Samburu blacksmith

Very very cool vid Sam :thumbup: I will never whine about not having the right tools for a job ever again ;) Talk about basics :o, that fella was working with virtually nothing and turning out great looking stuff :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
That's awesome that that is all the tools you need. I wonder what his quench medium is? I read somewhere (I think a Wayne Goddard article) that Shaka Zulu's blacksmiths used human fat and blood to quench his assegais.
 
If that guy had sophisticated tools and steels, he would have acres of cattle and goats, live in the equivalent of a mansion, and his spears would be invincible, capable of cutting his others to pieces, but the ultimate price would be the murder of all of those rich traditions that live solely in him. Already it is very sad to hear him speak of how his fathers would make their own steel, while he buys his. Yet hear how he praises this new steel, it is no doubt much better for spears than the blooms his fathers worked from and it appears to be a scrap of twisted or ornamental ironwork. As soon as a better material was available he grabbed it and quit “melting steel from rocks.”:(

Sometimes I have a crisis of conscience about making the best blades I can with the tools that have evolved in the last 1000 years, knowing that I am burying traditions that can be traced back to the foundation of our civilization. In the west we have an easier time doing that because our connections to those traditions were broken long ago and our fathers of the forge are mythical characters to us. In the east and in Africa they still commune with legends of the forge in an unbroken line of tradition. One of the reasons I, of all people, started to do my own bloomery smelts was not to try to even come close to the modern alloys I work with but to reconnect with those traditions I so regularly murder. To pull a bloom from a smelter is my penance, and my way of giving back to those ancient ways and keep them alive so that steel made from charcoal and rocks will not vanish from the earth. I love salt baths, but I loathe stainless steel, it is my way of keeping a balance between making the best blades I can while not wiping out a most noble tradition.

But then it is tough to draw the line, one could say that that guy already is not traditional because of that fancy railroad track he hammers on. I feel he is traditional because the hammer techniques he keeps alive are the same and he found the best anvil he could for his work, his fathers were no fools and would have done the same. I like the fact the he and I light our smokes the same way :), except with me it is cigar or pipe, I sure would love to sit around a fire an enjoy a stogie with that guy.

The spear was alright but the bracelet impressed the hell out of me! That is some metalworking skill there! I would like to trade him a knife for a bracelet any day. I hope he gets just enough goats to keep himself and his family contented their whole lives but not enough that he would ever forget his fathers, the world would be a much diminished place without them.
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
fTo pull a bloom from a smelter is my penance, and my way of giving back to those ancient ways and keep them alive so that steel made from charcoal and rocks will not vanish from the earth.
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There is something to be said for the satisfaction of making that connection with the primordial. To be able to take wood scrap and rock, and convert them to the metal that built the foundations of our civilization is truly satisfying in a way that most folks these days cannot even grasp.
Just by making our blades by hand, hammer, and fire we are maintaining a craft that could be eclipsed by industrial machinery and taking it to levels of artistry that defy industrial design. That video was humbling, I feel truly spoiled with my Peter Wright anvil, my Centaur and Peddinghaus hammers, and my electric blowers. This summer I am going to be doing an architectural iron hammer-in in the medieval recreation society I am in and I have been toying with the idea of doing a pit forge to allow handling large pieces, now I have more incentive.

-Page
 
I once traveled to Africa and found a hand forged hoe (the type all the locals use) with a hand carved handle. The man selling them said they were a dollar. It would normally be customary to haggle with the man on the price but I didn't feel that appropriate. I also bought a hammer from a local craftsman (for a much larger price) that was made by welding a bolt to a peice of bar. The threaded end of the bolt had been flattened and turned into the claw. This was the man's personal hammer and was confiscated at the airport due to my wife putting it in the carry on (granted this was pre 911) so I was never able to give it to my father.

Allen
 
In Africa people were putting swords and spears into the overhead compartments about the seats on the plane.

Allen
 
mrnewberry said:
In Africa people were putting swords and spears into the overhead compartments about the seats on the plane.

Allen
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LOL...I flew Delta Airlines back from Spain in '98 and one of my buddies stowed his "Barbarian" sword from Toledo in the overhead bin!
 
Dang. Did you see him tend those coals with his bare hand???
 
