With the way things are going I think we will need these skills in the very near future!

Hanging the horseshoes reminds me of a lesson I learned as a 9 year old. We lived in a rental house uphill from the property owner's horse barn and corral. The local farrier came by to change out the horses shoes. I stood by and watched. I asked if I could have one of the old shoes to hang over our kitchen door. He smiled and handed me one. Then told me to make sure that I hung it with the open part facing up. "That will capture and hold the luck and bring your family good fortune. If you hang it upside down, the good luck will pour out of it and you'll lose it."

Peter, I think your sign is great, adding the horseshoes was the lovely final touch!

Here in England, most blacksmiths were farriers too, up until the 1950s or thereabouts. Usually described their selves as “shoeing and general smiths” as did my father. They would be capable of making or repairing most ironwork found on the farms, implements etc. as well as making ornamental ironwork. It was when most of the working horses died away, around the Second World War, that many of them stopped shoeing horses, as it was two or three decades before there were enough pleasure horses around to make it worthwhile. Most of the early tractor implements were horse implements, modified with varying success, by the local blacksmiths.

That smithy is coming along nicely! My wife and I have just bought a home with enough acreage to set up my great-grandfathers forge…I’ll finally have it near enough at hand to get some use out of it! A wee bit of my family history for you…my fifth great-grandfather was a Hessian soldier sent over to fight those troublesome colonials here in America. He was unfortunate (fortunately) enough to be captured during General Washingtons surprise crossing of the Delaware River, and taken prisoner at Trenton, New Jersey. The fortunate part is, he agreed to fight on the side of the Continental Army, and was paroled, and fought for General Greene in the Carolinas for the rest of the war. Post war he got a land grant in North Carolina, married a local girl, and several generations later, here I am. So…I have the somewhat dubious distinction of having an ancestor that fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War…

To all of Peter's followers and to Peter and Cathy: I enjoy reading all the comments right before the vid ends. Some of your followers apparently do not realize that these comments are available for public viewing. Entertaining? Yes! Happy to see the shop nearly finished and can't wait t see what your first project will be. By the way, I was told the same story about how to hang the horseshoe properly, so there must be something to it (I also have a rabbit's foot)! Excellent video. Catch you later. Vicksburg MS

Hi Peter, Outstanding! The sign adds a beautiful accent to the shop. Can't wait to see you in action on the anvil! Take care see ya on the next.

I'll definitely be regaling my holiday guests with sign trivia now

William Ranger Davidson's 7th great grandson really likes this channel. I'm always impressed with the stamina put forth to create this archive. At 50 I struggle to get out there and build structures on my land. Thanks for the inspiration! I'm getting my boots on right now to go make some cuts with modern saws. Please don't judge me lol!

Man Peter, that shop looks nice. I know you are proud of it and will get a lot of smithing done too. Love the sign too.

I love your sign. What a beautiful blacksmith shop. Thanks for the great stories.

I enjoy watching your projects, but what I like best about your videos. Is your "wee bit of history" information and the stories you tell. Your videos are always very enjoyable

You are a very gifted man Peter, can hardly wait for your next video. Thank-you very much. Keep your powder dry

What a beautiful structure. I hope you get many years of use from it. BTW my new favorite saying is “Don’t let the old man in.”

Like the 'Blacksmiths U-Shop' sign...😁

Looking forward to watching when my teaching is finished for the week..

I've been reading the FoxFire Book Volume 5, ironworking,blacksmithing,and flintlock rifles.Understanding better now the history and why the love for the trade.My Grandson is a welder by trade,but now following in his Dads footsteps as a Farrier and he seems to enjoy his work.Thanks Cathy and Peter,so much, enjoying the channel 🙂.

Beautiful sign, more icing on the cake.

Absolutely Sterling work as per usual Peter. I'd expect nothing less. Yon Chappy from Ontario muat have Scots in him. In Scotland it was common for Blacksmiths, Farriers to be Ministers of the piece and so therefore they were able to forge the rings and marry a couple at the same time. You must have heard of Gretna Green? It's a little town on the North of the Border between Scotland and England where couples who elope get married. The age of consent in England is 18 whilst in Scotland its 16, so young couples would shoot to Gretna, have the rings made and get married in the blackamiths shop as quick as a flash before anyone could scupper there plans lol. Fascinating stuff.

Peter, really enjoying the process to building this blacksmith shop. Fantastic job on painting the sign for it, very fitting. Looking forward to more!👍

Love the design of the sign. It's very simple and big enough to read in a distance. Can't wait for your first project on the shop Peter.

