SwordForums

Thanks Mike, I hesitated to post this but it is a problem on several forums, Glad that I am not the Lone Ranger. Gib
 
Well, I have hung out at Sword Forum since day one...made the change to the new forums a couple of years ago, banished myself from the Japanese Sword arts forum (sick of biased moderating), and never (rarely) posted on the Nihonto forum because of biased moderating and attitude so thick you could walk on it. I have tried to remain a voice of reason and maturity on the General forum but recent events and my last posts were enough to silence me for good.

I have, of late, had my fill of the place and have decided to stop in and read now and then but have decided to cease posting there. Why? The "signal to noise" ratio is simply appalling. I simply am sick of being corrected, hounded, and having to argue like a 10 year old at the drop of a hat. There is little (if any) courtesy displayed and it just plain takes too much time to browse through hundreds of posts to find the morsels of information.

There have been, and still are, plenty of qualified folks posting on SFI but I have been able to get information from all of them on other, less noisy and rude forums...Bladeforums being one of them!

It saddens me to leave SFI behind but the place has simply gone to hell and I have better fish to fry elsewhere. I have always been more interested in listening/learning most of the time and trying to help if/when I can but lately have learned little and spent too much. Frankly, I don't want to converse with 16 year old "Internet Wizards" or elitist collectors and Nihonto aficianados anymore. I feel more at home with knife and sword crafters and martial artists.

My 2 cents,

Brian
 
Well Peter I am glady that I am not the only one with a big mouth around here

Shucks George, we are starting to sound downright quiet!:D ;)
 
Originally posted by Galloglas
...It saddens me to leave SFI behind but the place has simply gone to hell and I have better fish to fry elsewhere. I have always been more interested in listening/learning most of the time and trying to help if/when I can but lately have learned little and spent too much. Frankly, I don't want to converse with 16 year old "Internet Wizards" or elitist collectors and Nihonto aficianados anymore. I feel more at home with knife and sword crafters and martial artists.

My 2 cents,

Brian...
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I want to thank you, by the way, for your stand against the idiocy that has cropped up occasionally in the Cafe. Experienced smiths should not have to argue why rebar and old mystery chunks are not as consistant as known steel, while trying to simply answer questions. I think it is important to question anybody's answers, but at least make the questions logical and with a point. You stepped in and gave them hell occasionally when I really couldn't.

As for me, I will not let the pinheads run me off. I may get banned, and get plenty of negative PR by having to battle with them though. I think some of the problems come from the forums getting so large. Some of the guys holding the reigns there are quite reasonable. I have met few people as decent and good as Dennis Boas, I trust and respect him immensely and he is not just a moderator there. But those people are too busy to be everywhere at once so they have to trust all of the moderators to do the ground level work on their own. And some of those moderators... well.

These days I see perhaps two posts on the General forum that sound interesting enough to look at. But the Cafe will be what we make of it. All I know is that I have been all over the net and browsed other forums and have been invited to many more. But when I see some of the stuff that good smiths have had to put up with, out there on the other places, I think better of things. I am not going to go to a forum where I have to argue with somebody's religious beliefs just to talk knifemaking. I have to believe that one can make good knives without converting to Animism, Shamanism or Buddhism (nothing wrong with those beliefs, they just have nothing to do with ferrous metallurgy). Give me a forum that has a space for rational, metallurgical based conversation, and I will be there.
 
Originally posted by Kevin R. Cashen
I want to thank you, by the way, for your stand against the idiocy that has cropped up occasionally in the Cafe. .....
... You stepped in and gave them hell occasionally when I really couldn't.

As for me, I will not let the pinheads run me off. I may get banned, and get plenty of negative PR by having to battle with them though. I think some of the problems come from the forums getting so large. Some of the guys holding the reigns there are quite reasonable. I have met few people as decent and good as Dennis Boas, I trust and respect him immensely and he is not just a moderator there. But those people are too busy to be everywhere at once so they have to trust all of the moderators to do the ground level work on their own. And some of those moderators... well.

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Dennis Boas is among the folks at SFI that have kept me interested for quite awhile....you are another, Kevin. I thank you for your kind words. Your participation and hard work have been one of the main things that has kept me visiting SFI.

I had the same attitude for quite a few months....well, over a year actually. I was not going to let the pin heads discourage me. But in the end I simply cannot stand it anymore. The moderators and Adrian are going to have to decide exactly what it is they are trying to do and then enforce a way to get the SFI forums into line with that ideal.

The whole concept is just like walking into a s**t fight...there is s**t flying everywhere, all the time. I can't seem to duck long enough to avoid being hit. I remember the old days when you could visit the Bladesmiths cafe' and read a discussion where Randal Graham, Rick Furrer, Don Fogg, Howard Clark, Daryl Meier and a whole *list* of guys who are *very* interesting and knowlegeable were participating and sharing ideas. Then, it all just faded away.

Lately I have seen tons of guys who should shut their yaps and *listen* suddenly assuming the role "go to guy" and presenting themselves as originators of concepts that were discussed to death 3 years ago....I get irked listening to folks purveying the same old crap (that they have never personally even done) as facts to young and eager forumites.

Well, enough crabbing. It is not my style to complain if I can't offer solutions to fix it. I'm simply gonna watch and listen until it looks like the pendulum is swinging the other way...if it ever does.

