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| Hobby Blacksmith
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In the past, there was a
blacksmiths shop in each village. The blacksmith was not only the craftsman, but all his
products were small works of art, which mirrored his heart. I always admired this art and
the people that were able to give shape and beauty to hard metal. During later years, when
industry took command of all production, few old masters kept the knowledge of previous
generations. I did not have the opportunity, to have some of them as a teacher. My
managerial profession is far from working with hot iron, hammer and anvil. My admiration of this art, brought me to my hobby. I bought an old forge, some tools, and began to build the shop. I looked for books. I asked friends how to start, what to do and what not to do. Those who have tried it know that there are only a few books in the Czech language. If you have no one to help you, beginning blacksmithing is slow and not easy. To all, which are in the same situation, I am donating this web page. I'm offering all my experience, ideas and thoughts to you! I will be happy if some of you experienced blacksmiths will correct my mistakes and help all of us. I enjoy all your e-mails, ideas and instructions. I have been lucky, I found a blacksmith that was willing to help me and share his experience and skills with me. He is my friend Dick Nietfeld, who lives in Nebraska, which is 10 000 kilometers (6,000 miles) from the Czech Republic. Therefore we are only in contact via e-mail. You will find in my web pages my first experiences, mistakes, blacksmiths basics, a description of tools, and instructions. If you would send me some descriptions of "how to make ...." with pictures, I am willing to add those to my web pages.
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