The skills of the artist-blacksmith are those of moving metal; forming, joining or piercing it.
Skills, and the outcomes toward which they are employed, are either enhanced or encumbered by attitudes.
One attitude which encumbers skill and adversely affects outcomes is the idea that blacksmiths are junk meisters. Old coil spring and rusty metal have an allure...they seem cheap, usually because they have been thrown away by someone who saw them for what they were.....junk.
(Leave the junk to the 'found object' class from the local art department........)
Let's look at materials.
Nothing is free, not even the gold at the bottom of the dumpster behind the spring company.
There are two real costs in the shop of an artist-blacksmith: your time and the shop overhead (30 day business cycle stuff). Given the cost of new, clean metal...delivered....your time is far more expensive.
Spring steel is not tool steel, it's, well...spring steel - alloyed for flexibility. Used springs have flexed a bazillion times and that imparts stress. So when you go hunting a coil spring to use for chisel stock (it's free!!), then you cut the coil (gas torch & fuel), heat the pieces to straighten them, then forge a slitting chisel...you have spent time and resources to acquire and prepare the wrong material for your tool. How 'free' is that?
Use new tool steel. It comes UPS. It comes stress free. It comes straight. It comes soft enough to saw or file. It is the right alloy for the tool. And, compared to the exercise described above with the coil spring, it is far closer to 'free' in a true cost comparison.
The artist-blacksmith uses mild steel for projects. Some seek used materials here too. As unfortunate; some store new materials unprotected outside, allowing one of the main advantages of new metal to rust away.
Chisel-cut 18 gauge mild steel.
Coal forge fired texture on new steel.
The advantage of clean, new material is that it has a constant quality about it. A 'smith once said that rusted metal has more texture.....true, its called rust. A 'found object' texture.......
If you want texture, impart it and you can both control the outcome and repeat it later.
Incorporate a used (rust) texture and should you want to repeat it.....what, wait for rain?
New metal, tool steel or mild steel, are like blank paper.
They are ready for anything.
Try drawing on dirty paper with a stick dipped in soot, then get back to me about the advantages of scrounged or rusty metal and used coil springs.
2 comments:
Mr. Dixon, I greatly respect your work. I also respect your thoughts on using new steel. But why criticize those who choose to use recycled steel? I'm sure you know of Alexander Weygers--an artist and a blacksmith. He specialized in using scrounged steels. I think it would help the blacksmithing community more if you weren't so critical in this area. I am a hobbyist. I use scrounged metals exclusively, partly out of necessity since I can't afford new steel, but also partly because I like to. I like the thought of giving new life to something that was discarded or wasted. I would also dare add that an artist can use recycled steel with just as much effectiveness as brand new steel. Just my thoughts.
I agree with hill for the same reasons he mentioned. Perhaps you could write an article on the best ways to use recycled steel and list some projects that recycled steel can excel at? Thanks
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