My contribution to the "wee bit of history".... Many believe the origin of the lucky horseshoe goes back to the folklore of St. Dunstan, Bishop of Canterbury in the 10th century and Patron Saint of blacksmiths and metal workers. Two stories are told of encounters Dunstan had with the devil. One goes that the Devil disguised himself as a pretty maid and went to Dunstan at his forge to tempt him by dancing provocatively. Dunstan spotted the cloven hooves peeking out from the maiden's skirts and knew it was the Devil. He put a pair of tongs in the forge until they glowed, the took the Devil by the nose with them to drag him out of the smithy. There's a little rhyme about it, "St. Dunstan, so the story goes, took the Devil by the nose, With red-hot tongs which made him roar, That people heard ten miles or more." The second story tells of the Devil, seeing how lame horses were cured by being shod by Dunstan, went to ask that he have shoes put on. Dunstan complied with the Devil's request, but put horse shoes on the Devil cloven hooves instead of the proper ox shoes. This put the Devil in so much discomfort and pain he begged Dunstan to take them off. Dunstan only agreed after the Devil swore a promise that he would never enter a dwelling that bears a horse shoe over the door. The folklore goes on to say (this may have been added later) that a home or ordinary building should hang the shoe ends up, so the luck doesn't run out, but over the door of the smithy, the source of the luck, the ends should point down, so the luck pours over the customers of the smith. I just became a Catholic this year, and chose St. Dunstan as my patron Saint.

Well done Peter, that's a nice sign

That shop is coming along great, Peter.

Thank you sharing a wee bit of history with us. The shop is looking good

7:47 - Bright Idea - pun fully intended I hope! Awesome to see the shop done, it looks fantastic.

Love the way you talk about and detail history. Good stuff. Take care.

Only word comes to mind is beautiful .sending you blessings from Ireland 🇮🇪 to you and your family and viewers

Looking good my fr,looking good. Little boy goes in a blacksmith shop and is looking around and the smith finishes banging on a horseshoe and throws it down, a minute later this boy picks it up and instantly throws it back down, the Smith says, hot ain't it, the little boy looks up and says, no,it just don't take me long to look at a horseshoe. 😂 lol . keep up the awesome work and videos

Outstanding!

The blacksmith shop is really coming along, and i love your sign! I love the history as always!

The shop looks awesome Peter.

Good morning from Syracuse NY USA brother and everyone else thank you for sharing a live history videos

Beautiful sign

I was just thinkin about you... Coffee is ready☕🔥 Shop looks Tight!

Looks good! Yes I am still planning on visiting! Probably the end of November. You have deer season and I have 2 pigs to process here at home. I will have a box of old steel. Stuff from the rail line and stuff I found in the field. There is a piece I tripped on last week that I haven't been able to pull from the ground yet! It is definitely hand wrought! It will be part of your collection!

Great video! your shop is looking Wicked Good! Great looking signs! love watching your videos. :) :)

Then as people began to learn to read and the symbols weren’t as needed, they became more and more abstract until they became the “Logos” that we have today… right? I mean, that makes sense.🤗 I would have a hard time covering that beautiful wood on the roof! And I love your sign.🐝❤️🤗

Another great episode.

Wow the smithy looks fantastic. That sign is really nicely done, too. Glad you liked my hangman story, you tell it better than i do!

Nice job Peter, time to take a break ... next time you have your feet up by the fire, can you discuss history of the Hat's people wore back when? Is there some significance to the hat's they wore?

A good, sharp saw makes carpentry easy and a joy.

Nice build, and an interesting history lesson 😃👍

Nice one ☺️👍

What a wonderful life you have created for yourselves. Thank you for sharing with us the joys and tribulations of frontier life.

Looking great!

Fall is here and winter is coming on we've got all our canning done now to put some venison in the freezers and the sign looks great.

I Love the shop sign

Started blacksmithing this year in February, having a great time so far. This week got my hands on a leg vice, and some leaf spring. So my first experience with high carbon steel. Having a blast. Love the videos, very idyllic life.

Another fine historic building added to your collection.

Peter, I hope that you put those shoes up with the proper size horseshoe nails. ha ha I am "Classic Blacksmith" in Springfield, Illinois. Member IVBA. Looking forward to seeing your smithing projects. Regards, Rick

Love your videos, my favorite period of history. Would like to follow your lead if I was able, best to you and yours. Keep up the good work.

