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Comment by Jan Carter on June 4, 2011 at 18:34

I know that James and Dellana will have tables at the Blade show and have been seriously busy working to be ready for that show.  I hope any of you attending will be sure to stop and see them both.  Do we have any other members that have booths or are attending?

Comment by Jan Carter on June 2, 2011 at 20:23

I have been unable to find the source of this but I would sure love to read this book...

Bits from my book on this subject.. which I only started because ignorant people kept asking if I was the first such, or the only.. I've never cared; I do a thing because it interests me.
We women have been smithing since long before males began.. the legends of Charis, the Mediterranean female patron of artistry, smithcraft, & healing predates Vulcan by at least 2,000 years; & that of Brigit/Bride(Breed, not "bride") predates that of Loki by about 4000 years.
In 1910, the 12th Census of blacksmiths was done by the U.S. government & at that time, there was something like 197,238 blacksmiths, divided into such categorys as founders, cutlers, surgical tool-makers, etc., etc. - & of that number roughly 394 were women.
Looks don't matter except in your iron, fellas.. Ability counts far more & the iron doesn't give a hoot what the smith looks like.
As for these women are "hot" - all blacksmiths are hot. If you can't take the heat, stay away from the fire..
In the Black Country of Wales, women made chain in their forges next to their cottages - up thru 5/8" - diameter stock from whenever chain was invented; and the song "rock-a-bye baby" refers to the rock / bellows handle, from which they hung baby cradles because it kept the infants quiet while they worked. The standard diet of the time for such people was sops & beer, cradle to grave, so no one lived very long unless the woman was a real workhorse & insisted on having a kitchen garden. Today, women still make chain of stock thru 5/8" diameter in that area, & men still make it in the diameters above 5/8", but the links are arc-welded instead of forge-welded.
How long have I done this? Since I was 7 - when it was great fun in part because it drove my birther bananas that she couldn't make me into a frilly waste of time & space. Now I'm a great grand-mother, although not all that chronologically old, & when I competed it was in open competition, where, at my best, I stood 9th in the world by 1/2 point from first (first, not 8th..). And as the winner pointed out (apologetically), I wasn't busting myself to beat them, they were hauling freight to not get beaten by a 'girl', even if that 'girl' was me. Since 1/2 point from 1st to 9th is hair-splitting & I've never had much patience for such, I quit competing after that, & just went back to making beautiful iron, which I & the 17 men who worked for me put in 12 countries. Did we make a big noise about it? Only where it counted - with potential clients.
I've taken cheshli from boneheads who 'think' that women 'can't' do a creditable job of this for women who haven't been born yet.. and while my shop is now closed, I still do - mainly when I fire up the forge at some public place and - in the supposed Age of Enlightenment - some bonehead says "a woman blacksmith?? NAAH!" It's one of those "consider the source & rise above it" things.

Comment by Jan Carter on June 2, 2011 at 16:25

James,

Thanks... For those of you that don't know, GEC is coming out with a new pattern called the French Kate.  YEA!!!  Named after quiet a feisty yound lady..Here is her story...

FRENCH KATE is all we know her by, but in the 1860's Pennsylvania oil rush region, she was a prominent business figure and well known lady of the evening. She met up with the infamous BEN HOGAN, an enterprising gentleman but one of questionable repute. They became involved romantically and also partnered in several business ventures. Particularly the famous brothel on Babylon Hill near Tidioute, PA where they made several thousand dollars that Hogan then squandered in New York. Kate was not pleased and ended their partnership by trying to shoot Hogan but her aim was poor as she only winged his ear. Thus ended their relationship, but for a short while in the oil boom town days, the notorious philanderer Hogan stayed loyal to the harlot Kate. Hogan must have been really inpressed with her . . . . . . .

 

Comment by Jan Carter on June 1, 2011 at 19:09

Welcome to Tom White.  He and his wife both collect.  Tell Ms. Kay hi for us and thanks for joining

Comment by Jan Carter on May 31, 2011 at 19:43

Just a thought...Have any of you ever wondered what it takes to become a Master Bladesmith?  

