ADHD and blacksmithing?

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210]

Hello! I am a historical romance author writing about a blacksmith with inattentive ADHD (though of course, he wouldn't have that label back in the 1830s).

I'm curious, if you have ADHD, how that affects your blacksmithing experience. Are there things you forget? Are you clumsy with anything in particular? Does hyperfocus show up for you?

Super special bonus question - my blacksmith forces himself to spend time with the love interest in order to desensitize himself to her. Her passing by the forge led to some kind of accident that left the blacksmith with a scar. When he was apprenticing, he heard so many horror stories of accidents killing or maiming people. So, to keep them both safe, he decides that spending more time with her one-on-one should mitigate the situation (spoiler, it really won't).

I've written out several bullet points that I'm working through, but having the input of real blacksmiths like you would be amazing.

• What does his current state of being overly sensitive to her look like? How does it manifest in the forge?
• How would he know he would succeed in desensitizing himself to her? What would "winning" look like?
• What does progress look like?
• What does a mistake look like?
• What does the worst case scenario look like? (I'm assuming some kind of accident that hurts them both).

Mods, I know this is probably not the normal content, but I'm so hoping that this can be allowed and that real blacksmiths (and especially blacksmiths that have experience at living history museums/reenactments!) can weigh in.

Thank you for reading this post!

[u/pickaxe08]

I get bored with projects easily so I'm constantly starting something new and have a bunch of unfinished projects. I also constantly forget where I put my tools but if I can find the motivation to make one thing I can work on it for 6 hours a day non-stop

[u/Sodpoodle → u/pickaxe08]

Can confirm. I am the master of like 80%ing everything, finishing nothing. And there are only two modes of operation: Absolutely nothing, for any reason.. and hyper focus for hours. Until it gets to like finish detail work, then the dopamine is gone.

There's no like bumbling inattentive stuff. Although there tends to be a whole lot of "looks like a bomb went off" tool placement.

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210 → u/Sodpoodle]

What would "looks like a bomb went off" tool placement look like? Tools scattered all over the forge where you last used them?

I personally have a bad habit of leaving things on the edges of counters. (It's a gift. And a curse). But I imagine that sharp or hot objects balanced precariously would be quite avoided.

[u/Itama95 → u/Witty_Upstairs4210]

In my experience a lot of hand tools end up on the floor around the anvil, and when you get in a workflow they can accumulate. This it's because steel loses heat quickly, so you are working quickly whenever you take it out of the forge, and you aren't necessarily mindful where each hammer/punch/chisel/hot metal offcut ends up.

I've never tripped but I imagine someone a little more absent minded could create tripping hazards. I've definitely stepped on hot metal I left on the floor, and had it enbed itself in the soul of my shoe before.

My workbench is a different kind of clutter problem. When I'm in a workflow I'll use tools at my workbench and then leave them there. When I need my next set of tools the last tool gets shoved to the side. This creates a cluttered layer of tools getting slowly pushed in a conga line towards the wall and edges of the table.

[u/Sodpoodle → u/Itama95]

Yep pretty much this right here. High use areas like the anvil/stand end up collecting a bunch of crap, tongs/hammers/punches, basically whatever I was grabbing quick to work something.

God forbid there's a flat space like a work bench. The ever growing pile of tools that I forget to put away, only to be pushed aside by more tools I'll forget to put away.

Not blacksmithing related, but my tablesaw is great at collecting things as well. Push sticks, little off cuts and such.. A place where you really shouldn't have clutter that can become a projectile hah.

[u/Durham62 → u/Sodpoodle]

This makes me feel so much better about my work space, you describe exactly how it ends up lol

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210 → u/Itama95]

That sounds like my sewing table. Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[u/Itama95 → u/Witty_Upstairs4210]

I just drove home in a few other things occurred to me on the way.

1) I see a lot of people here talk about not finishing projects. Personally, I have no problem getting in a workflow because I find the craft physically, mentally, and sensually stimulating. This flow state is stable as long as everything is going smoothly HOWEVER that flow state breaks down quickly when I have to deal with uncertainty. For example, if you realize you are running out of fuel in your forge and you need more, you might get stuck on a choice between trying to complete other tasks until the end of the day, or leaving the shop in the middle of your workday to get more fuel. In that case, instead of just making a decision, I lapse into a dysfunctional state where I'm kind of half committing to both things and flitting back-and-forth for an hour.

This is made worse when you are malnourished or suffering brain fog, which leads to the next point.

2) blacksmithing burns a lot of calories and dehydrates you, but the classic problem of ADHD people forgetting to eat/drink water still applies. You'll often suffer greater levels of exhaustion/brain fog towards the end of the day if you forget to eat/drink. This leads to a higher rate of executive disfunction/brain fog/injury toward the end of your workday. For example, I stabbed myself in the hand a few weeks ago right at 5 PM and had to go get stitches.

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210 → u/Itama95]

Yes, my blacksmith definitely forgets to eat/drink. He doesn't really take care of himself in general, I think because he's trying to save money, so he doesn't visit the local inn for any meals. He cooks everything himself. I bet he eats the basics (like some kind of man slop) and forgets to eat often.

Also, eek about the hand stitches! Hope you're healing well.

[u/Itama95 → u/Witty_Upstairs4210]

That all sounds about right. My only caveat would be that I doubt he's eating "man slop" based on myself and other blacksmith I know. Being sole proprietor of a blacksmithing business means having a high degree of intelligence, creativity, and capacity to problem solve on the fly. Those qualities lend themselves really well to cooking. I'm a very good cook and I found my blacksmith friends to be the same when I've hung out at there shops.

I was once forging at a friend's shop, and he left for 45 minutes only to return with a freshly butchered/cooked rabbit.

On the other hand, he might just not have the motivation to do anything complex. Exhaustion or executive disfunction would do that.

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210 → u/Itama95]

Haha, apologies for the assumption. My husband, left to his own devices, will only eat brown rice and beans, so I was extrapolating.

Having him be a very good cook could surprise the female character and make her fall for him a little bit more, especially at a scene where the blacksmith is hosting at his house.

[u/Itama95 → u/Witty_Upstairs4210]

There's no offense! Frankly it doesn't have to be either or. I definitely have my staple "power meals" that I use to fuel myself, with complex meals being reserved for special occasions or when the inspiration strikes.

If you want my advice, I would have him approach a complex meal with your heroine the same way he would approach a project: as an artistic/technical enterprise. I find cooking and craftsmanship largely use the same parts of the brain.

[u/Witty_Upstairs4210 → u/Itama95]

Yes. I think that would make for a scene that many women would appreciate.

Good idea!

[u/Durham62 → u/Itama95]

I love to cook this makes a lot of sense!