BobMc

Thanks to Ted Guimond of South Haven, Mi for a blacksmithing lesson at the Michigan Flywheeler's Museum swap meet and hammer-in event in South Haven, Michigan over the weekend. I crossed the state to observe and maybe shop, only to find that the visitors were way down on Friday from early rain. Fortunately for me I had brought my safety equipment just-in-case because Ted offered to have me come into the booth and go over some basics. After covering shop safety, communication, the forge, fire tending, hot metal etc We took some round stock, had me flatten, taper, and then re-round each end. One end got the scrolled handle, then center got squared and twisted, and the other end got a offset hook. A steak flipper My first real object! This went much, much better than my first attempt at home the night before, where even getting the fire started was a challenge. What was to be a bottle opener ended up a kind of oddly bent twisted mess. it was worth the trip across the state, plus the area is beautiful. I wish I could have made Saturday. The weather forecast was much better, but my schedule wasn't. There would have been more smiths there, and more people in general. Thanks Ted!

Lol,, I have been across the bridge once... and some of the family is up in Houghton Hancock area

Thanks for posting this. It is reassuring to see that a forge along these lines can work well, since I have materials very similar, and I need to make a simple one to get started. Bob

Thanks for the link! I just printed out a membership form. I see there is an event in mid-June. Across the state, but it might be fun to get out of town too. I'll have to see what the missus and the job have in store first.

Hi there, I'm Bob from SE Michigan. Brand new to blacksmithing. A tinsmith by trade, my work has changed, after the recent downturn in the economy, the tinshop at the mill was made to dwindle away. After spending the last couple years cleaning soot and tar out of pipes, instead of making things, I decided had better start creating stuff at home before I go crazy. I just picked up an anvil, and pole vice, just yesterday, and I have misc hammers and such to get a start. Figure I'll use charcoal at first in a simple dirt/clay/brick forge to make a few s hooks for my wife's hanging planters, and make myself a cant hook, or log peavey type tool, for helping me move the odd log around here. That ought to give me something concrete to do without getting too far too fast. I'm going to look into a blacksmith organization here in Michigan, but I haven't done so yet,