Comment by chaffneue | Hacker News Reader

Comment by chaffneue | Hacker News Reader

I'm one of those people that answers this question, "absolutely not!" Even though it's not in the news or on everyone's Facebook timeline, there are amazing craftsmen still roaming the earth and passing their craft down to beginners. My evidence? I run a website that's dedicated to a traditional art called Pinstriping http://www.pinheadlounge.com/ . Even though the legendary masters may not be directly connected to the site, you can clearly see their influences on the craft. I think it's careless to assume just because someone isn't tweeting their entire life or making huge waves, that they're not training the next apprentice. A lot of this work has always been a little behind the scenes, offline and a definitely has its share of trade secrets. I see many young people on this site doing killer work and this is only one, tiny sampling of the niche.

Take one of the most well regarded users on the site and an aging craftsman (almost 40 years of experience):

http://www.pinheadlounge.com/photos/0/644/12032/lg_DSC02868....

And compare it with a upcoming novice, who's just doing killer work (and is a woman, I might add):

http://www.pinheadlounge.com/photos/2000/2793/170630/lg_1233...

I've also worked with metal smiths, letterheads, prepress/letterpress/typesetting/lead pros, hot rod enthusiasts and all kinds of other "lost arts" that are readily being passed to anyone who wants to learn.

There's still demand and still a market for this stuff even among younger people (I'm fascinated by it and I'm in my 30s) and it's not going to be digital any time soon.

> There's still demand and still a market for this stuff even among younger people (I'm fascinated by it and I'm in my 30s) and it's not going to be digital any time soon.

I'm convinced the internet is a huge boon to traditional arts and crafts - the more "niche" a topic becomes, the bigger the risk of the communities fragmenting and dying off in isolation. The internet fixes that, because it's easier to maintain a core of enthusiasts, even if they are spread out over long distances.

It's not unlike how the internet has done amazing things for programming. Maybe you need a bit of extra help for other crafts, like adding video tutorials for the things that require a more "monkey see, monkey do" than a written approach. However, I'd say that in general it's easier than ever to keep a core community of masters of a craft alive, or revive it for that matter.

>The internet fixes that, because it's easier to maintain a core of enthusiasts, even if they are spread out over long distances.

The internet also fixes the problem of sourcing supplies for a niche craft. It wasn't that long ago that you had to use giant mail order catalogs to get stuff shipped to you, and it'd be rare to get stuff sent internationally unless you happened to know a friend in the desired country who'd act as a middleman.

He should probably add "in the western world" to the article too. Go to any third world country, sub-Saharan African country or anywhere in South East Asia and you can see those forgotten skills at work everywhere. Labour is still very manual, everything still created mainly by hand. If something breaks it doesn't get thrown away, it gets fixed someway, even if it means some fabricated patch.

When machines are expensive, power is scarce (or unreliable) and much more difficult to transport - cheap labour will win.

I wholeheartedly agree with your post though. It may not be as common in the western countries as it used to be, but it is not lost.

Thanks for the comment - great skills. Reminds me of this short bbc doco I saw on the art of fairground signwriting ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23313762

Wow - another great example of a young craftsman doing amazing work. That workshop looks like a great creative space. I have plans to extend the pinstriping site concept to wall dogs and sign writers next. Seems like the disciplines have a lot of overlap. I think I've even used a few of the brushes and paint brands in that video :)

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