Fiddleback said:
Dang. Did you see him tend those coals with his bare hand???
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Saw that, either VERY localized fire or very dead nerves in his hands, maybe both. Also the end of the spear was being handled with his bare hands as well, there had to be a fair bit of heat transfer that far out. He was getting great results from very basic tools. Steven
 
kevin.....great post.....i have alot of respect for smiths like the one in the video......and people like tai goo .....tim lively and others keeping traditions alive......ryan
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
If that guy had sophisticated tools and steels, he would have acres of cattle and goats, live in the equivalent of a mansion, and his spears would be invincible, capable of cutting his others to pieces, but the ultimate price would be the murder of all of those rich traditions that live solely in him. Already it is very sad to hear him speak of how his fathers would make their own steel, while he buys his. Yet hear how he praises this new steel, it is no doubt much better for spears than the blooms his fathers worked from and it appears to be a scrap of twisted or ornamental ironwork. As soon as a better material was available he grabbed it and quit “melting steel from rocks.”:(

Sometimes I have a crisis of conscience about making the best blades I can with the tools that have evolved in the last 1000 years, knowing that I am burying traditions that can be traced back to the foundation of our civilization. In the west we have an easier time doing that because our connections to those traditions were broken long ago and our fathers of the forge are mythical characters to us. In the east and in Africa they still commune with legends of the forge in an unbroken line of tradition. One of the reasons I, of all people, started to do my own bloomery smelts was not to try to even come close to the modern alloys I work with but to reconnect with those traditions I so regularly murder. To pull a bloom from a smelter is my penance, and my way of giving back to those ancient ways and keep them alive so that steel made from charcoal and rocks will not vanish from the earth. I love salt baths, but I loathe stainless steel, it is my way of keeping a balance between making the best blades I can while not wiping out a most noble tradition.

But then it is tough to draw the line, one could say that that guy already is not traditional because of that fancy railroad track he hammers on. I feel he is traditional because the hammer techniques he keeps alive are the same and he found the best anvil he could for his work, his fathers were no fools and would have done the same. I like the fact the he and I light our smokes the same way :), except with me it is cigar or pipe, I sure would love to sit around a fire an enjoy a stogie with that guy.

The spear was alright but the bracelet impressed the hell out of me! That is some metalworking skill there! I would like to trade him a knife for a bracelet any day. I hope he gets just enough goats to keep himself and his family contented their whole lives but not enough that he would ever forget his fathers, the world would be a much diminished place without them.
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It is an uneasy feeling, i try to compromise when i can afford to and anytime the chance arises. When I do ornamental ironwork, often times i am faced with a conundrum to do it quickly with modern MIG and cold bending jigs like a hossfeld or a hydraulic press, or a bit slower with the older techniques. Usually it is due 5 days ago, and things must just GET DONE. Sometimes, and my Boss is getting QUITE convinced at just how good of a tool the forge and anvil is:D, I have to make a latch or hinges or some oddly bent part or something like that where making it in the forge would be quicker than fabricating it from steel stock I LOVE the oppurtunity. Now I have the forge up and running I use it whenever I can, and am proud my shop is part of the modern shop so myself and others can realise and utilise both modern and ancient methods, and i can show customers who have NO IDEA what a blacksmith does or did just exactly what I do and how it's done.


Robert, I wish I had time for goats:)!
 
Tends the fire with his hands. His hammer has no handle, and he works on the ground. Vet his hands are still cleaner than mine are.
 
Sam Salvati said:
I keep watching the video, fascinating smith I sure would like to meet him.
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As would I...it's fascinating to think that there are still weapon smiths out there making implements that actually get used to defend/take life. Also interesting to hear that, as a smith, he is regarded somewhat neutrally by the tribe(s) that are his tribe's traditional enemies...as long as he also keeps selling weapons to them, that is!
 
Throughout history the best weaponmakers were considered an asset to anyone they would sell to, and as long as they played their cards right nobody wanted to cut off their own arm(s) to hurt the other guy. On the other hand, weaponmakers would be often be captured and kept as a captive asset.

-Page
 
sunshadow said:
Throughout history the best weaponmakers were considered an asset to anyone they would sell to, and as long as they played their cards right nobody wanted to cut off their own arm(s) to hurt the other guy. On the other hand, weaponmakers would be often be captured and kept as a captive asset.

-Page
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Yes, I guess what I meant was that I would assume that what you just said to be true, and some of the anglo-saxon/viking histories speak to this, but now there is hard proof that this is likely to have been the case in all times/places. :thumbup:
 
Don't be too sad about burying all of those traditions. The one tradition that can be traced to THE BEGINNING of the human species is innovation and advancment of technology. Maybe that is two. Anyway, taking a step toward a simpler time is a step away from our strongest and most important "tradition."
 
ryan9977 said:
kevin.....great post.....i have alot of respect for smiths like the one in the video......and people like tai goo .....tim lively and others keeping traditions alive......ryan
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Thanks Ryan.

I think it is a misconception that one needs to completely forego tradition or butcher the process in order to make an outstanding knife in terms of performance. You can have your cake and eat it too.

I once had a shop full of powers tools, but eventually got rid of them, because I felt more like a machine shop technician, than a true bladesmith. I think the blades I'm making now actually perform better, because I've leaned so much by becoming more intimate with the process. However, I still don’t consider myself a complete purist, because I do use modern steels and limited power tooling,… but I am happy with the work I'm doing now.

Also, keep in mind that many of the traditional and or "primitive" knives were actually used more than some of the so called modern high performance knives.
 
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