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I Forge Iron

Time for a new skill


Anjin

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They say that the best things in life are free...well i think maybe they are wrong. 

The best things in life are what you work for, the skills obtained and how they serve you. I have been a collector of sorts, collecting skills and hobbies and giving myself all sorts of tasks until I gain proficiency. Starting with bushcraft knowledge, I gained a love for self reliance. It evolved into a desire to know mechanical things and that developed into my career. I learned of Ishi the Yahi and then decided that I would learn how to make stone tools and realized after many cuts and broken arrowheads, knives and various pieces that I am a modern day caveman and flintknapper. I enjoy the process of troubleshooting all sorts of things, from materials to processes and systems. 

And now it comes to this: I will build a forge and gain new knowledge. I will make a new skill set that will serve me further. There can be more than a hobby in this, I realize, and with a lot of help maybe even mastery of a craft. The best things in life are built in sweat, aches, dedication and time.

Please be kind to this newbie, I'll have a thousand questions.

Anjin

 

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Welcome to the forum. Add your location to your profile as it helps you get better answers. Look up a blacksmithing group or organization near you and go to the meetings. You will be amazed how much you can learn in a single day.

As to getting started, pack a lunch and a cold drink and read the subjects on the site that interest you. Knives for instance have over 55,400 posts. Also look up solid fuel forges and particularly the side blast configuration. The forge is nothing more than a hole in the ground with any solid fuel that will burn, wood, charcoal, etc. From there you can modify the forge as you wish or need. 

A  hammer (2 pound) and an anvil (round or square piece of stock, or even a hedge hammer head) is all you need to get started. Go to the hobby store and get a block of modeling clay ($5) and practice. Clay moves the same as metal so practice a lot, then take it to the forge.

Best way to ask questions is to research the problem, take it to your forge, then tell us what happened. Photos are a great help in showing us what happened and the project at hand. This way we can start at your current level of knowledge and give you much better advice.

 

Prairie Blacksmiths Association

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