Forrest Addy
Diamond
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2000
- Location
- Bremerton WA USA
The recent class was very successful. Ray was a wonderful host keeping us fed and entertained when we weren't sleeping or scraping. His vast shop and resources and his bulldog determination to pull this class off resulted in 18 or so people smarter in the topic of scraping and maybe forging a few lifelong friendships.
I thought I had a thorougly motivated class. Any roughness in a teaching plan developed from scratch certainly wasn't apparent if the week end's progress was any guide. There was a lot of interaction and experimentation. You guys were bold. You tried stuff. The more advanced people took a hand in working with the beginners and showing them what could be done. And by their example the most advanced illustrated to the momentarily baffled what could be done by application and hard work. Myself, I learned (and re-learned) many tricks. I judge the information passed was roughly double the content of my outline thanks to the cross pollination within the group. I couldn't screw up.
Let me not forget Steven Thomas, associate and partner in crime. I'd no more begin to speak on some refinement or other and, like a Genie from the bottle, Steven produced the wherewithal to make it or illustrate it from the Normandy beach-head store of plunder he hauled down from Elmira NY. Steven was there at every elbow when guidance was needful. All I had to do was limp around, look wise, and blab.
I think one reason why the scraping class was so successful is that no-one was working alone, wondering if he was doing it right. Right there on either side of the rankest beginner were others in the same boat and not far way were instant answers to questions. We learned a step at a time and even though we learned only a few baby steps of a whole trade, applications of the lessons learned and some subsequent practice will yield a life long knowledge if a manual skill.
Whatta weekend! Funny though. All you guys looked different than what I imagined. Except me of course.
I thought I had a thorougly motivated class. Any roughness in a teaching plan developed from scratch certainly wasn't apparent if the week end's progress was any guide. There was a lot of interaction and experimentation. You guys were bold. You tried stuff. The more advanced people took a hand in working with the beginners and showing them what could be done. And by their example the most advanced illustrated to the momentarily baffled what could be done by application and hard work. Myself, I learned (and re-learned) many tricks. I judge the information passed was roughly double the content of my outline thanks to the cross pollination within the group. I couldn't screw up.
Let me not forget Steven Thomas, associate and partner in crime. I'd no more begin to speak on some refinement or other and, like a Genie from the bottle, Steven produced the wherewithal to make it or illustrate it from the Normandy beach-head store of plunder he hauled down from Elmira NY. Steven was there at every elbow when guidance was needful. All I had to do was limp around, look wise, and blab.
I think one reason why the scraping class was so successful is that no-one was working alone, wondering if he was doing it right. Right there on either side of the rankest beginner were others in the same boat and not far way were instant answers to questions. We learned a step at a time and even though we learned only a few baby steps of a whole trade, applications of the lessons learned and some subsequent practice will yield a life long knowledge if a manual skill.
Whatta weekend! Funny though. All you guys looked different than what I imagined. Except me of course.
