A working smithy and cobbler's shop in Tasmania. He might be on the other side of the world, but we speak the same language.

Culture is the collection of little things.

Culture is what sets your group apart from other groups, and I think this photo really showcases exactly that.  

We too often fixate on the grand things like Notre Dame and forget that those great places were only possible because they came from a culture that celebrated craftsmanship in a million tiny ways.  It was only possible because the people insisted on what I call  “Art in the Everyday” - the idea that quality should reign over quantity, and you should surround yourself with beauty no matter your station in life.  

Look at the quality in this image.  From the birdhouse to the garden to the masonry to the carpentry.  Even that small iron bracket that holds up the light.

Everything is a celebration of what mankind can achieve.

There’s a reason images like this really grab our attention.  Celebrate your craftsmen every day.  Invest in them so that they can be there when it’s time to build the next Grand Thing.

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An avenue in Spain.  

As a blacksmith, my eye’s drawn to the ironwork, but every part of this vignette simply boggles the mind.  You have to wonder if the craftsmen knew they were doing something amazing, that would be appreciated even centuries later.

It’s work like this that motivates and inspires.  

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A gent in the UK is working hard to keep some of the old ways alive and when he posted this nice collage, I thought it was a perfect illustration of why tradition, heritage, and culture are so very important.

I know a lot of people think that doing things “the old way” is a trivial thing, a cutesy pastime or something that entertains people at the local fairs.  But how many actually stop to think about the bigger picture?  How many of us have taken a minute to think outside the box and really consider what happens when you do, or don’t, keep to the Traditions?

Hedgerows and Tended Woodlots have been a part of our history for more years than we can imagine, but we weren't doing such things just because it struck our fancy. No, we did it because the woods and hedges served our needs just as we served their needs. It was a symbiotic relationship until it was rent asunder only a short while ago.

Of course, by that time, most people had completely forgotten all that the hedgerows did for them, they’d long since taken it all for granted.  The fancy good coming from the giant factories seemed simply too good to pass up.  Too cheap.  Too “affordable”, they said.  

Sadly, it's not that life is all the poorer for having fewer coopers and bodgers around, but because of the opportunities lost. Lessons of life learned by our youngest as they build skills and confidence in themselves. Pride in their people, in their accomplishments and abilities, developed over long hours spent listening to the old men grumble and groan while working under a small roof.

That's what's lost when the Traditions are abandoned.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, let this collage from a gent in the UK speak to you. We can speak of the benefits of revitalizing the hedgerow or thinning the woodlot. We can wax poetic about the benefits of a "lower carbon footprint" that you get by using a wooden rake rather than a mass-produced plastic and steel contraption.

However, the true value is there in that boy's eyes. It's the pride in himself and his family, in the memories he'll make and the tales he'll hear. It's the skill and the patience which, now learned, he can carry with him for the rest of his life.

When you support the craftsman, this is what it means. You're not buying a product but investing in the future of your culture. And that smiling boy is the Return on your Investment. Plus, you get a pretty neat rake!

3,330 Followers....

And I’m going through the list to see how many are empty/spam/porn bots.  No idea why a bot would benefit from following a page.  Out of the 3000 followers here, maybe a dozen ever actually interact with the things I post.  I appreciate all the real people who thought this was a good blog to follow!

The glory of a workshop cannot be easily put in words.  A testament to man’s ingenuity, the drive to build and create, workshops like this are a vital part of the culture.  Often unappreciated, sadly, but so very important to who we are!

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This is culture and tradition.  I often talk about the importance of supporting the craftsmen because they are at the heart of heritage, but I think we miss a lot of the meaning there.  The artist who painted this scene was a master of their trade, we owe them a great debt.  What they couldn’t convey, though, is little things that were going on.  What stories were being told?  How many laughs rang through the air?  

It was a simpler time, we say, but I wonder if it really was.  They had all the same issues we face today, but they also had closer ties to their culture through the million little traditions they upheld.  And it was that which gave them the anchor they needed for trying times.

I’m not sure why this painting sparked that thought in my mind, honestly.

Even if we put all that aside, we can focus on the simple craftsmanship seen here.  The artist did us a great favor in capturing the quality of the craftsmanship in all the little details - including the wedged mortise-n-tenon on the legs of the bench.  Not a single word spoken, yet the painting pulls you in nonetheless.

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A detail of the boots of Mars, carved in very fine stone and will a level of detail that’s simply amazing.

This level of craftsmanship simply boggles my mind.

you seem to be a really skilled craftsman, and i would have loved to support you, but all of the #europa #culture #tradition, reject the global, fake news talk that you do is really concerning and repulsive, and it makes me not want to support you. i hope that you can see that you are alienating many people and potential customers by espousing white supremacist rhetoric, it’s really sad.

