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John, That's an incredible resource. I've downloaded both 'The Blacksmiths Craft' and 'Wrought Ironwork', and I'll read them asap. I also downloaded 'Metals for engineering craftsmen' (looked interesting and useful) and 'The blacksmith's illustrated manual'. My housemate has a car, I drive but I can't afford to keep one while I'm studying. My plan is to get two of my housemates interested in smithing (both medics, but both far too intelligent and in need of hobbies!) and then perhaps pool our resources towards learning. Once they've contracted 'metal fever' (the good kind) I'm sure that a drive up to Bridlington won't be out of the question!

Oh and one more thing - I missed the metal a couple of times today. Glad I was swinging from the side instead of directly in front of me, because that hammer was launched back at me. My life flashed before my eyes shortly before the hammer followed suit, I'm really pleased with the anvil - that death-bounce is a good sign right?

Hey guys, tried my hand once again today. I had to stop because of the rain, but I think overall I've been more productive and learned from it. Once again, I'll reply individually, by order of posting. Wayne - I've found a steel stockholders near me, in Selby, so once I've got my loan in (student :/ ) I'll give them a ring and see what I can find. leighwill - Thanks for the welcome! My mum's from Middlesbrough, whenever we're up we always get a kebab from this place, used to be called pizza junction (not so sure now), anyway, it's more teeside but still, some fantastic architecture up there, lovely houses. divermike - I got my forge up to heat today (more on that later), and quenched some mild steel from yellow n sparky kind of temperature; the end snapped right off when I hit it cold, a fair bit of shrapnel too. Your warning is duly noted. John B - We've got an old horizontal hoover in the basement, and per your advice I thought it would be a bad idea to crack the thing open and fiddle with it (plus, it still gets used, so I wanted it relatively undamaged). Anyway, I had an idea; all I really wanted was the air being output from the hoover, so instead of trying to make a complex valve or fitting some sort of adapter to the exhaust, I... I put it in a bin bag Now, I knwo that this isn't a permanent solution, but for my purposes it worked really well. I got my metal up to a working heat so much quicker than last time I tried with the compressor, it was amazing! Pictures on the link below. Also, those garden fork tongs are fantastic, I'll keep an eye out for a fork, but I'm reluctant to try making something so (relatively) complex just yet. I think I'll save it until I get better. I'll PM you my email address once I'm done with this post. So yeah, I tried making a rake today (pictures also below). Took me several reheats and I think I made it too long, not wide enough, all sorts of bad, but I think I'm learning. I used a 2lb ball-peen, I swung from my arm more than my wrist and did not experience any 'jelly' symptoms this time. As far as my technique goes, as I said, I think I'm learning, albeit slowly. I ruined another piece of mild steel trying to do this the first time (metal got so thin that any blow from the hammer bent it all over the place. Is there a fix for that, or did I basically destroy the piece?). Anyway, after that I tried upsetting, and though I didn't get much of a bulge, I did get a bit! My earlier attempts with the same piece of steel had just been bashing it, so I tried rounding it off and it's not half bad (looks more like a distressed octagon, but it's rounder than it was!). At that point it started to rain, but I think by then I'd had enough. I was looking around for more metal to use but then I thought 'What would I do with it?' - right now, I think it's more a matter of practice, As John B said. What's the best way to get said practice? Just attempting basic techniques until I get better at them? Well, I've kept you waiting long enough. Without further ado, here are the pictures of my setup, including some pictures of the 'rake' I made today (Can I even call it a rake? Would 'mess' be more appropriate? ) http://imgur.com/a/nTUYS That black balloon is my hoover-in-bag air pump (patent pending). I kept worrying that a spark from the forge might hit it and deflate the whole thing, but the light drizzle we had before the real rain started today kept my fire nice and contained. Anyway, another day of fun at the forge! Let me know what you think.

