - AKA the two rows over guy - No customers so I approach his simpler but still fancy setup. I again ask "Do you ever make fire steels?" I get a couple of blinks and a "uhm...." After the last guy I explain "You know, the kind you use with flint, chert, etc for sparks to start a fire." His response "I know what they are! Do you think I am an idiot? Look what I have on the table is what I have for sale buddy so either buy something or #$%$!& Off!" I thank him for his time and move on with the knowledge that I am out of luck because I have been told that there was "one other blacksmith".
Blacksmith #3 - AKA the guy nobody knows anything about, AKA THE Blacksmith - We are walking along on the far side of the festival enjoying the shows, music, food etc. When in the middle of the road we come across a VERY simple booth. A tarp. With a table, a lady sitting on a board over a bucket of hardwood charcoal while working the last touches on a breathtaking bowie knife with emery cloth. Simple, yet beautiful and danged well made, knives line the table and a large bearded guy in a leather apron standing beside a simple steel table forge with blower, a anvil (cast in the early 1800s) and some odds and ends. I ask the same question (of the lady, the guy is busily looking at something on a small table of scrap) "Do you ever make fire steels?" The bearded guy (henceforth refereed to as THE Blacksmith, or Shane) looks up and says "No but let me see if I have a piece of scrap high carbon." He digs around pulls up a small triangle of steel and tosses it onto the forge. I proceed to ask (very pleased I might add) "How much am I going to owe you?" He looks up as he is cranking his bellows and replies "A cheese burger and a monster energy drink." I am starting to consider how far it is to town (yes I really would have drive there and back) when the lady points out "They are selling both over in the "German" area." I say "I will be right back!" and take off to get a stipulated meat cheese and bread burger. I will point out at this point I forgot my manners and failed to ask the lady what she would like, but I did NOT fail to go ahead and pick up a bottle of water for her. I get back to find a few dozen people now standing around watching him smith as he wiggled his large behind at the ladies, chatted up the crowed, spun his hammer like a rock and roll drummer, and was basically the most gregarious person at the whole danged festival (and that takes a bit!) In roughly no time (THE Blacksmith kept pausing to demonstrate knives, etc which I had NO problem with because he was doing ME a favor not the other way around) he handed me a fire steel, shook my hand, and thanked me while I thanked him. I will NEVER forget his quote he kept saying to folks in a VERY jolly tone. "It's only a dying art if you don't buy something!" By the way if you meet Shane (THE Blacksmith) in the flesh ask him to do his big guy behind wiggle for you. The ladies dig it!
This is a pic of the fire steel (He left the scale on as he didn't want to use his only files on a non-knife object which again I had NO problem with) and a pic of the contact info that his wife (AKA the Lady) wrote on a paper bag they wrapped one of the knives they sold in.
Shane Stainton can be reached through his website http://www.forgedknives.net/
GoodOlBoy