Some years ago the Appalachian Area Blacksmiths Association, an ABANA
affiliate, developed a "job description" for a Journeyman Blacksmith.
It was subsequently registered with the US dept of Labor Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training.
Here's a link to that set of 26 skills:
http://www.spaco.org/skills.htm
A neat thing about the list is that it names each skill and then suggests how each skill is to be demonstrated to show that the smith does, indeed, have that skill.
As I read through this list, I started asking myself how good I was at each process.
This next link is a method for evaluating yourself against each skill in that "standard". First, ask yourself: "How well can I DO it?" And then: "Could I do it fast enough and well enough to MAKE A LIVING at it?"
http://www.spaco.org/calblack.htm
Since there hasn't been much traffic on this newsgroup lately, I just thought I'd offer these links to newbys and lurkers (I hate both those terms, how about FOTN 'Friends Of The Newsgroup') to give them some food for thought.
Pete Stanaitis ------------------
Here's a link to that set of 26 skills:
http://www.spaco.org/skills.htm
A neat thing about the list is that it names each skill and then suggests how each skill is to be demonstrated to show that the smith does, indeed, have that skill.
As I read through this list, I started asking myself how good I was at each process.
This next link is a method for evaluating yourself against each skill in that "standard". First, ask yourself: "How well can I DO it?" And then: "Could I do it fast enough and well enough to MAKE A LIVING at it?"
http://www.spaco.org/calblack.htm
Since there hasn't been much traffic on this newsgroup lately, I just thought I'd offer these links to newbys and lurkers (I hate both those terms, how about FOTN 'Friends Of The Newsgroup') to give them some food for thought.
Pete Stanaitis ------------------