Thanks to everyone for the replies, I'll answer your questions/address your comments in order of posting: John B - I've found a heavier ball-peen in the workshop, I'll be using this in future. I've also managed to get hold of a hoover/vacuum cleaner which I'm going to attempt to either reverse the fan (so it blows from the nozzle) or attatch my tubing to the exhaust (not so sure about that option because of the backpressure on the system... I don't know if it will damage the machine or not), but I've also got an old hairdryer that I might repurpose if the hoover doesn't work out. I think I could probably find some better piping around here somewhere too. Beth - At present my workspace is just off to one side of the patio outside. I would have been out there today but for the torrential rain and high winds. I'd like to move the whole thing inside, but after yesterday's 'smokesplosion' I'm a bit reluctant to do so. I'm also a bit wary of fumes; I know not to forge anything galvanised, for example, but until I'm more experienced there's always a chance I could make a mistake. For those reason, I think I'd like to stay outside for now. I like your style, especially the repurposing of tools! The gate(gate?) in the first picture is fantastic, I especially like the contrast between the fork and the surrounding metalwork, and the 'organicness' of the whole thing. It might sound like an oxymoron when referring to something crafted, but in my opinion it kind of bridges the gap between nature and craft. I'd like to think that the fork has been well-used as well, maybe having a few decades of use in it before being repurposed - gives it some history! I've got a bunch of old agricultural stuff up here; hoes, scythes (including a massive two-hander), forks, bills, etc. All a bit rusty but I'll take a picture of them all and post it sometime this week, if you or anyone in the uk is interested in trading the heads for mild steel rods/bits and pieces for me to work with then I'm happy to do a straight trade for whatever you think they're worth. My original source of metal was going to be the scaffolding we've got outside, but after Dan P's comment that the tubes are probably galvanised I'd rather not risk it! Drewed - it's more an anvil thread, I've steered somewhat clear of forge talk because I'm aware that mine's pretty poor at present. I'll make some modifications, see if I can get mild steel up to melting temperature with a hairdryer/hoover and report back on the experience. I understand what you mean though. While a compressor is decent for pumping up tyres to ~33psi, it does it slowly. A hoover or hairdryer couldn't work to that kind of pressure, but you get a lot more volume in a lot less time - am I right? I'll make an effort to swing from my shoulder and elbow, I was definitely swinging from the wrist yesterday! Wayne - My brother has been trying to get me to come to TORM for the last couple of years, so I'll do my best to get down there. Apparently there's a guy who does really nice jerky/biltong/dried meat, so combine that with the opportunity to learn more about smithing and I'm sold! If my efforts with the hoover and dryer are fruitless, I'll have a look for bouncy castle blowers and the like, I tend to frequent freegle and gumtree when I'm looking for stuff, but I'll keep an eye out for stuff on ebay and any local events too. Have you guys heard of freegle/freecycle by the way? They're yahoo groups and there's usually one for each town/county in the UK; people put up stuff that they're trying to get rid of for free. I've been given a 28inch tv, an old PC, a record player and some other miscellanious stuff over the years. All they usually ask is that you put your stuff up when you're trying to get rid of it too, I imagine it would be a good source for metal and useful items (and plan on using it as such!) Francis Trez Cole - It's already dark today, but if the weather's good tomorrow I'll take a picture once I've played around with my new piping/air supplies. Hooo, that was a tiring type-off, but hopefully I've given a decent response. I like to be thorough with this kind of thing, my reputation as a literature student demands it! (hopefully that thoroughness will transfer to my smithing!) Anyway, thanks again for your input everyone, I wouldn't have had the motivation to try were it not for your feedback and comments. Alex

