I'm no great historian or anthropologist, so I may get corrected on the following, but I think steel is more important than many realize. If by some bizzare circumstance, we (planet earth) had to choose between steel and computers, I think we had better choose steel. The adjustment would of course be catostrophic, but the minute you leave steel behind, you're back in the stone age. I had a freind that said if times ever became desparate, he would take his wife and go live in the wilderness, eating tree bark and bugs. He had saved or purchased maybe 60 or 70 books and articles on the subject. Since I currently live more like the pioneers than most folks, I tried to seriously admonish him to at least stay in the iron age.It's alot of work to maintain a minimal standard of living, but it beats the heck out of spears and rocks. History has shown that civilizations which employed iron always overtook the ones that didn't. Look at the history of this country. I'm not trying to open old wounds, or justify brutality, so please don't take this thread there. I've read that the Native American was actually a better warrior than the average calvary trooper. But calvary policy was (is) to overwhelm the opposition with numbers. Every part of the white man's world was more productive because of iron and steel. He could feed more soldiers, raise more horses, make more weapons. Books have been written about how this is not such a good thing, but I'm leading up to steel today. Think about how many things you depend on, that are steel. An automotive engine block can be made of aluminum, but only partially. the crank, sleeves, head and more still must be steel. The bridges you drive on. The bits in your tools, the nails in your house. The molecular structure of steel is interesting. By adding carbon, and tempering it, you can alter it's hardness. If the piece is too thick to cool in the required time, add molybdenum to open the quenching window up a few seconds longer to make the whole piece Martensite, instead of just the outer layer. (Steel has different names depending on it's molecular structure.) It can be made into a strong spring, a knife edge, even an electric wire. (Some products made in the war years couldn't use scarce copper.) Now enter the sign trade. Here's a substance that has won wars, fed billions, and is all around us. As a sign bracket, it is at once fully art and fully function. This latest issue of signCraft magazine has some very nice sign brackets in it. I'm not sure how they're made, but if it's with a plasma cutter, there's no turning back. The method is here to stay. Next time you look at a sign bracket, look at the flowing beauty of the positive AND negative spaces. And remember how strong it is. I really like the synthesis of it. Jim D.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Man, If I could afford it, I would like to have a steel framed house.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Since my vehicles are of 60's and 70's vintage and my house in Santa Susanna has always run off a generator and batteries when the wind slowed down, I'd say I lived like a pioneer at times. Moving to Oregon where I'm plugged in is strange, but would really love to live off the grid again so to speak. I love steel, that why I made my KillerKarts of 12 gauge. Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I didn't know all the stuff you said about steel. I do know however that steel is very cool stuff.
And I use literally tons of it each year in the fabrication of our stuff. It can do so much more than wood. Fastening it is a snap. With a welder and a little imagination there isn't anything that you can't do with it.
I enjoy my computer but if I had to choose I'd take steel hands down!
This evening I worked on the design for my new desk for the new studio. And you guessed it... heavy duty welded steel structure...fifteen feet long and suspended from one central support. It will appear to be a huge bonsai tree growing in the middle of the room. Once I get the plans finished I'll post the picture here...
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