Wednesday, December 15, 2010

How Persimmon Forge Got It's Name




As long as I can remember I have loved what we used to call “natural history.” And long ago, in my early high school days I was quite interested in native trees and helped my grandfather, Gus, tend his little tree farm. I thought I knew just about everything about our trees and I did know more about trees and nature in general than a lot of other people. I spent most of my time outdoors wandering, poking and observing.

Betty moved to our neighborhood in late grade school years and we grew up and played sports with a group of kids in “the field” which was the wild remnant of a small farmstead adjoining the MKT tracks. There were a number of outbuildings, fenced areas where livestock once lived, a small creek and what was left of an orchard. It was an wonderful place and there was enough level pasture for a good baseball and football and shinny field. Several trees were ideal for climbing and we devolved our talent for throwing pears with a long pointed stick. The passing trains made great targets.

Betty’s older brother, Bob, was a ham radio operator and somewhat of an electronic genius. I was fascinated by his gadgets and knowledge and spent a lot of time watching him work and make things, and I got to know the parents, Red and Virginia.

Several years later Betty and I began dating and sometimes we would drive out in the country to visit some of her relatives. Red’s parents lived on a small farm south of Flat Creek up on a bluff overlooking the covered bridge and the red brick buildings of the water intake plant. Red had worked there since he got out of school.

Grandmother and Grandfather Heuerman were elderly and still retained a lot of their German heritage. Louis still did a little plowing with a team of horses. There was an old coal mine on the property and on the edge of he bluff there was sandstone with wave patterns on the face testifying to it’s long ago sea floor residence. It was a fun place to wander in the fall.

On a rise up above the home was a small grove of trees with fruit. The leaves were all down. “These are persimmons”, Betty said, and she knew all about eating them at the right time when they were sweet and avoiding the unripe ones which are astringent and quite inedible. I was impressed with all she knew about this interesting new, for me, nature thing.

As time passed I learned a lot more about persimmons and continue to be fascinated with their biology and their folklore and enjoy eating the fruit every fall and enjoying its beauty. Likewise the bond with Betty grew and we were later married and raised a family and much later in retirement I started my forging business and chose the persimmon fruit as the logo because it is associated with so many fond memories.

For one who has much of an imagination, they may have been reminded of the Garden of Eden story here. Perhaps a fellow should be wary of eating a fruit offered by a girl but for me things worked out pretty well.

This image was taken by my older son, Keith, a few years ago. The studio is visible beyond the persimmons.

Redundancy


Redundancy is one of the most powerful ways I have found to insure efficiency. It is part of my overall "fail safe" plan. In the beginning I had one angle grinder and was frequently stopping to change from a grinding blade to a cutting blade or a flap disc. As business picked up I added one after another so that now I have one for each type of abrasive disc I commonly use. The same thing happened with the industrial gases. I found I needed a backup oxygen tank and another acetylene tank and so on because I couldn’t afford to run out of something critical when the welding supply shop was closed or I was being pushed for time.

As my projects got bigger and deadlines became more important I took a hard look to define the “critical nodes” in the studio. Critical node as defined by the Department of Defense is “An element, position, or communications entity whose disruption or destruction immediately degrades the ability of a force to command, control, or effectively conduct combat operations.”

Well, I’m not doing combat here but I do expect to have command and control of my operations. I studied the equipment and determined which things I was most dependent upon. I felt I first needed backup capability for the forge, power hammer, bandsaw, MIG welder, torch and drill press. Establishing backups for those tools and others has made the studio, so far, almost immune to work delays due to equipment failure.

I still worry about the solitary tumbler, portable generator and hydraulic forging press but, realistically, financial limitations eventually draw the line.

A name and a Home



I believe profitability requires turning out good work as quickly as possible. Quickly doesn’t necessarily mean working lickety-split rather it requires not wasting time and motion.

During the early working years I progressively organized the studio into a stable arrangement in which I could work efficiently. I really dislike searching for something I need so is is satisfying to know exactly where to locate any particular item. To aid that process I decided to give frequently used tools unique names and “homes.”

I try to give each frequently used tool a specific name and a permanent home. The home is a resting place as close as possible to where the tool is used most often. That way I always know where the angled peen two pound hammer or the straight bow pliers are to be found.

My forging hammers all have dedicated resting places. The straight and angled bow pliers always return to their hangers. The pickup tongs go on the left end of the rack, and so forth.

I have made a lot of dies to use with the power hammers and hydraulic forging press. I stamped each with an alphanumeric identification to distinguish them individually and they hang on racks with their number by their hook or they are boxed with other components needed for a specific product. The cabinet drawers and the hardware carousel bins all have labels announcing their contents.

This labeling takes some time but I believe it pays off eventually in avoiding frustration and saving time and fuel.