Jon

Journeyman Smith Derrick Wulf is currently living in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. You can email him at [email protected]

I've taught Bladesmithing in Germany..... be aware that there is a much different attitude there, then we see in the U.S. when it comes to sharing. The last time I taught there, I went into the shop, then they closed all the doors and windows...I sorta felt like I was in an episode of Criminal Minds. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> Later I discovered that they have a mindset much like the "old" European Guilds....if you're not part of the organization, then things are not shared. Something very similar happened in Japan.... I sat on the doorstep of a Bladesmith for an afternoon before the door was opened. There were introductions, and I was told to leave, and "come back tomorrow".

All I'm saying is don't expect to call or show up out of the blue and be welcomed. The cultures are different, and unless you want to offend someone, you need to follow THEIR rules/traditions.

I'd tend to agree with that. I was born in Canada, but a lot of my family is still back in Germany. It is a very different culture, and we're not always the easiest lot to deal with. There are definitely exceptions to that, and some people are very willing to teach. But they are much fewer and further in between than this side of the Atlantic.

Best of luck to you though, and hopefully you can make something​ work. There is definitely a wealth of knowledge back in the old country.