Someone asked in the trueswords thread if I could perhaps write a short guide for a sticky thread, on the pitfalls of buying swords or examing an unknown sword. It would be no problem for me to do so, but what is the best way / place to do so? I found a link in the 'articles' forum http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=135 but that seems to be dead (or perhaps I don't have the permission to access it). If one of the staff can tell me where / how to write someone, I'll put together something.
I suggest writing an article, rather than a sticky because you can never be guaranteed a thread being stickied. Just go into the articles section and decide in which section you would write the thread. I suggest "Other Martial Arts Articles", which can be found here. At the bottom of the page is a new article button. Click that and away you go. Once complete the article has to be approved before it appears on MAP. I'm happy to answer any more questions if you get stuck. Simon.
Thanks. After todays question about carbon steel I finally started writing a primer on steel and its care, trying to explain the broad lines and dispelling the more common misconceptions. Only with each paragraph I realize there is something else to be explained as well I'm currently at 2000 words and almost halfway. Possibly. So I'll need a couple more days to get it ready for final editing and then I'll submit it for approval. Thanks for your patience.
Nearing 4000 words and almost there. I'm going to ask a mastersmith friend of mine to review it, just to be sure that I am not making any silly inaccuracies.
The article is ready, and came out just shy of 4000 words. It is now being reviewed by a mastersmith. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to submit it before the end of the week.
I'm looking forward to this, but is it going to make me want to change career and become a smith (even more than I do already)?
There is money in bladesmithing, but you should look at it as a hobby with expenses paid. I make money from blades, but I have to fit it in my free time. And I still paid more for my tools, materials, etc than what I made so far. Usually, whenever I get paid for something, the money goes towards materials, tools, or infrastructure such as the smithy. I am still at a net loss. I do this for love of the craft. And not in some sort of metaphysical or philosophical sense. I just love beating the crap out of a bright yellow piece of steel with a heavy hammer. It soothes me. Anyway, the article is mainly about what steel is, what different kinds and terms you'll encounter in the world of blades, a bit of the theory about hardening, how to properly care for steel, etc. Useful stuff if you are new to steel and want to get some idea about the concepts involved. If you are intersted in smithing, you'll need to know this as well (and then some) so from that point of view it is a good article. But if you're interested in blacksmithing, you'll have to figure out what you want to do. Horses will always need horseshoes. Even today, farriers still have work. And people still pay for wrought iron fences, utensils, etc. There will always be a market for a generalist blacksmith. For blade smiths, not so much. Blades are by definition luxury items, and from start to finish, take a long time to make. The price per hour will suck until your name is made. For 99% of the smiths, this will never happen. But don't let me discourage you! If you want to do it for the sake of doing it, like me, it can be a very rewarding hobby. And (I say this a lot) if you are interested in doing this, then get started already. You can build a forge from scrap. http://onikudaki.be/content/54-building-forge From there, you really just learn by doing it, using a hammer and vise grips, and a piece of railroad for an anvil. If you don't get started and have fun, you'll always be stuck in the 'gee I would really like to do this' stage, like 90% of all the people who say they would love to get into it, yet somehow never get around to actually learning by trial and error. And in the beginning, there will be a lot of error Kinda like starting with martial arts actually.
Thanks for your comments and the link, i think realistically it will end up as a hobby of mine. Now I only have to work out where I can hammer metal without the neighbours complaining too much...
I'll take a look later, but after a quick glance it looks like an excellent article. Edit: In light of a well researched and structured article, which was checked by your peers prior to posting, the MOD Team have decided it's only right that you are awarded a Publisher Tag.
Thanks. That's unexpected and I truly appreciate it. Now I have no choice but to continue with my ideas regarding knife and sword articles.
