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TractorChild97

Any other Smithys out there?

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TractorChild97
14 hours ago, Lane Ranger said:

Very glad to see this topic of blacksmiths and the skill and importance of blacksmithing as a skill.   My dad Clifton E. Ralph was a blacksmith for 68 years  by until his passing in December 2018.   He was an industrial blacksmith for 35 years at Youngstown Sheet and Tube ( later LTV steel).  After retiring at 50 as his plants blacksmith shop was eliminated he chose a more important route.

 

it took him some time but he started going to steam shows, tractor shows and blacksmith events that they called “hammer -ins”.  He read called “ton”, “hammerman”, and tons of other names but he built a reputation and began to teach and demonstrate until his passing in 2018! 
 

 

He also was a tremendous fan of Wheel Horse tractors and bought his first in 1961 and passed on his passion for them to his sons!

 

He loved to pass on the nuances of smithing .  He was one of 20 blacksmiths and woodworkers asked to remake the original John Deere plow in Illinois by the Illinois Blacksmith Association. 
 

What mechanical and inquisitive nature I have about machines like our Wheel Horses came from being around my dad.   His shop was always filled with projects.  Thousands of his students and various blacksmith groups around the country benefited from his interest in keeping the art and skill of blacksmith alive.   
 

I am pleased to see Red Square Forum members who are doing the same!  
 

As dad use to say keep hammer-in!

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This is what moves me so much. Its a shame that most people just dont care anymore. So much talent time and effort. Most kids today dont even have the patience to sit down and watch a full movie let alone learn a craft. I hope my sons carry it on after I'm gone. And it looks like me and your father have the same vise! Thats neat to me because his is the only other one like mine that iv seen :) thathanks for sharing I'll most likey always remember this story. 

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Mows4three
8 hours ago, formariz said:

It is like burning a rare book, once it is gone it is irreplaceable. We should in fact have long conversations with them about their lives and activities and record them for future generations.

 

Formariz:     

 

You are absolutely correct about the loss of our culture and history when someone passes.   I like to think I’ve gotten some of my best hints, tips and help from the mentors I have known, some that are now gone.

 

I’ve found, for the most part, all the blacksmiths I’ve worked with are willing to take their time to teach new methods, better methods or other ways to reach the same goal.   Sometimes gaining efficiency or saving time.   It’s one hobby where science, technology and art all meet.   Harness them all and you get some spectacular results.  Take a short cut, ignore the science or don’t utilize the technology and you only serve to do yourself a disservice.   

 

Good thread guys.  I’d really like to see more of your tooling and work, TC. 

 

Regards all...!

 

Dave

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WHX??

For all it's worth fellas one show I was at a very competent smith had a display set up and handing out cards for classes he was instructing at his facilities for both novice and experienced alike. 

That said it looks like the art will continue....

This just one of many. 

http://diyblacksmith.blogspot.com/2014/01/blacksmith-schools-wisconsin.html

Edited by WHX24
speeling
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Mows4three

I volunteer and smith at a venue near Mount Pleasant, PA on the grounds of the Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment Association (FAAFEA) fairgrounds.  I think they have about 50 acres of storage buildings, farm equipment demonstrations, tractor pulls, horseshoe pits, and vendor booths.  

 

Our blacksmithing club is a part of FAAFEA.  We have a building dedicated to blacksmithing and we invite young/new smiths in every Thursday evening from April through November in normal times.  

 

It’s amazing to see how influential the TV show “Forged In Fire” has been on people.  I consider this a good thing since it gets folks in the door of our shop and they get to see basic blacksmithing.  This “grounds” them and they begin to understand how specialized blade smithing is among the blacksmithing arts.  We start with new students by making basic “S” hooks, then progress to more involved projects like wall hooks, a four hook wall rack, and then a letter opener.  We also help them with obtaining and making tools like tongs and hammers.  

 

One of our members has an X/Y plasma cutter table and has programs written to cut over a dozen different kinds of tong blanks.  Pre-cutting them from 3/8 material might make an old smith wince, but this really cuts the time it takes to get a new person blacksmithing fast with good tools.  I understand our club is not unique and that membership generally has increased in these clubs due to the popularity of the TV show.  

 

All this said, I hope the future of this hobby/craft/skill/profession will be bright.

 

 

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