Hello all!
New here to the forums, and to blacksmithing in general. My brother and I both work in the computer industry for a living (coding / qa / IT), and we are both right around 30 years old (i've got a few months left of the sweet, sweet 20's). We need a life change in our hobbies, and we are_stoked_ to get started with blacksmithing. We've bought some books, such as the backyard blacksmith and the art of blacksmithing, and we've been doing lots of research into what we need to get started. These forums have been invaluable so far. We've even scheduled some classes locally here in texas with a blacksmith who offers weekend teachings. Once we get things rolling, we plan to join up with any local blacksmith groups so we can make some friends and hopefully learn from the masters.
Now our biggest problem is figuring out where we can setup our own smithy. I currently live in a leased house in a very residential area in Ft Worth - there is an elementary school not 100 yards away. My brother also lives in a residential area, but in Dallas. He owns his place, but his yard is still small (.5 - 1 acre maybe), and we are positive the noise and smoke levels would make it impossible to work there as well. We both have neighbors who would complain, regardless.
What are our options? We are bumming hard that without a shop somewhere, we may not get to travel down this path! This is something i've never really looked into, so i'm not quite sure what to search for or ask about... if that makes sense. I've thought about renting/purchasing a small plot of land outside the city limits, I've seen small 1-3 acre lots going for $1-2 grand (or < $100 a month in rental fees). Thats affordable, as we are really serious about starting this up... but I just don't know if thats the best bet we have. I guess i'm at a loss, and any help from you all here on the forums would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
