Old Stool in the Shop

There is an old stool in the shop known for leaning and making noises. It has a collapsed seat that is uncomfortable to sit upon because edges are higher that the seat. While Riley, the shop dog, keeps on eye on the doors, the knifemaker's aunt rummages in her car trunk and comes up with a piece of wood for a repair.

To begin, the seat had to come off. Lo and behold, Yikes!  The base board was cracked and missing pieces of its edges. The bottom of the actual seat had collapsed and was starting to crumble. Certainly this stool needed some repair!

After spraying some gun oil on the spinning mechanism (yes, the seat spun around at one time!), the new board was screwed into position. With idle time on her hands, the knifemaker's aunt wrote on the seat (The Cutting Edge of Custom Can Be a Bloody Place) and added silhouettes of an anvil and a horseshoe knife. Now it's a sturdy seat that spins around from one station to another!

Checking the front view...

   

...and the back door.

Waiting for the Knifemaker's Dad

It is a long day for Riley when the knifemaker's dad is away. She stands at the ready, waiting for the van to return...first on the porch, then at the back door.

THEN, a familiar sound happens at the back door and all excitement breaks out!  Riley's whole body wags with happiness!

Tutorials on the Porch

While the knifemaker and crew are at the show, the knifemaker's aunt is at the shop with the shop dog, Riley. The Closed sign is up but from time to time people stop by the porch and ask questions as the knifemaker's aunt works. Today was a delightful opportunity to talk with a grandfather from Pennsylvania who was meeting his daughter and son-in-law halfway to pick up the three grandsons for a summer visit. The knifemaker's aunt talked about knives and the process as she's learned in the past several weeks. All the knives are at the craftsman's fair, but the aunt was able to come up with pieces in various stages of the metalworking process to illustrate what she explained.

Later, once the grandfather got his grandsons, he returned. The grandsons are Eagle Scouts!  There were good questions and pictures taken and best wishes offered for future success (the scouts, not the aunt - she feels pretty successful already!). She explained how a horseshoe is made into a knife - there were no finished ones on hand, but a profiled knife made the point.

A similar demonstration was done with railroad spikes. Since the knifemaker's aunt has done her share of profiling railroad spikes, she could speak with hands-on experience! The initial railroad spike is rusty. The forged spike shows the lengthened and broadened shape that begins the knife's transformation. The finished knife just gleams!

For a future display, a series of each project (horseshoe knife and a railroad spike knife) could be prepared to show each stage of the process. It could be a terrific addition to the showroom. As people visit, the display would inspire questions as well as inform.  **kaching!*  Great idea!

Back to the Warsh House

The knifemaker's aunt makes a trip the Warsh House every four days and today was one of those days. That leaves a set of work clothes ready to wear in case something happens and the visit cannot happen. 

It so happens a loyal reader sent a poem about clotheslines that made for good reading. Clotheslines, as some may know, are clothes dryers that are **gasp!* outside!  The reader made the point that the knifemaker's aunt and her generation will probably be the last to know what a clothesline IS.  In some places (with Homeowners' Association rules), clotheslines are illegal. **Double gasp!**

Remembering Mom's Clothesline 

A clothesline was a news forecast, To neighbors passing by,

There were no secrets you could keep, When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link, For neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by, To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the "fancy sheets", And towels upon the line;

You'd see the "company table cloths", With intricate designs.

The line announced a baby's birth, From folks who lived inside,

As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride!

The ages of the children could, So readily be known

By watching how the sizes changed, You'd know how much they'd grown!

It also told when illness struck, As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too, Haphazardly were strung.

It also said, "On vacation now", When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged, With not an inch to spare!

New folks in town were scorned upon, If wash was dingy and gray,

As neighbors carefully raised their brows, And looked the other way.

But clotheslines now are of the past, For dryers make work much less.

Now what goes on inside a home, Is anybody's guess!

I really miss that way of life, It was a friendly sign

When neighbors knew each other best... By what hung on the line.

Compulsive Cleaning

While the knifemaker, knifemaker's dad, and the knifemaker's lady friend are at the Gatlinburg Craftsman's Fair, the knifemaker's aunt busied herself with sweeping, wiping, and gathering all the stray pieces of metal and antlers. Yes, yes, yes, she knows the first couple knives that are made after the show will produce more dust and debris. However, dust in the can is not dust in the lungs...trite but true. It's kind of like folding clothes -- sweeping up is a repetitive activity following other actions. Why fight it? Once done, it makes anything that follows a little easier.

It was particularly satisfying to pick the globs of epoxy off the worktable -- better than popping bubblewrap!  When done, the table was still stained but smooth. Most satisfying indeed!

Completely flat and smooth!

The knifemaker's aunt put a box of parchment papers on the table so the knifemaker can just pop out a sheet, cover the surface and catch blobs easily. Then, the paper can be crumpled up and thrown out, leaving the tabletop flat and smooth!

Straight Razors

Metalworking is an interesting life. Once the guys got back from setting up for the show, someone came to the back door to ask if the knifemaker's dad would sharpen his straight razors. These are much more challenging to sharpen because the metal is harder and is ground thinner since they are not meant for chopping but for shaving.

Top Left: W. Fletcher, Commercial Road, Landport;  Left: KAMA, 75 Koch and Schafer, Wald-Solingen;  Center: C-Mon Blackie, initials PJM, Peter J. Michels, Inc., Brooklyn, New York, Made in Germany;  Right: Booster, Geo. W. Korn Razor Mfg. Co., Little Valley, N.Y. USA

The KAMA razor has file work along the spline (shown in the photo) which excited the knifemaker's aunts since she had just learned about file work yesterday. It did indeed make a lovely decorative statement the other razors did not have. However, the C-Mon Blackie seems to have initials made in metalwork at the bottom of the handle (PJM) which certainly makes the razor a personal possession. The history of straight razors traces the changes in design and manufacturing techniques over the generations, mirroring masculine preferences over time.

Can these compare to today's disposables? Should they? They certainly last longer than disposables as is evidenced by this collection being sharpened for further use!

Sweeping Up in the Shop

Source: mckeesport-pa.gov

Since the knifemaker and his dad were away setting up for the Gatlinburg Craftman's Fair, the knifemaker's aunt went to town sweeping in the shop!  A crazed whirling dervish of action, auntie used a broom, a whisk broom, and a bottlebrush to tease out debris from corner's untouched for quite a while.

Very satisfying!