Preparing for this month of metalworking required some specific reading. Showing up without rudimentary knowledge would be a waste of everyone's time, so what to read? The knifemaker suggested Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, which served as a terrific basic body of information. The terms and fundamental definitions included facts that would seem unnecessary at first glance, but makes the difference when moving from knowing to understanding. The Backyard Blacksmith by Lorelei Sims re-enforced Goddard's wisdom, but with her won spin on the blacksmith possibilities that exist for the metalworking enthusiast.
The background really paid off the first day. One of the pieces of knowledge that may seem silly, but actually came in handy when casually talking with the knifemaker, was the parts of an anvil. As he spoke, using terms that would previously have inspired an auntie's glazed look, the words initiated better questions. There was a common jargon being used which made the conversation move past the deer-in-the-headlights look toward more effective communication. When the knifemaker talked about his new Peter Wright anvil and how it came with a box of hardies, the knifemaker's aunt could join in with the glory of the story instead of ...
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| Image from Marian's Hunting Stories blog. |
