I really enjoy all of y’alls photographs and descriptions. I enjoy things more when I better understand the creation process.
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That’s it @Ravenscry . It’s an age old process, and sure does make you feel good when you look at the finished stamp.
I imagine scrap yards, farmers, and tradesmen were visited for broken files, worn down chisels, and other scrap steel and purchased raw for pennies. I still remember visiting old yards that existed back at the turn of the 20th century. Lots of old steel.
It was a different world back then.
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I agree, Steve.
I know that rail spikes, and, in later years, leaf springs from cars, were commonly utilized, as well. There’s record that many smiths were still crafting First Phase jewelry well beyond what is generally accepted as the end of that phase, being ~1920, mainly due to them being so far removed from civilization. Residing in more remote areas, they didn’t have access to tools and refined soldering technology that others had gained being closer to centers of population.
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We use what we have. I imagine whatever the phase, if you had a silversmith producing into their later years they could well overlap since they would continue to produce what they knew. I can imagine the old timers would be the most resistant to change. I agree, remoteness would be a factor in methods and tools, not to mention style and fashion changes.
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This is the coolest thread. As a farrier (blacksmith) in a past life, I have such an appreciation for the tools of a trade, and their care and making. Thank you all for sharing!
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