“Iron Sharpens Iron“
I absolutely love this quote…
Because it doesn’t make any sense, especially from the mind of a bladesmith. Since when has anyone ever tried to sharpen iron with iron?
I would pay good money to watch that circus… but I digress.
I understand the concept of the quote, but there are some huge key ingredients missing here. In the world of Vikings/Sheepdogs/Punisher Skulls/Lions and other associated things, I think maybe some context is needed here.
Iron is melted into a liquid state and poured into a basic shape. It is then heated up again, literally until it’s glowing red, then hammered into the shape of a blade with a hammer and an anvil (let’s call it an iron hammer and anvil for continuity).
So now you are hammering this red-hot iron slab with an iron hammer on an iron anvil until you’ve made a basic blade shape. You go quench the glowing metal in a bucket of ice water, forcing the molecules to harden.
This hardened piece of iron is then ground on a stone to a fine edge, and even sometimes polished. Now it can actually cut something…
So, in conclusion, does iron really sharpen iron?
Or does it take: practice, tools, heat, pressure, rough impacts, forced hardening, abrasives, and patience?
It takes a lot more to be successful than to just hang out with successful people. There is a lot more to it than your connections. It will take you… guess what- DOING THE WORK!
Iron doesn’t sharpen iron…
But the right pieces of iron together, along with years of skill building, can help forge a sharp piece of iron. One of those components can’t do it alone.
Keep your circle small, keep your circle tight, and forge each other into instruments of success!
#DOTHEWORK