Hi Beth! Yup, Leeds is where I'm from but I spend most of my time at uni in Hull, no idea what I'm going to do once I'm there, doubt I can convince anyone to give my anvil a lift when I go back! (What am I saying, I could barely lift it onto the log I was using as a stand!) Well, my brother does a lot of living history stuff, so I'd like to be of some use to him. I guess I'd like to start with simple things; pokers, cooking pot hooks (S hooks I think is the correct term), simple blades for stripping and shaping wood, etc. Right now I think my focus should be on forging my first set of tools; hot and cold chisels, tongs, punches and the like, they seem to provide immediate usefulness whilst improving basic skills at the same time. Eventually? I imagine everyone says 'swords' when they begin. Having seen the time and effort that goes into making a simple sword I've decided that I won't even consider them for now - what would I do with a sword!? -but i can't claim that I'm completely disinterested! I'd love to make some nails, maybe some agricultural tools for the fun of it. I've always wanted to have a go at smithing, I like the fact that you can make almost anything you can imagine with enough time and experience. I guess I'll see where it takes me Do you have any suggestions? How did you start? What do you enjoy making the most? *edit* I imagine it's something I'll get used to over time as I become more familiar with the techniques involved and the anvil I'm using. Thanks for the clarification though, I think I allowed my preconception over the 'sway' to influence my view of it. I'll play around with bending and straightening tomorrow, I think.

Right, so yesterday I posted some pictures of my backyard anvil in this thread, hoping to get it identified or at least assessed. I was really pleased to find out that I could still put it to some use, so today I had a go! Acting on advice from Old N Rusty and Phoenixwolfhaven, I set out to fire up my makeshift forge and see what I could do. After scrounging about for some coal and old newspaper, I set about trying to light the thing, and that's where I ran into my first set of problems. In retrospect, I went against everything I've read, seen and been told because i was just so eager to begin. I got stuck in about 4 loops of: Stack up kindling > Light Kindling > Wait for flames to get big > Turn on compressor and blow fire out > Stack up kindling etc. So not off to a great start. When I finally managed to retain some burning material, I dumped a ton of coal on top, smothered the fire and had to begin again (after 10 years in the scouts I really should know better by now!). Anyway, by the time I had my compressor running with a respectable blaze it was already getting dark, but I thought I might as well continue, plus it gave me a chance to see the hot colours of the mild steel out of direct sunlight and get a feel for the whole process. It took me a while to find the right spot for the tip of the poker I was using to get started (Incidentally, the poker I was using was the first and only thing my dad forged, which had since been cut in half, so I rather liked the fact that I was learning with it!), but once I'd found the 'hotspot' or what-have-you, I was too excited to keep the thing in, and kept removing it over and over to check the colour. I watched the tip change from charred black, to dull red, to bright, cherry red, to yellow, to bright yellow, but couldn't seem to get it to spark. I blame my poor forge building skills, and the fact that I'm still getting to grips with the nature of the burning coal (my only fuel at this point), but once I'd got it to that bright yellow I decided to attempt to finish the exercise Old N Rusty had suggested; I quenched it, slapped it onto the anvil, cracked the tip off and had a look at the broken tip. I could just about make out the shear-point in the dim light, I was pretty amazed at the change in the characteristics of the metal; I'd hammered and bent the tip of the poker earlier, and the fact that the same force now would snap the end off... I did that! Well after that I decided to have a go at some simple techniques I'd read about. I practiced drawing down (correct terminology check?) and made the end of the poker into a chisel-like point. I then took another poker and tried upsetting it. I think that the second poker was made of a higher carbon steel, because this was tough! I finally got it to bulge a little at the end and then decided to call it a night, because by this point I had what I'd call 'jelly-wrist' - I had no problem lifting the hammer, but actually hitting something turned my wrist into limp spaghetti; I guess that's what i get for being idle these last few years, 'noodlification'. I wonder, is this normal? I had my anvil set up at knuckle height and I was using a ball-peen of about 1.5lbs, I was expecting to sweat and experience more tiredness in my shoulder and forearm; is the limp wrist indicative of poor technique? Anyway, I had a great time today, a lot of fun. The only real issue was me leaving the back door open whilst starting my fire, so now the whole house stinks of smoke this is what I've learned: 1) set up earlier. I started setting everything up at about 1pm today, and I wasn't done until about 6. Building my forge (more on that later) and starting my fire took longer than expected though, so I'll probably save time tomorrow. 2) Build a better forge! I'm a little ashamed at this, but in the name of full documentation I'm going to tell you about it. I had some bricks with twin grooves along them, which I used to build my forge. I set it up with all of the bricks in such a way as to only have one groove leading into the central 'pit'. I ran some copper pipe along this groove and attatched my compressor to the other end, creating a pseudo 'side blast' style thing. Given the fact that I couldn't get any metal past a bright yellow, I think that either my compressor isn't up to the task, or the gaps in the brickwork allowed too much air through. Either way, I need it hotter! I'll scout around for other suitable materials tomorrow and see about rebuilding the thing. 3) Close the door. i don't know if it's because I wasn't getting complete combustion or because i was using coal, but this thing smoked like mad for the first two hours or so of use. It had stopped smoking so profusely by the time I was done, but still, tons and tons of smoke. Is that usual? Do you guys finish work smelling like a fireman? I don't mind so much, but the forge fires I see in videos always look so clean by comparison to mine! and on that note, I have some questions: -my anvil has been referred to as having a 'sway back'; I found that anything I hammered tended to bend to conform to the anvil below it (well, yeah), but is it simply a matter of finding a nice smooth spot that's not as angled as the rest of the face? (See the previously linked thread for pictures) -Am I making any glaringly obvious mistakes? Am I doing anything wrong? How can I improve? If there's anything about this post that makes you go 'Oh, good god, no, NO! That's so very wrong! This guy suuucks!'? - reply and tell me what it is and how I can change it. If i need to go back to the drawing board, learn some more, meet some people who know what they're doing, I'll clean up my mess and swear off forging until I consider myself 'ready' again. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. At the end of the day, I had a ton of fun today, really enjoyed myself. I look forward to reading any replies. Alex