It looks beautiful. I feel I need the work shop too.🥴🤔😂

So WELL DONE! Everything looks just LOVELY! Now you know Peter, putting up that sign will have you 'torn between chores' as the queue 'lines up' for their smithy! My hubs grandmother; Cornelia (and if U called her by that name...she'd give U the eye) was a dear soul. She came from Erinsville and her hub from Tweed. They settled in the Arlee SK area and were successful farmers along with Jim (hubs name) buying and selling horses from the States. He became a humble millionaire. Theirs was a deeply loving relationship. Cornelia (she's passed so I can use it) was not a farmer. She came from the wet east to the dry west. A crop was harvested and laying in the field. Rain was coming and she felt she had to cover or take in the crop. (This while tending to a family of 10! )She hitched up the horses and wagon, lost control in her haste, and took out a line of fence posts. When Jim came home, he looked at the fence and said nothing...just calmly fixed it. Cornelia was so touched by recalling this story and soOOOoo many more. A jovial woman to the last, always encouraging...but when she stopped stirring her daily 'red rose tea' you saw her look off into beloved memories and watch her heart pining away. I thank you Catherine and Peter 4 another lovely episode in your blessed lives. I leave you Confucius: "Signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws." Health and God Bless! :)

Peter, I love your channel. I can't get enough of it! Thanks for sharing.

Good afternoon Cathy & Peter and happy fall. Sure feels like it here. Temperature got down to 38° last night. The shop sure looks nice and so does the sign. My father was born in kentucky but grew up in wabash indiana, the first electrical lit city in the world which is just a short drive from here. I hope you both and everyone here has a safe and blessed weekend. Curious when your deer season starts there? Bow season starts a week from tomorrow. Hopefully these temperatures drive the mosquitoes out of the woods to make it bearable. Thanks for sharing and we'll see you on the next one.

Appreciate your efforts and dedication! I'm not exactly sure where you find the time to make such progress on your projects. I'm guessing you are like a friend of mine who starts at sunup and doesn't stop till well after dark. Multitasking along the way. I am usually so beat up by the end of working for someone else in making a living, I hardly have the energy to accomplish much else. The sign and shop are looking great. I really like the black trim. Noticed you were sporting a pony tail. I think you have a ways to go before you catch up to length of mine! Lol. Thanks again and keep your powder dry!

Love the sign Peter ! The place is looking really nice ! 😀😀😀😀

Great series, I have a forge in Rotorua New Zealand

The shop is looking quite proper, can’t wait to see what you forge inside. Thank you so much for this video.

Excellent job Peter, I’m looking forward to seeing your forge come together. Lots of metal projects this winter I’m sure!!

Thank you for sharing sir, you are a man of vision from the past. I like the stories incorporated in the videos.

I would center a horseshoe under each of the nesting boxes. The sign itself was already properly laid out.

Simply outstanding! Another project nearly completed that will stand for years and years! I NOW the work is hard but it looks so danged good it was worth it to me. I hope it was/is for you as well. When you walked by your chimney and snapped your fingers it brought up a memory of a story my Great Grandmother told me. A lot of the cabins here in the deep South were built a couple of feet above the ground. It kept moisture out of the logs and they believed it helped to keep them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It also provided a place for the dogs to stay cool (Or warm) as the weather changed. Apparently her father-in-law, (My Great Great grandfather) was having some digestive issues. It was winter and COLD! Not wanting to offend everyone in the house he took the chamber pot outside by the chimney where it was warm to take care of his business. He sat the pot up on a couple of boards and bricks to make his going easier. The dogs were also trying to stay warm by huddling around the chimney area under the house. Being curious creatures one of them decided to see what all the fuss was. He stuck his cold wet nose out and apparently made contact with a bare backside. Without thinking a hand swept back trying to swat the dog away. Instead it made contact with the chamber pot. Apparently it wasn't to sturdy as it went flying into the rocks that made up the chimney. As it bounced off of the rocks and back towards him it was liberally spraying it's contents all over the place. Half the chimney was covered and so was he! She said that for years when it rained and a fire was going you could smell what had soaked into the stones. His clothes they simply burned. In his startled state he lunged forward tripping over his pants. It was his body that prevented the chamber pot from rolling away. From his hair to the soles of his feet he was covered. She said he had to stay like for a while because they had to heat the water before he could wash everything off. It was his yelling and gagging that brought the event to light for those sitting in the house. She was laughing so hard telling me this story tears were rolling down her cheeks.

You need a bar and a corral for your customers' horses

Beautiful blacksmith's shop. I'm even more impressed that you built it with hand tools. Well done, and I love the "wee bits of history". Always fun, always educational. Thank you for making these videos and sharing. Peace to you & Cathy from Alaska.

Love the sign Peter! I see you are hedging you luck by putting up two horseshoes!! I hope to be able to lend a hand with the rocks next month! Best Regards

At first, I thought the bird houses were candle or oil lamps, I have always loved the looks and have had sentimental yearnings for old vintage lights of times past. Perhaps one day you can build one in your new Blacksmiths shop for us. Thanks for your wonderful channel, like the rest of your viewers, I am anxious to watch you new videos when they come out.