Brian
 
All those reasons have lead me here. The guys here on Bladeforums, in the Bladesmith Q&A section are great. But perhaps as time goes by (in general on all sites), the bladesmiths will need a site of there very own? A discussion base of nothing else and with no other rooms. No stock removal rooms, no forging rooms, no basic discussion, no pro, no amateaur, no collecting, no martial arts. This way, nobody starts to separate themselves from the core issue. Just one room, one site, for the craft of bladesmithing or blacksmithing in general. Fit for amateur and pro alike. Welcomign all who play with metal, but focused on blademaking. Experienced and inexperienced. But, all who -post- should be *practicing* smiths as a requirement. Just an idea. There are pleny of other sites to cater to other needs, so I think there may be a niche for this. A "Bladesmith.Com."?
 
Originally posted by Jason Arnold
All those reasons have lead me here. The guys here on Bladeforums, in the Bladesmith Q&A section are great. But perhaps as time goes by (in general on all sites), the bladesmiths will need a site of there very own? A discussion base of nothing else and with no other rooms. No stock removal rooms, no forging rooms, no basic discussion, no pro, no amateaur, no collecting, no martial arts. Just an idea. There are pleny of other sites to cater to other needs, so I think there may be a niche for this. A "Bladesmith.Com."?
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If you over specialize, it will fail. This place works so well for the simple reason that all work together for the answer. No bladesmiths only rule here, same for stock removal(which by the way is used in all facets of knifemaking).

There are no other sites that cater to stock removal, including this one, so I don't know where you are referring to.

Some tried to float your idea awhile ago, in the custom knife forum. That thread is still there. Fortunately more reasonable minds prevailed.
This is a great forum, why mess with it?
 
Well, I'm a stock removal guy. I don't forge and have some pretty wild ideas about what is right and about what I'm doing that don't seem all that different from what smiths are about. I think there's room for lots of opinions and concepts in my world...and there has to be room for diversity on any forum that is going to succeed, IMO.

I have no problems with people that disagree with me. I'm not a utopian...I don't think life needs to be pink and perfect all the time. If the boys wanna fight then let 'em. The problem with some forums (and it doesn't seem to happen here) is when the moderators start to ride herd on guys who don't need anybody riding herd on them. When any difference of opinion becomes a life threatening illness then there is something wrong.

Guys agree and disagree here on Bladeforums all the time and it doesn't turn into a free for all with whole threads getting deleted and such. And here it is easy to tell who has talent or expertise..you just look at his site or look at the knives he has made and draw your own conclusion. At SFI we used to get these "experts" that no one seems to know where they come from or what they do telling everybody the right way to think. I'm not an arguing kind of guy. I just wanna learn something and stay in touch with guys who have the same interests and abilities that I have. I can fight at the dojo anytime and get it out of my system.

This site has become one of my mainstays because there is always tons of stuff to read that is written by guys who are actually *doing* the work and drawing the conclusions. I don't post much here. I'm too busy learning and reading and listening and the diversity of subject and the depth of expertise here is, frankly, unmatched on the 'net. There are a few other places that are excellent as well. Places where "do-ers" congregate and support each other. SFI does not seem to be one of them any more, IMO.

And I'm not referring to the Bladesmith forum at SFI specifically. Actually that particular forum seems to be the final holdout for frank and decent discussion about valid issues and concepts. It is SFI in general that has jumped the shark for me...

I'm thinking Bladeforums is just fine as it is. It is a product of the mentality that resides here and seems professional to the Nth degree. It ain't broke and it does not need fixed in my opinion. So, I have said too much (as usual)and it is back to lurking and learning for me.

Brian
 
Well, I'm a stock removal guy. I don't forge and have some pretty wild ideas about what is right and about what I'm doing that don't seem all that different from what smiths are about

That's one of the nice things about this site Brian. We have smiths that forge, that grind, that forge and grind and some who buy premade blades and finish them. It's a very wide range of people here and I've always found they all have something to share. Rlinger and Gouge are two that come to mind. When they started posting, they were just starting out. I am just amazed at what they have become. There are people like myself that do this just as a hobby and some that turn out the most beautiful art knives I've ever seen. It all seems to intermingle and improve everyones work!

I was relieved to hear the comments both you and Kevin made about SF. There is a lot of talent and a number of smiths that have no egos even though a few of them have earned the right to have one. The problem is sifting through the Conan posts to take advantage of the knowledge.

I guess that as long as the people here feel like it is home, it will remain a solid and informative board.
 
Originally posted by peter nap

I guess that as long as the people here feel like it is home, it will remain a solid and informative board.
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...Amen, Peter.

My best to all, and thanks for the input, the courtesy, and the information.

Brian
 
Mike,

You make a truly valid point. And I do hope this forum remains as is, as I rarely visit elsewhere because of the people here. As far as methodologies, I was referring to a possible style of a future site. No, never seen an exclusive stock remover site. :cool:

Though I don't personally know most of the guys in here, I've gotten to know a few over e-mail. Its also nice to see those familiar avatar's and I look forward to their responses. Its a nice brotherhood, the maker's here. I should try and post more often, but I'm not as well rounded as others and usually get beaten to the punch with available advice. So, I offer what I can and commend those who offer so much more.

So, maybe some day, should I ever attain even a modest level of fame, I'll be sure to acknowledge the steely company in the Bladesmith Q&A at Bladeforums.com. All a great group of guys!
 
I admit that I have BladeForum as my home page. I start it minimized and drag the topics to another page. A trick I liarned on Sword Forum. I am still a basic member because of a limited (vary!)retirement income. I read most of the basic posts because it is always good to let your thoughts go back to remembering the basics.
I like Sword Forum and visit the makers area often. The flameing and such I just go past. The only complaint I have is with the theatre sword section that only promotes "professionals" and leaves me in the cold. I work with local theatre groups renting swords and such but have no budget for hireing specalists.
Just my 2 cents, Lynn
 
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