Quote:
Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort
We go by way of the village Blacksmith and many others that have faded over the last 50 years.
Engineering is a dirty word in Britain today.
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There are still blacksmiths around. They've diversified into general engineering repair workshops for agricultural people. Big lathes, big guillotines, big folders, MIG TIG and bobtail. Special tooling for making hydraulic hoses, stockists of pipe fittings fencing material and they still forge metal when needed. If you're up visiting Fernseh sometime John and take a foray a mile or two over the border, one of the best modern blacksmiths is John Falla at Bonchester Bridge.
People confuse blacksmiths with farriers. Licensed farriers are the only people legally allowed to nail a shoe on a horse. They are thriving. They're in short supply and their fees have kept rising. On the other hand it's hard labour, dirty and with a big risk of injury.
Farriers and Blacksmiths have long not been friends (like Lancashire v Yorkshire) Farriers point out that mere blacksmiths aren't allowed to do what they do. Blacksmiths call farriers 'horsecobblers' and the language goes down from there.
Both factions are surviving a lot better than the TV repair trade, it has to be said.
David