Matt - Eastern Ontario

Welcome to the group
Be very carfull with the asbestos board. There is enough stuff out there to kill you without coughing to death with lung cancer.

As for charcoal. Soft wood makes great charcoal also.
I make mine using a 55 gal barrel with a cover.
Not good if you have neighboors close as it smokes terribly for the first 10 min or so when making a new batch of coal
I use 2 X 4 boards with or without nails.
This home made charcoal doesnt pop as bad as some of the boughten lump charcoal I have watched.
It does send little sparks that float around
After the coal is made I use a large magnet to remove the nails.

Well, first let me welcome you to IFI. It sounds like you have got most everything packed for your trip, and your coming here is like picking up a road map and traveling companions.

Enjoy the ride!

Mark <><

Hello all!
Just wanted to drop in and introduce myself. I'm a 36 year old elementary school teacher who took a blacksmithing class at the Salem Art works, Salem NY last summer and was HOOKED! I've spent the last year scrounging tools and equipment and building a barn for the forge. (Though I sold the idea to my wife as a place to store the garden equipment). I have a nice little coal forge (questions about that to be posted in another place), and old Fisher Anvil that quite literally dropped into my hands, and a few various other essentials. While I've not played with a gas forge yet, the Coal seems to be a very enjoyable method for me so far.
As a pretty typical newcomer, I'm big on enthusiasm and short on skills; but, its all about the journey right!?! I'd love to find some other smiths to chat with in the upstate NY, Vermont, and northern Mass areas. Since I'm a teacher, I'm off all summer and happy to road trip!
Anyway, hello to all, and I'm looking forward to joining in this amazing online community!!

Charlie Cummings

Just wanted to check in and say hi. I'm just starting down this path and, as my first blog entry says, I have yet to hit hot metal with a hammer. I am, however, 'packing for the trip' as they say.

Got a great deal on a forge table with fire brick/clay and heavy duty tuyere, and a Buffalo 200 14in blower. Also, set up a small forge in an old bbq lined with firebrick, with plumber's pipe for the tuyere. Grabbed some basic hammers from the TSC (3lb cross peen and sledge), and picked up a 1(+?)lb hammer head at a local auction for $2. Scrap steel/metal (ensuring none galvanized)..check. Pliers and vise grips until I make my tongs (or acquire cheaply at auction..)..check. Safety gear..check. Big ol' tub for quenching..check.
Several pieces of industrial rail line for my anvil(s)..but need to get the top(s) milled and a horn shaped. And that's about all my budget is going to allow this month (or so!) Have to grab some coal yet(though some of my research tells me that pure hardwood lump charcoal will do..if a little 'sparky'). (oh..got a great big 20 year old hardwood stump for my anvil, some asbestos board, old rail spikes all thrown in to the blower/forge table deal for free too!!)

I'm armed with (and have read some of) the soft copies of:
Farm Blacksmithing
Basic Blacksmithing - Local Materials
Blacksmiths Manual Illustrated
The Blacksmiths Craft - 1952
and of course The Modern Blacksmith - Alexander G. Weygers

Made contact with 2 local smiths personally and will be looking to get involved in any hammer-ins, monthly meetings etc. that I can find.
Excited, obsessed, and raring to go!

Can't wait to dig in to all this site has to offer...and someday perhaps add something to the deep pool of knowledge already here.

Thanks for letting me in! (ok..I was going to elbow my way in anyway..)
Looking forward to sharing this passion with you all.

Cheers!

Matt

Looking for any Eastern Ontario Blacksmiths on this site. I am aware of a few but can't remember all who have posted on here. I would like to see if there is enough interest in maybe forming an Eastern chapter of OABA. Many of the hammer-ins held under OABA happen in the southern region of the province and can make it very difficult for members in the Eastern half to attend. My thoughts are to maybe have our own hammer-in around this section of the province. We would contact OABA and see if we could be set up as a chapter.


I feel that perhaps if we could arrange some hammer-ins that were no more than a couple of hours drive away that it would give people around here more opportunity more meet with like minded individuals for learning and fellowship.


If interested in this post a reply here so others will know and PM me with some contact info.


As a further note if you know of other Blacksmiths( or aspiring Blacksmiths) that are not on this site contact them as well. I am aware of some others in my area that are not on-line and I will be contacting them as well.


Terry