Squirrelonastick

On The Walking Dead there was a dude at Hilltop making spears out of scrap metal. He was only in the background but his set-up looked accurate in the different scenes

Nightmare fuel....

Nice forge. Since you're using coal make some coal tools. A rake, shovel, poker. And those are all good ways to practice the basics. tapering, bends, drawing out ect.

I was recently told by an experianced smith at a recent IBA meeting that a new smith needs to learn consistency. They must first master the beginner skills. They have to learn to maintain a good fire and not to waste fuel. They need to learn hammer control. If you have no idea WHAT metal you are interacting with, it makes learning how to work that metal very difficult. He suggested buying mild steel stock, so you are working with a consistent size and type. For example some re-bar is low quality "junk" steel, and will only frustrate a learning smith, and inhibit learning. Oh and experienced smiths have trouble with wrought iron sometimes due to the fibrous nature of the material. I would personally avoid this if you are just starting out.

BUT the hammer sure does look pretty now... Leave it as it stands.

Big enough chunk of metal always says anvil to me. But I'm not to creative eh?

It's all relative. Expensive for you.

Definitely hammer. Next would you rather! Would you rather burn a piece made of cheap mild steel you've been working on for an hour, or burn a piece of expensive steel on the first heat?

I've heard certain kinds of coal cause more oxidation then others. What kind of coal did you get?

I believe ( a senior member can correct me if I'm mistaken) that stainless steel contains chrome and can put out toxins and carcinogens when heated. The age old "no rust don't trust". Although, maybe since it's only the surrounding table it won't heat enough to worry? Me personally I wont put any galvanized or stainless anywhere near my forge, simply because I do not know enough about the metals to be safe.

He blew up? What? Into pieces? I'd like this story to be fleshed out a little.

I have enjoyed reading Forge-practice and Heat Treatment of Steel by John Lord Bacon, circa 1913? ish I think. You can get a digital copy for .99 off of amazon. A lot of technical info in there.

Sometimes being as efficient as possible can be mistaken for "being lazy" At least, that's what I tell my boss...

Yes apparently. Apparently burning galvanized metal produces zinc oxide, which is not a good thing to breath.

Did not realize the difference. What is the plural of smith? Smiths?