I have been lurking as a non-member for some time now and suppose this is where I introduce myself. I am 37 years old and live about 50 miles west of Houston. I should say that the term “I forge Iron” should be used lightly. It’s more like “I have been tinkering with various metals in a small 2 brick gas forge and am doing my best not to butcher a trade that has been around since the dark ages”. I’ve always preferred to make something from scratch rather than buy it and I like learning new things in an attempt to become more self-sufficient. I recently bought a house on 5 acres that has a huge shop. Wanting to put the shop to use I just finished my first stock removal knife and in the process built a small forge to backyard heat treat. I couldn’t help putting a piece of scrap steel in the forge and then hitting it with a hammer. It was awesome. Although I built the small forge to assist me with the knife I am interested in the possibility of making a coal forge and making other usable items . Since I do not know any blacksmiths and really have never been in a blacksmith shop I got on line to find someone that would let me come check theirs out. This Sunday I have a 4 hour, one on one, hands on, basic blacksmithing class and am really looking forward to it. The works and the amount of knowledge that is found on the forum is amazing and I hope that eventually I will be making something as nice as what I see on here.
