Nick;

I average a lady in the classes about one every two years.

But, to answer your question directly; it's because the bladesmiths are a bunch of dried up, old, ugly men who drink scotch and smoke seegars.

No self respectin' female would want to be seen with them.

M

Hey Mike!

Scotch and cigar breath does make Women swoon....

Thanks for the input!

Hey Nick, Mike. You know Nick, the knifemakers I hang out with and I have had this discussion a few times. The opinions that we came up with are these (though this can go for men as well:)

1) The knife is seen more as a weapon than a tool. Now we all know it is both, as well as art.

2) Knifemaking is a small community, though it does seem to be getting bigger, and guys seem to be the ones who seek it out more.

3) This is a non gender specific opinion, I hope this doesn't ruffle some feathers. But I believe that most people, particularly those not in the knife trade, are unable to see the beauty and artistic integrity of a well made knife.

Those are just some thoughts. I would love to see more female Bladesmiths like Audra Draper, Heather Harvey, Haley Desrosiers and Dee Hedges, just to name a few. If I have made a few people angry with my statements, hope not, I apologize but this is just an opinion. Just remember my two cents are worth half a penny. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Thanks for your thoughts, Josh!

I hope you are well.

Aww; I was just messing with you Nick.

To put I fine point on your question Nick? Is the question why are there no more women in KNIFE classes or ABS KNIFE classes?

I believe the reason we see no more ladies than we do is that as Josh pointed out it is seen by most ladies as a very "manly" pursuit.

Also; I think that they think of it as a "strength" thing; just as most beginners of both sexes do.

When you get over the hump in forging blades you find out that there is far more finesse than muscle involved than you had first thought.

The last lady I had in class started slower than the guys, worked slower than the guys, and finished in the same place as the guys. Her blade cut and made a bend beautifully.

Maybe it is a comraderie thing; women would like to share their experiance with another woman.

Maybe it is a time thing, two weeks with a bunch of guys you don't know is undoable for many women for lots of reasons.

I think an all lady class or a ladies only seminar/ hammer-in would be great; it would be great for knifemaking to have more ladies involved.

How do we get there?

Mike

In my knife shop, I see more younger women(18-25) and girls coming in and buying knives than older women. I believe it is getting to be more socially acceptable for women to carry knives. If I am correct, we may see an increase in the lady bladesmiths in the future.

Interesting thread. I don't know the answer, but can share experiences from my perspective teaching blacksmithing at a high school. Gals take the high school blacksmithing classes as well as boys. They enjoy and succeed at the experience, in fact some of them are often the front runners of their group.

It is an interesting thread with issues that I have considered and thought about. As the webmaster I monitor all of the internet statistics and as a Board Member I try to work to help grow the organization.

The view statistics for the ABS Website and ABS YouTube Channel show a 9.2 to 10% view rate among women. I looked for a way to get our mission noticed and about a year ago I read about a new social media site called Pinterest which had a view rate of about 60 to 80% among women. Pinterest is a visual social media site where users can "pin" or attach photos and videos and is the second fastest growing social media site.

With this in mind, I created a Pinterest site for the ABS which has been busy with views, "repins" of photos and videos, and a growing number of followers. I calculate a follower and repin rate of about 30% among women for the ABS Pinterest site. This is just a start, but it is a start.

I receive an email every time someone starts to "follow" one of our Boards on the ABS Pinterest site and this one just came in.

Actually I have been pondering on this also. Just thinking on ways to attract new members. I like Mike's idea of a hammer in class for ladies, or perhaps an intro class for women taught by one of our female MS. If we could tailor certain events or classes towards women, we might get more response. I will have to do some more thinking on this.

Brion

Really great stuff, guys.

Way up here in the northeast we are seeing unprecedented interest in knifemaking. I added a kitchen knife class to our curriculum at NESM to capitalize on the "foodie" trend, that has attracted a whole new clientele. I have tried to reach out to area colleges to attract younger people who would otherwise be interested in sculpture, jewelry and cooking with limited success.

Does this sound like I am crusing for girls?

I suppose that it would be better than looking at Mike Williams for 10 whole days....

If you guys get together an intro course for the ladies, I'll sign my girl up. She's expressed some interest in getting involved anyway, I think many of our significant others would be interested if for nothing other than bringing them closer to their men. Maybe it would help them to understand our obsession. Mine'll probably end up being much better than me. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

I think focusing on something besides say a Bowie or a Hunter would probably be a good idea for such a class. Anything kitchen related does seem ideal..

I think the kitchen knife class is a great idea, and not just for the ladies.

Hi Nick

I have noticed at the schools where I teach that I get more females in classes that are project based rather than in classes that are skill based. That is to say, a general knife class just based on learning the basics of forging and heat treating will almost never attract females, on the other hand I regularly and commonly get female students in classes that are based on the idea of making certain project knife or otherwise.

I think a part of it is that men tend to define them selves by what they know and what they do women tend more to the idea of defining them selves by family or personal success. please remember that this is just a trend among men and women and shouldn't be applied to everyone. oddly we still get some female students in the more learning based classes, I wonder if a part of it is an advertising issue with the ABS classes?

MP

Good points Mathew. I was wondering about the advertising myself. Perhaps we need to get the input of our female master smiths and journeymen or women. I know that at least two will be at Blade, so I will see what suggestions they have.

Brion