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I Forge Iron

Moving to Hawaii, any blacksmiths there?


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Which island are you moving to?

 

There are actually a lot of horses in Hawaii so once you get there look up the farriers. If anyone knows the blacksmithing scene there it will be them. In years past there were a couple of IFI members in Hawaii but I haven't seen them participate here in quite a while. "T-Gold" on Oahu was one if I remember correctly and I think a couple others too.

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Over the years there have been a handful of blacksmiths in Hawaii posting on various smithing sites.  From their comments:  Tool up before you go!  Trying to find smithing tools there is difficult and expensive, and as mentions getting stuff shipped in is expensive too.  You probably don't want to go with coal.  Coral/volcanic islands are notoriously deficient in the stuff.  If your moving expenses are being paid for I would bring some stock too especially if it's not common steel---so knifesmithing or tool making alloys.

 

Hawaii is not a howling wilderness so you should be able to source worn out/broken jack hammer bits and car pieces but I would expect there would be more folks looking for a fewer amount---get friendly with a garage  also places that do ship repair!  And if the local scrapyard won't let you in you may be out of luck as they may be the only one around!

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Hawaii, which island?  Oahu has the bulk of the industrial support as well as the business center.  When I drive and walk around Hono I see a lot of fabricated ironwork. The sand island area has a few metal fab shops. Pearl Harbor has a shipyard and some of the supporting shops.  On the North Shore loop you will see some very impressive gates on drives leading to big dollar houses. The metal working talent is there as well as the clients willing to pay for the services.

 

Shipping costs to the islands drive the cost of products, everything from hamburger to angle iron is shipped in, Hawaii makes nothing, it is a tourist (service) centered economy. The two shipping companies that control the market are  Matson or Horizon lines, Horizon  lines being the more economical of the two options is your best bet. As has been mentioned, gear up on the mainland before you move. They both have point to point options. You pack the container, they ship it and they dump it in at your new address where you unload it.  Essentially get your shop together, get anything you might need and then containerize it and ship it to the islands, don't try and do it piece meal once you are there. If you are going to want a truck or a car, same thing buy it in LA and ship it. In regard vehicles, smaller is better. Think in terms of Toyota or Nissan pickups. Oahu traffic is horrendous, you can spend hours driving 30 miles while stuck in traffic. Gas runs somewhere around  5 USD per Gal.    

 

Hawaii in general is a rich mans domain, everything is expensive. There are a lot of retired folks and ex military living in substandard housing, they survive but they but they don't live large. They trade off quality of life for the good weather. It comes back to haunt them when the get up into their later years and have to rely on local elder care.  Check out Cosco at anytime during the week and you will get the general idea.  Hawaii other than from the tourist perspective, is a social train wreck. It has a large population of socially dysfunctional locals that view welfare as their lifetime entitlement. High school grads are a rarity and most speak a form of bastardized English referred to as pigeon.  Honolulu away from the big hotels is filled with street people, homeless, drug addicts and all sorts of beggars. Behind the tourist façade, its not at all pretty.  There is an undercurrent of blatent racism directed at anyone who is not considered a native local. Don't venture off the beaten path on the North Shore until you have a local that you trust, show you around. If you are of German decent and speak German, go to the La Marina (bar restaurant) on sand Island. The local German community used to meet there once a week and socialize. Its an older crew but they  would be a great point of contact if you were looking to integrate into the community and work locally.

 

Good luck and aloha, 

Peter    

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I have a motorcycle, so the gas shouldn't be too bad, I think. I didn't consider bringing extra stock and getting my tools squared away. I have access to a local scrapyard that is filling up with garbage cars and tools (that I can use for forging parts). I think I'll bring a footlocker full of hex wrenches and leaf springs and see if I can cut a sway-bar or two to make it a bit more manageable for shipping. I appreciate the help, folks. I was already tracking the "stay close" thing. I had a friend from Hawaii a while back and he said the same thing. He's an electrician down there on Oahu so I'll be looking him up to see if he remembers me.

 

Again, thanks for the help.

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  • 5 months later...

Well, I got here in one piece but I need to redo my forge and source a cart for it. I live on base and all the neighbors have babies so I am not sure about the banging hot metal just yet. I think I'll start out making some bottle openers or something to soften them up. mahalo!

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Well, I got here in one piece but I need to redo my forge and source a cart for it. I live on base and all the neighbors have babies so I am not sure about the banging hot metal just yet. I think I'll start out making some bottle openers or something to soften them up. mahalo!

 

Looking forward to reading a report. Good luck to you!

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 I live on base and all the neighbors have babies so I am not sure about the banging hot metal just yet. I think I'll start out making some bottle openers or something to soften them up. mahalo!

 

 

Being military and living on base gives you a lot of options. Be sure and check out what facilities are available for you. Many never realize what things they can access. Besides standard rec facilities, you may also find a lot of base shops that you can "unofficially" make use of. Many times maintenance shops are well equiped and have minimal work and you may be able to make use of the facilities if you know who to ask. Usually talking to the "grunts" in the shop opens more doors than going thru official channels unless you are an officer. Take a few small forged items like bottle openers and a few cold ones and swing by and talk "shop" with the guys and you may find you have access to things you never thought you'd have.

 

Oh and thanks for serving.

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There is a metal shop at UH Manoa where they have forges, anvils, etc if you are enrolled or can get to know some of the students. Chris Greywolf would be a good guy to get to know, tell him Steve sent you. Also, if you can get over to Kauai, my teacher Ted Shanks is there and he is an awesome human being and blacksmith.

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