Getting Started In Blacksmithing
By Kennen Hiss
Blacksmithing is a very fun hobby! It can be as expensive, or as inexpensive as you want it to be. The first thing you need is an interest in blacksmithing, and it seems to catch on fire and grow from there. First you start attending demonstrations, seeing how things are made, and learning a few tricks of the trade. The thing that I have found out about the blacksmiths that I have come in contact with is, They have been very willing to share their knowledge and techniques with me. They are GOOD people! After I started attending a few meetings and learning a few things, I wanted to try a few of the things that I was learning. I realized that I needed to collect a few tools to begin with. A few of the basic things you need are:
Second you need something to beat the metal with. You can go to the hardware store and buy a new hammer, or you can go to swap meets, yard sales, flea markets, etc... and pick them up for one to ten dollars.
Third you need something to beat on. My first anvil was made of an old piece of railroad track shaped with a hand grinder. If you ask everybody you know if they know someone who has an old anvil. Eventually you will find someone who knows someone who has one, and there is your first lead. The trick is to be patient. Start with what ever you can find and you will eventually be able to work yourself to something better. My first real anvil came from an old farmer who I used to buy eggs from in Clover Utah for thirty dollars. Or you can go out and buy a new one for $500 on up. I have also made an anvil from welding pieces of scrap plate together and shaping it with a torch and a grinder.
The rest of the tools will come as needed either by scrounging, or by making them yourself as you learn, and need them. Be inventive! I made a swedge block by gathering different sizes of angle iron, different sizes of pipe, different sizes of square, and rectangular tubing, and welding them together. You can make your own chisels, hot and cold cuts, hardy tools, fullers, hammers, dies, tongs, and anything else you can dream up that you need. If you have a need, think of how you can make a tool to meet that need. The more you practice the better you will get.
Just be aware that most of the women that I know see no need for all the " JUNK " , as they call it, or " JUNQUE " as Niel Davis calls it, that you will be bringing home. So be prepared to deal with that.
I just want to leave you with one more thought. Just like they say at Lagoon, Keep Your Arms And Legs Inside The Ride At All Times, And HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!
- Something to heat the metal with. ( Forge: Coal/Coke or gas, Torch etc...)
- Something to beat the metal with. ( Hammer: sledge, cross peen, straight peen, Ball Peen , or anything else you can find. )
- Something to beat the metal on. ( Anvil: Regular anvil, Piece of old railroad track, Big Hunk of metal, any thing you can find with some mass to it.
Second you need something to beat the metal with. You can go to the hardware store and buy a new hammer, or you can go to swap meets, yard sales, flea markets, etc... and pick them up for one to ten dollars.
Third you need something to beat on. My first anvil was made of an old piece of railroad track shaped with a hand grinder. If you ask everybody you know if they know someone who has an old anvil. Eventually you will find someone who knows someone who has one, and there is your first lead. The trick is to be patient. Start with what ever you can find and you will eventually be able to work yourself to something better. My first real anvil came from an old farmer who I used to buy eggs from in Clover Utah for thirty dollars. Or you can go out and buy a new one for $500 on up. I have also made an anvil from welding pieces of scrap plate together and shaping it with a torch and a grinder.
The rest of the tools will come as needed either by scrounging, or by making them yourself as you learn, and need them. Be inventive! I made a swedge block by gathering different sizes of angle iron, different sizes of pipe, different sizes of square, and rectangular tubing, and welding them together. You can make your own chisels, hot and cold cuts, hardy tools, fullers, hammers, dies, tongs, and anything else you can dream up that you need. If you have a need, think of how you can make a tool to meet that need. The more you practice the better you will get.
Just be aware that most of the women that I know see no need for all the " JUNK " , as they call it, or " JUNQUE " as Niel Davis calls it, that you will be bringing home. So be prepared to deal with that.
I just want to leave you with one more thought. Just like they say at Lagoon, Keep Your Arms And Legs Inside The Ride At All Times, And HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!