Very cool you did pictures in black and white its really fitting for a trade that has been around for many many years. Bladesmithing is an interesting form of blacksmithing. Seeing a forge is pretty cool and seeing the metal pulled out of being red tells you it pretty hot, haha. Also that part of blacksmithing is becoming very popular now.
Story time...I still remember my father taking me to a blacksmith to repair tractor parts or anything metal that needed repaired. The blacksmith was in his 70's and he fit the bill. He wore overalls, a hat like a train engineer, and black boots. He had an assortment of hammers, forges, welders, torches, vises, files, and you name it anything that was needed to shape and fix metal items. He would always tell my father exactly what he was going to do with it. The process laid out which is pretty cool if you think about it. If it was a quick fix we could watch from a distance.
BTW my grandfather was a welder for a well known silverware company for 40 years. I have pictures too 😁 Don't know when but I promise to write/share about it. Have a good weekend. 3 birds and no fish for me in my crystal ball, lol.
Some themes look better in black and white, especially when you want to focus on details.
There are a few who are doing it as an art and those are creating good quality products as well, I'd say luxury products. Other than that, I don't know how many blacksmith there are in my country, or in the US. These guys on the photos are really working as blacksmith, they do works for museums too. Imagine how many old weapons have to be recreated or other instruments. He said in an interview that they are doing that.
Your story looks a bit like mine as my grandfather took us kids to the blacksmith as well, but only once. So consider yourself lucky :)
That story about your grandfather would be interesting, when you have the time.
3 birds? Are you hunting too?
Haha, well they make feel like it as I haven't seen one yet. Probably will later this evening and for sure one around midnight. The good is I got some of my weekend back but I was prepared to work and now all will bunched together