To become a Master Bladesmith requires a total of at least 5 years apprenticeship and journeymanship. First there is a three year apprenticeship with the American Bladesmith Society before you can do your cut and bend test which requires you to cut through a 1”, free hanging sisal rope with one swipe, cut through a 2”x 4” pine beam twice and without sharpening your knife you must still be able to shave arm hairs. The last test is to put the knife in a vice and bend it to 90 degrees without it breaking. You have to pass this test with a 10” knife that you have forged and finished yourself from carbon steel. You then have to submit in person 5 knives to a panel of judges at the annual Blade Show in Atlanta U.S.A. If your work is good enough and you passed the cut and bend test you will get your Journeyman Smith rating. Two years after being a Journeyman you can do the cut and bend test again with your own damascus knife and submit 4 damascus and carbon steel knives along with a set piece damascus quillion dagger, in person to another panel of judges at the Blade Show in Atlanta and if your work is of exceptional qualilty you will receive your Master Bladesmith rating. There are only around 100 Master Bladesmiths in the world.

Comment by Jan Carter on May 30, 2011 at 20:03

Thanks James I appreciate that.  Our friend Rick may enjoy this next one.....

All around the world knives are a daily useful item for men and women.  Some cultures realize their women may use thier knives differently and build them accordingly.....

Khurmi ( ladies Knives ).

This is called Khurmi or Ladies Khukuri. This knife modeled after a wheat harvesting tool, this piece, while not an actual Khukuri, is great for yard work. There is no standard size of the knife. The shape of this knife is completely different than Khukuri. The half-moon shaped blade catches small branches and dispatches them safely and quickly. Nepalese village Women mostly use it in rice field for cutting the grass. The sheath of the Khurmi is made of wood cover bye buffalo hide leather while the handle is made of Aluminum. It weights varies according to their size. A normal size blade is 8" long blade and handle is 5" long.

Donnie just buys me a lawn mower LOL

Comment by Jan Carter on May 28, 2011 at 18:29

As I begin to become more familiar with searching for information on women in the knife industry I am constantly amazed that 40 years as a collector, I did not realize what an impact the contributions of women have had in this industry. I came across this article in the Oregon Knife Collectors Newsletter. The article was rather lengthy so I pulled just some interesting information

By the 1980’s Sheffield had become a mere shadow of its former glory. Gone were the hand forgers, the master engravers, the hand grinders, the ivory cutters, the horn pressers and the acid etchers, to name but a few. And yet, if one was on the inside , it was sometimes possible to find the right retired person, to whom one could take a cherished cutlery item, for the type of hand work no longer offered elsewhere. So it was with Doris Walsh. Even at age 78 she could be persuaded to produce an etching of Victorian style quality.

Doris Walsh came up the hard way. Apprenticed at age 14 in the acid etching trade. Doris started her working life in 1927 as an errand lass and proceeded to learn the trade. “It was years before I was allowed anywhere near a knife” Quite typical, as an apprenticeship was usually for 7 years. “If I cut myself, the head girl would tell her, wrap it up quickly as an don’t let any blood get on those knives.” NOW THAT’S A GOOD WOMEN

Doris would tell people, my hair is as black today as it was when I was a child. Here is a strange fact:

Of the acid etchers in Sheffield , most of whom were women, 95% never turned grey.

As for the process of recreating the artwork done on those blades, Doris describes it as follows:

“ It is really very simple. An engraver would design the master plate and a transfer taken from that plate - it was brass by a steel press. The press’s rollers rubbed the ink, it was made from beeswax, Swedish pitch, soot and turpentine - onto tissue. You’d print 6 transfers at a time, then cut them up individually, and whetted them off with warm water, making sure the imprints were straight and all in the same place on the knives. As head girl, I could stick on a gross in about 15 minutes - 4 gross an hour. The only reason I earned anything from it was due to speed of setting. The blades would have to be cleaned with lime before you could work on them It was awful, the lime, got up in your nose and all. After whetting off you would brush with a spirit based varnish to protect the knife from the acid but allow the knife to take the imprint. Then we’d dry the knives in front of a fire before applying kerosene paraffin to release the ink without affecting the varnish. Then you’d put on some more lime to kill any grease, and then nitric acid, which would eat into the mark without harming the rest of the knife. When the acid had eaten deep enough, you’d use spirits to clean it again and the knife would be perfectly marked.”

She sure made it sound easy

 

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on May 27, 2011 at 20:41

You bet, the dogs had more fun than me. I found a neat little vine wrap tree, I get so lucky.

Comment by Jan Carter on May 27, 2011 at 20:32

Well we certainly missed you.  Have a good time in the woods?

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on May 27, 2011 at 20:25

What happened? I went in the woods with my dogs and when I came out we went from Chicks to Babes! You gotta love this place. I hope I didn't miss too much.

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