No Secrets

[Sid Wittman]

One great thing about the bladesmithing community - which has really been evident recently with Arctic Fire and the opening of the Video and Multimedia - is the openness of the people involved.

 

I know there is a need in industry for proprietary information and trade secrets, but I have always been of the opinion that if you are a true craftsman ( craftsperson ? ) then you will be confident enough about your own abilities not to need to hoard information.

 

The gunsmithing world I used to inhabit isn't too bad in this respect, but I would still regularly come across people who were being deliberately vague about how they performed certain tasks ( often pretty simple ones ). It didn't make me angry, I just thought it was silly. The successful guys get that way with a combination of good work and good customer service, not by making futile attempts to keep their techniques a secret.

 

Now I'm back on the bottom of the learning curve, with new stuff to learn, it's nice to have such free access to the accumulated knowledge of some of the most skilled people on the face of the planet.

And it's not just techniques, it's the philosophy and art aspects of bladesmithing as well. I have never been exposed to this airy-fairy ( ) stuff before ( or rather I've consciously avoided it ) - but it's actually pretty interesting...

 

So thanks a lot

[Doug Lester]

For the most part I would agree, though there are a few people who are self promoters who claim special knowledge and claim that to become truly enlightened you need to come to their shop and study with them. I'm speaking of no one in particular with that comment. Fortunately, these people are few and far between. Also there are people who have spent time, effort, and money developing a specialized technique and they are a little reluctant to put the products of their labor out there for one and all, which I think is understandable. Most of us have been happy to share what they have learned in learning basic techniques and principles and solving common problems.

 

Doug

[Dave Stephens]

I was speaking to Don Fogg about this a couple of days ago.

 

He told me that when the craft was just starting to gain momentum, the few bladesmiths out there were really "feeding" off each other's energy and ideas to fuel their growth. He said they agreed they wouldn't have secrets and if someone started to hoard information, they were cut off from the rest of the dialogue (which was so vital to the growth at that point).

 

This may be the reason that we find this very nice element of our culture in this craft.

[Bill Hoffman]

Dave,

 

Don is one of the most generous people I know. He freely offers his

expertise to all who ask. His artistic talent is immense as are his skills.

 

I am able to forge even with a busted up shoulder (motorcycle accident

almost 50 years ago) thanks to his teaching.

 

A true gentleman.

 

Bill

[son_of_bluegrass]

I skimmed over a paper about trade secrets and all that. The conclusion was that there is more growth and more to go around if everyone is open with what they do and how they do it or to put it another way, you get more than you give when you freely share what you know.

 

ron

[John Page]

I would be nowhere, and I mean absolutely nowhere, without all the generosity and wisdom of everyone here. I'm about as close to the bottom as it comes as far as technique and experience, but I hope that someday I will be able to help out the later generations as those before me have helped me and those around me. When I first thought about taking up smithing as a craft, I had no idea what the real mentality was like, or that there is so much more than just the hot steel and a hammer. Had it not been for the encouragement and advice and insight into the craft and its history from the ones who know it best, I do not think I would be where I am no, as a person.

Here's to all you out there who have made it that way, and to keeping the way alive.

 

John

[Kristopher Skelton]

I've been away for a while but I'm very pleased to say that very similar conversations have been had since I joined this forum a little while ago It's inspiring and I hope that by this time next year I'll be done with grad school, and back to working hot metal. I may even have thought my way out of a corner or two and will be able to return the favor from so many here (too many to name for fear of accidentally leaving someone out!)

[Christopher Price]

I suppose the counter-argument to full open-book style conversation, is that which was mentioned, regarding a large amount of personal sacrifice to understand a particular process or "secret" to how something works. Other people then just want a recipe to follow, and don't really own the knowledge that goes into what's happening, which cheapens it for the one who did the hard work. The worse cases are when it gets mis-represented by those who don't really understand it, and that makes public perception of good work even more important.

 

I've had occasions where I was frustrated with the lack of free-flowing information on a topic, until I was taught by my mentors that they could tell me everything, and I wouldn't understand it because I had no context in which to place it. There are dues, and they're not social or ego-based, but you have to do a certain amount of your own hard work to earn the knowledge you need to put those next steps into their proper place. Giving too much too fast just confuses the beginner, and wastes the teacher's time.

 

 

 

But for all that, I find the best learning happens not on a forum (though there's plenty here) but in person, at hammer-in's, and at shows, and on weekends with one smith visiting anothers shop to help and learn and explore the craft. Those personal moments, for me at least, were the most rewarding in both knowledge and fellowship.