A random thought of mine

And I thought I would share.  This is the kinda stuff that randomly wanders the halls of my skull.

Blacksmiths:  way back when, when kingdoms were measured in hectares, the Blacksmith was just about the only ‘little person’ the king would defer to.  Part of this was ‘you dont mess with the guy that makes your world function, ’cause he knows how to make it NOT function.”   The blacksmith shod the horses, made the weapons, armor, arrow points, all the things that made holding power a bit easier.  He was also the guy that made parts for those things of defense. Locks(both types, securing locks and arms locks.  Term ‘lock, stock, and barrel’ comes from blacksmithing, specifically the ones that made firearms.)nails, bars, you name it, a blacksmith likely made it or had a hand in it. A blacksmith also made the tools for other industry’s; plowshares, scythes, saws, hammers, etc and repaired all the broken stuff that is inevitable when work happens.

And over the centuries, the lowly blacksmith did even more for the world.  He created dentistry (and I am being dead serious here) ,was a key pivot in the development of steam power, and as recent as the turn of the last century, blacksmiths were the goto guy for mechanics, machinists, welders, etc.  The town without a blacksmith was a very poor town indeed.

The nature of the work; hot, smokey, very dirty, and quite tedious, did not lend credence to the smith being very bright.  That was the paradox of reality.  He had to be smart to figure the making of parts, he had to be near brutish in appearance to be able to handle the tools of the trade, and being covered in soot and sweat didn’t help appearances either.  But even the dimmest smith was a pretty sharp rock in the bag of life. 

I find it interesting to follow historical lines, to see how the progression of a trade actually spelled the end of that trade.  Blacksmithing is still a trade and one with much honor attached to it, but it is not one in demand.  The parts a smith can make, can now be made faster better and cheaper (in quantity) than a smith can manage. And many of the tools that make these things harken back to some tool a blacksmith made to make his life a little easier.  Back when Henry Ford was gaining his position in the world, he hired smiths to make the crankshafts for his engines.  Mercedes and BMW now turn out CNC produced crankshafts by the hundreds a day, in a facility that employs three people; and the units are all within specs measured in the ten thousandths of an inch. A regular blacksmith would have a rather hard time competing with that.

Most Smith’s today are ‘hobby’ smiths.  There are a few that are at it full time, but their wares tend towards artistic endeavors, or eclectic niches.  I know of one smith who only makes swords for renaissance characters.  The swords are the real deal, even if the events are whimsy.  

And there were more than just blacksmiths.  There were silversmiths, goldsmiths, etc, and the names are still carried by many in the world.  SMITH is one of the most common names in any phone book.  Then you had other trades: Fletcher, Thatcher, Wright’s  (as in wheelwright) Carter, Bowyer, Cooper, Miller, Mason, Farmer,  etc, etc, etc.  These names extend to us through history, not only as a common name, but a reference to industry and the people that made the world turn.  These names outlasted those kings with kingdoms measured in Hectares, and that says much about what really made our world what it is, don’cha think?

Like I said, just a random thought.  Hope y’all enjoyed it.