Thank you Peter. Your blacksmith build is A superior build.

Congratulations on the completion of the blacksmith's shop. Looks great. I was worried about roof leakage - but you have that covered (no pun) as well. Can't wait for some work to come out of the shop.

Progress is great to watch. And of course the wee bit of history is a favorite of mine .

Nice sign!! It's coming together. You'll be blacksmithing in no time!!

Thanks for sharing your videos and stories. Blessings everyone

"They" say : A horseshoe hung over a doorway with its ends up, it will catch good luck. Hung over a door with ends down, it will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering. (JF)

I really like the horseshoes on the sign , they make it look that much more appealing . It's going to be a fine , blacksmith shop . Can't wait till its done .

Hey Peter! Did you hear the one about the Blacksmith, the Ferrier, and the Preacher? lol! Great Sign, nicely done. Are you considering hitching rails by any chance? Very fun episode.

Absolutely beautiful. I wait all week for your new videos! My great grandfather was a blacksmith in upstate New York (Columbia County) and this is an insight into things he would have been familiar with! Many thanks for your creativity, knowledge, and obvious love of history.

I can not imagine back then what it took to make so many nails .... How many nails do you think you used ? and how long would have taken you to make them yourself ! Do you have any idea what you are going to make for the first job ? Building looking great Peter

Nice little video Peter. Good way to end a painful week. Thank you for sharing.

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And still to this day most products have pictures of what's in the box or can on them.

Great sign! Sure that won’t be the last building, though!

Still some of best video on KZfaq

Love your channel and I look forward to learning something with your “Wee” bit of historical information. But I have a problem with George Clout because Tesla was the first to discover neon. But just like Marconi, who stole patents from Tesla and got credit for the radio, George most likely did the same thing. Every other history lesson has been spot on.

Great sign. I noticed you added the horseshoes in the right position - so your luck won't run/fall out.

Great job Peter. Greetings from your neighbors on Kinlin rd

😃😁

Nice nice sign love to see the shop thank you for the video going to be at Pioneer Village October 2nd

Quality executioners, like the story you share, were definitely a specialty. I've read of people paying the executioner extra to make sure the axe for beheading was freshly and carefully sharpened. Families and friends of some slated to be hung would pay the executioner extra so they could grab the ankles and make sure the neck snapped when they were dropped. Ropes had to be tested and stretched to ensure no give and a clean snap, same for the placement of the knot in the right spot. All of this was highly regulated too, knots were specified and inspected in advance... Anyway, grim or not it's all history and part of our past and life. The Iroquois and many Native American's would torture a captive to both test the captive strength and resolve and their own skills. They highly respected captives that joked, sang their war songs, and held out for a long time. There's a great account of a British Light Infantry/Ranger soldier who shared the story of another captive that outwitted his captors. Essentially he got them to let him collect and prepare a toxic plant for him to ingest and thus get around the torture with a quick death. He claimed it made him stronger and invisible. He was so convincing that they let him do it. When they realized what he had done they roared their approval and respect because he had outwitted them in the end with his death. Unvarnished history is fascinating!

Interesting aside. The Blacksmith was viewed as one who could use magic. A horseshoe was always mounted with the opening to the top so the magic wouldn’t fall out and be lost.

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Love your videos Peter,did you hear the one about the blacksmiths dog,the blacksmith kicked it in the arse and it made a bolt for the door.

From Ironbridge Shropshire England (Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution...damn it!) Just love ALL of your video diaries... but you do need to fettle a new left hand handle on your draw knife... had similar and ran the naked handleless spike up into my palm...ouch!

Will you be making a metal forge sign hung off the front of the shop wall later?

I have another question. Now when I ask this, I am not talking about a young newbie who is just learning, but a true blacksmith. Could they do everything that we assume that a blacksmith could do, or did they specialized in only a couple things. Like would you go to one to get horse shoes, and another to get your nail, or was a one stop shop? Also I love seeing that your channel is growing. I started watching you when you had like a couple thousands. I have learn a lot. Thank you.

Love your show r u gonna b selling anything

Society went from needing pictograms to describe what services were available inside a building. As people became more literate text was added to signage. Fast forward to modern times with the advent of cell phones we've gone back to using hieroglyphics (emojis) to communicate.

Thank you for your video Just wonder, how many nails did you use for this project so far? I mean approximately)

Peter, its killing me when are you going to get a handle on that draw knife you act like some poor person back the 1700s or something😁😁. We know your not that you have way to many nice tools to be a poor person. You have a nice period correct lathe to make one on LOL. How wide is that sash you wear and how long is it. Like that sign looks nice cant wait for the next one to see your progress on the forge. You and Cathy stay safe out there!

Who does your intro and outro music?