Thank you for your rather lengthy message. 1st, do you realize that your message actually paints you as a racist? You saw those tags and a few posts, and your first thought went to the color of peoples skin. That's racist by every definition. You could have simply embraced diversity, celebrated the wonderful cultural heritage demonstrated in the photos I curate here, and sent a nice 'thank you'. Instead, though, you went straight to hate. 2nd, using logical fallacies, like ad hominem attacks, isn't going to bolster your position. You are the one who assumed evil in the innocence, as the French say, and that makes you the one with the issue. Again, you could have simply enjoyed the content I've put up here, but your first instinct was to see only evil. And your response was to what? Threaten me? You would support me if only I bow to your way of thinking? You hide in anonymity, yet I'm supposed to think you were a hair's breadth from ordering thousands in ironwork or buying a t-shirt? 3rd, while I support your right to speak your mind and appreciate you reaching out to me, I would suggest that maybe you spend some time in quiet reflection. As Sigmund Freud once said, sometimes a piece of cake is just a piece of cake.

A Toast To The Craftsmen!

They rest in peace forever the men who built this Town 

But their names not on a memorial wall to honor their renown 

And not one mention of them when we honor the dead 

We glorify monarchs and presidents but nothing of them said. 

They built the homes and factories and sweated for their every pay 

But with the long forgotten dead forever they must lay 

And they made this Town a better place to live in for us all 

Yet their enormous contribution we never do recall. 

To the men who built this Town tonight my toasting glass I'll raise 

And though others of them don't wish to hear I feel obliged to sing their praise

Their ought to be a dead workers day to them a debt we owe 

Though of their contribution to society far too few wish to know. 

The heroic men who built this Town at rest forever more 

They built the factories and the homes old Joe who lived next door 

Was one of the men who built this town he died a year ago 

A grand old bloke and one that I felt privileged to know. 

Francis Duggan

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Okay, folks, since I've officially got more than 3000 followers, and in such short time, how about we do something fun?

I just checked my Subscribe Star page...

http://www.subscribestar.com/three-rivers-forge

...and not only are their three magnificent souls who have joined the team, but there’s been an amazing uptick in that "Shares" number.

I have no idea what that uptick means, honestly, but I do know it was sitting at 68 a couple days ago and is now at 70. I'm not sharing the page, so I guess that means someone else is sending the link somewhere.  It doesn't seem to happen very regularly. Again, no idea. I'm not a computer person so all this tech stuff is just Greek to me.

What I do know is that the Algorithm over there on Subscribe Star is a curious thing and your visibility changes as you get more subscribers.

So, here's the deal. If I can get over ten (10) Subscribers, I'll use one of those random number generators to pick a lucky winner and send that most noble soul a token of appreciation in the form of some hand-forged ironwork. Maybe a bottle opener. Maybe a nice collection of hooks to hang their hats on.  A dish, perhaps?

No idea, really, but it'll be nice and it'll be forged by my hand just for you. Cool, huh?

Why do it over on Subscribe Star? 

Simple, really. It gives you the best chance of winning.

With 3000! Followers here, you have a 1-in-3000 chance of winning some sweet steel. By moving things to Subscribe Star we necessarily limit that to whoever is willing to join the team.

I would absolutely love it if all Three Thousands followers here, my fellow Tumblr-ites, would sign up to support me over on Subscribe Star, but we gotta keep it real. A big chunk are likely either bots or Feds, so what are the chances they'll make the move?

What that means for you is that you go from a 1-in-3000 chance of winning some hand-forged goodness..... to 1-in-10. 

Those are really, really good odds for you!  Really good odds!!

If I can get that Subscriber count over 50.... I would be overjoyed and the ironwork surprise would certainly reflect that. No pressure, though.

So, can we get to 10? 20? 50? Let's find out!!

https://www.subscribestar.com/three-rivers-forge

Oooh, look at me being all artsy-fartsy with the camera!

Making your own tools is half the fun of being a #blacksmith. Sometimes your ideas work out. Sometimes they don't. The journey of discovery is always a good time! If you'd like to support powerful, intense, evocative imagery like this, consider joining the team over on Subscribe Star.  :D https://www.subscribestar.com/three-rivers-forge

A Nice Little Bundle Of Hand-Forged Goodness!

Getting quality ironwork into the hands of people, reminding them that quality is always better than quantity, is a big step in restoring the idea of craftsmanship in the public consciousness.

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Small bricks build big walls.  When you support your local craftsmen, great things can happen!

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Culture and Tradition writ large, this “streetscape” in Venice Italy stands as a testament to what is possible when you support the craftsmen.

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I took this picture from one of the highest points around.  It took me hours to hike up to the top and when I finally got there, my legs absolutely burning from the climb, this was all there was to see.  The trees at the top of the mountain were thick with their summer foliage, leaving only this one small window to see out into the wider world.

I think about this photo and the journey a lot.  In life, I’m still struggling.  It’s still an uphill climb and the top of the mountain seems miles and miles away.

And so it begins!

What’s that old saying about being careful what you wish for because you just might get it?  Well, I’m officially there!

I had an idea for a simple #blacksmithing video, and that led to another idea... which led to another idea.  Long story short, I’ve got three or four videos planned out in my head and this is where it starts.

I’ve never shot a video in my life and I don’t have a clue about editing the things.  That means we all get to learn together, right?

If you’ve already joined the team over on Subscribe Star, thank you.  If you haven’t, yet, now would be a good time to do it if you want to have front row seats for the debut video - Forging Your Marlinspike!

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And don’t forget there are still plenty of shirts, hoodies and drink sleeves to choose from at: 

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This is going to be a very fun adventure.  I hope you’ll join me.