4970 miles

[Nazar_Zhuravel]

Hello everyone,my name is Nazar ,I am 31 years old

and I'm a bladesmith.

the title of the topic is the distance from my home in Ukraine to the city of Chicago where I currently live.
I have had fibrous dysplasia in my hip since childhood, this unpleasant disease has always limited me in some way
this happened and now, with the beginning of the war with russia, I wanted to join the army to defend my country against the russians, but I was declared unfit for military service due to illness.
To be useful, my friends and I repaired cars that went to the front. I sold the machines from the forge to buy things for military friends who were going to war.
there wasn't a day that I didn't want to go back to the forge, because it was my life's work. and that's what I'm good at.
there is such a period in the war that people get used to it, we have been living like this since 2014, someone is tired of hearing it all the time, and then people are not very helpful, I understand that. but the war is on, and it has not gone anywhere.
therefore, when I realized that every month it would be more and more difficult for me to help my friends, I considered it my duty to provide them with a good rear with all my strength and capabilities.
Now I'm in Chicago. I am looking for a job, but I would like to find a job in a forge where I can make knife blades. Because I can do it.
the only minus is that I don't speak English well, but I understand a lot, I learn quickly. I wrote this text with the help of a translator))).
to my skills,i know how to make mokume.mosaic damask. random damask. I work with leather

I'll add some photos and maybe you know someone who needs a asistant in the forge. Thank you for reading to the end.

[Alan Longmire]

Welcome Nazar!  I am sorry the circumstances are what they are.  Hopefully someone can help.

[Nazar_Zhuravel]

22 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

Ласкаво просимо Назар! Мені шкода, що обставини такі, якими вони є. Сподіваюся, хтось може допомогти.

thank you Alan.

[Bruno]

привіт Nazar,

Welcome.     Nice blades by the way.   I searched google for "Forges in chicago" and found a few listings.  You can try calling them and see if they want a helper.   Google can be immensely helpful for finding things in an area, so long as you know what you are looking for.

 

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-lm&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:2&tbm=lcl&q=forges+in+chicago&rflfq=1&num=10&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjlzrXT9qb5AhURGDQIHVFHApwQjGp6BAgJEAE&biw=1280&bih=558&dpr=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[41.9806466,-87.6115401],[41.6231252,-87.8747659]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u17!2m2!17m1!1e2!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!2m4!1e17!4m2!17m1!1e2!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2

 

Depending on where you are and what you have access to,  you might be able to find a shop that you can use for forging of your blades, or might be easier to setup shop yourself and sell what you can on the internet or a Gun Show and the like.

 

As far as work, if you can't find a forge to work,  I would look at maybe machine shops or mechanic shops where you may be able to apply some skills.  There is that or the service industry where so many of us toil everyday.  Never a shortage of jobs here in America, just can't say many of them are any good.  Never work for less than the minimum wage of your area.    Plenty of people out there looking and willing to take advantage of people.  All I know about Chicago is that the news says it's dangerous there.  Keeps your head on a swivel.

 

And don't worry about English, you can just make it up as you go along.  Seems to be what the younger generation does.

 

Good Luck to you.

Я не хочу займатися політикою на цьому форумі, тому кажу вам. Слава Нашій! Героям слава!

 

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Bruno

[billyO]

Welcome, Nazar. What part of the Chicago area are you in?  I know a blacksmith in the far south side, in the Chicago Heights/Steger area.

[Nazar_Zhuravel]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:57 PM, Bruno said:

привіт Nazar,

Welcome.     Nice blades by the way.   I searched google for "Forges in chicago" and found a few listings.  You can try calling them and see if they want a helper.   Google can be immensely helpful for finding things in an area, so long as you know what you are looking for.

 

thank you Bruno, as soon as I arrived I started looking for a smithy on google, I wrote to all the blacksmiths who make blades, I only got a response from two, but they can't hire me.
so I decided to post here because I thought someone from Chicago would be here.
and as for work, there are many different ones. if i don't find a job in a forge, of course i'll find another job, it's just that i've been working in a forge since i was 16, i have more experience with knives, so i'd like to find a job like that first.
thank you for your reply

[Nazar_Zhuravel]

On 8/2/2022 at 9:43 AM, billyO said:

Welcome, Nazar. What part of the Chicago area are you in?  I know a blacksmith in the far south side, in the Chicago Heights/Steger area.

thanks billyO I live on S Troy st
can you write your friend's email? I will write him a letter, maybe he needs an assistant in the forge.
thanks for the answer.

[billyO]

Hello Nazar.  I sent Dennis the link to this thread.  We'll see if he responds.  Good luck.

 

[Alex Jemetz]

Hi Nazar, I am new to blacksmithing and also Ukrainian.  I live in Toronto and if you were here I would pay for your lessons on forging.  I have a small workshop and I'm currently making knives and daggers but I hope to soon start making Ukrainian kozak sabers.  Let me know if you'd like to get in touch.  I have some Ukrainian friends in the community in Chicago, maybe there is some way they can help you.  Send me a private message and I can give you me cell phone number.