owen bush 153 Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) Is your beard still burning ? Mine keeps smoldering and just when I need it.......... it bursts back into flames to light the way ,how bout yours ? As a foot note .... I am very proud of my firey beard , It is a badge I will cherish always Edited February 5, 2009 by owen bush Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jziegenbein 0 Posted February 5, 2009 oddly enough, i can't seem to grow one, i mean i havent shaved in 15 years! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Petr Florianek 20 Posted February 5, 2009 I was not given one but in spiritual sense... yes its bursting in flames Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David D. 0 Posted February 6, 2009 Working on mine at the moment... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 1,269 Posted February 6, 2009 Mine's burning away merrily at the moment, despite the best efforts of my day job to extinguish passions. Petr, you have one, you just can't see it yet. A great roaring conflagration it is, too! Did I mention a ten-bar interrupted twist? On a seax? All will become clear before long... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dee 1 Posted February 6, 2009 err ..... umm ... no .. thankfully. but ive a healthy head of hair thats burning bright. makes pillows a bit hard to come by though ... ugh, my neck is killing me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Petr Florianek 20 Posted February 6, 2009 As I have extended family freshly, my beard is iluminating my way to shop in late night hours! I cannost steal time from job, I dont want to steal it from family, I must steal it from my sleep time :-) Oh I must blow some wind to my beard! I want it to be seen :-) :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clay Walker 0 Posted February 6, 2009 The goatee is on Thermite heat burn and getting hotter, the new forge is done, the new post anvil completed, the press is on order, and the grinder is decked out. Once the post vice comes in I will have enough of a shop together to start pounding steel and completing all the projects I have in the hopper. Alan, I am with you on the day job thing. I just have to settle for a couple of hours at night and weekends to appease the forging demons. Clay Walker Ragnarok Forge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Pringle 5 Posted February 6, 2009 As I think I said on the original thread, "Firey beard? Ptui!" ...but in part because a noted academic has officially connected my two favorite forge interests, Viking swords and wootz, and due to good progress in both those realms personally, I'd have to say yes - brighter than a thousand suns! I'm glad to hear yours is still alight, keep it burning bright! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeroen Zuiderwijk 181 Posted February 6, 2009 It's smoldering at the moment, with the occasional flare up. But in a few months it will light ablaze like never before. All previous burns have merely been preparations of what's ahead of me this year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azm1ke 0 Posted February 6, 2009 So what does one have to do to join the "firey beard" clan? heres a couple pics i will submit as my application. first one is me (background) stoking the fire for Tai-- and second me with a beard.......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GEzell 129 Posted February 7, 2009 Mine smoulders like the fires of hell, I have finishing work to do but all I want to do is patternweld... Working with wood and antler just is not as satisfying, we are long overdue a high temp sacrifice, with borax spattering and sparks flying, and the yellow glow of a God-honest FIRE hot enough to shame the sun.... Must....finish....shop.....or I will loose my mind. There is just too much I want to do. Preparation sucks, I've got knives to make, must have patience.... Burning with impatience and fustration, but even that is energy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Pringle 5 Posted February 9, 2009 It is your work that gets you a firey beard. It must convey a significant amount of early Iron Age spirit, so that it carries the entire history of steel bladesmithing within and reminds the beholder that these were once objects with power, meaning and purpose. Standing next to a firey beard like Tai is a good start though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racca 0 Posted February 9, 2009 I think mine would be in the ember stage as I'm still a beginner. But that isn't what I'm posting about, I'm wanting to know what Jeff means by "...ONCE objects with power, meaning and purpose." I was still under the impression that blades still held all of those traits as well as more. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "If guns are outlawed can we still use swords." I thought that was the best bumper sticker I have ever seen. I will send you guys some photos of my beard when it finally flames up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeroen Zuiderwijk 181 Posted February 9, 2009 It is your work that gets you a firey beard. It must convey a significant amount of early Iron Age spirit, so that it carries the entire history of steel bladesmithing within and reminds the beholder that these were once objects with power, meaning and purpose. In my case it also includes bronze age, copper age and even a bit of stone age. So how does that qualify? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeroen Zuiderwijk 181 Posted February 9, 2009 I think mine would be in the ember stage as I'm still a beginner. But that isn't what I'm posting about, I'm wanting to know what Jeff means by "...ONCE objects with power, meaning and purpose." I was still under the impression that blades still held all of those traits as well as more. I guess what Jeff's pointing at is that in the early days when metal was still a scarce commodity, knives, swords, axes etc. were the most expensive things you owned. They also stood between life and death, could determine the course of history and were the major push behind metallurgical advances. Nowadays, swords are gone, only a handful of people can handle an axe, and to most people knives are not looked upon any different then forks and spoons, are generally of inferior metal and considered as throwaway items. Of course we know better Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacques Delfosse 3 Posted February 9, 2009 (edited) should I have enough beard to be allowed ? I'm also a Belgian member of the Neo Tribal Metalsmith and will give a NTMS hammer - in at my workshop,with the BKS members, next April 25 & 26.... Edited February 9, 2009 by Jacques Delfosse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bennett 0 Posted February 10, 2009 (edited) So what does one have to do to join the "firey beard" clan? Don't know. I've fooled around with lower fusion temps, (in the back yard), and never got one. I thought I would qualify for a Balrog, or something. I mean 3000 degrees is for mortals. Edited February 10, 2009 by Bennett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeroen Zuiderwijk 181 Posted February 11, 2009 Don't know.I've fooled around with lower fusion temps, (in the back yard), and never got one. I thought I would qualify for a Balrog, or something. I mean 3000 degrees is for mortals. Well, I probably hold the record on that. The hottest thing I've worked on (still has to be fired up though, or even build) will run at around 150 million degrees C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacques Delfosse 3 Posted February 11, 2009 150 000 000° C. ??????????? an accelerator???? we have one, just 1500 m far from here...at the European IRMM and I always have my beard !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jesse Frank 0 Posted February 11, 2009 Well, My beard flickered and nearly died, but I done got the fan out and hope to get it back to blazing again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 1,269 Posted February 11, 2009 Dang, Jesse, it's good to see you back, man! Been worried about you, hope all is well, and may your beard erupt into an inferno again immediately. Jerry B: It's not the heat, it's the historicity. We don't see a lot of European Migration-era use of thermit, after all. As I mentioned elsewhere not long ago, the original idea behind the fiery beard thing was to indicate one's appreciation of European bladesmithing and culture between ca. 1500 BC and ~1200 AD, in combination with an evil sense of humor, not to mention having a deeply held feeling of connection with those early smiths. Plus Jake Powning had to be in the mood to photoshop a picture of you with some flames... At one time we (well, I, anyway ) thought about requiring aspiring Fiery Beard-holders to make a pattern-welded seax, but that seemed to be making it too serious. I guess you just had to be there at the beginning. As the subforum title implies, there's a certain amount of tomfoolery involved as well. It's an odd mix of stuff. I guess that's why it makes the beard flammable! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bennett 0 Posted February 11, 2009 Well I'll be dad-gummed.. Jesse. Nice to see you and your beard. erry B: It's not the heat, it's the historicity. We don't see a lot of European Migration-era use of thermit, after all. wink.gif Ahh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Pringle 5 Posted February 12, 2009 In the spirit of smithin’ tomfoolery, I don’t think we need to let Jerry off that easily! Jerry, although I am sure your thermite experiments have been a fun, productive and educational bit of backyard pyrotechnics, I don’t see how they would get you anything like a firey beard in the bladesmithing context – if you can’t be bothered to hit your metal with a hammer, all those thermite reactions may as well be happening on the surface of the sun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Powning 29 Posted February 12, 2009 I'm casting scabbard fittings tomorrow morning, the beard is alight. I have to say though the -30 degree weather has been keeping the flames in pretty close to the face for the last month or so. good to see Jesse Frank! what have you been up to Jesse? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