Ok I had a go today, I'll post the whole story in GD

Thanks Rusty, I think I'll definitely give that a shot, it gives me a chance to familiarise myself with the materials I'm working on. Plans for tomorrow are to set up, attempt your exercise and then (if there's time) practice bending and see about making some S hooks (cheers phoenix!) really looking forward to this now; I was worried that my anvil would be useless but you've all alleviated my concerns considerably! I'll post any further results or questions in 'General Discussion' tomorrow evening :D

Thank you both for the replies, I'm going to have a go at creating a simple forge tomorrow using some selby coal; is there any way of determining its suitability? Like a simple test I might perform? Usually our coal comes from the local post office, so I'll head down and ask about it, but I doubt that they'll have much expertise. Since it's going to be my first time working with heated metal, do you have any suggestions regarding the metal in question? I have access to old scaffolding bars from around 1970/80 and a multitude of blunt files, old tools, hoes, car parts, etc. On the same topic, what's the best thing to aim towards to begin with? I was thinking I'd try something simple like bending and drawing down, with no particular aim other than to attempt each technique, though if there's a tool or item which I could aim towards making i think it would add a sense of accomplishment once (if!) I make it. Let me know if this seems like trying to run before I can walk, I have no desire to rush things and end up hurting myself. I have some thick, non-synthetic (leather) gloves, some long handled tongs, a multitude of cross-peen, ball-peen and sledge hammers, and will be sure not to wear any synthetic fabrics (melting clothes doesn't sound fun!). I will also be wearing both eye and ear protection and steel-toed boots, starting as I mean to go on. Am I missing anything out? Also, given the nature of my new questions, should I delete this post and repost a new topic in the 'general discussion' section? I know that this kind of thing is covered in both literature and general consensus but I'd like confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction. I'll make a rubbing asap, so far it's been pretty difficult to make out any kind of inscription on the sides; is it unusual for there to be no markings whatsoever?

Hi Everyone, As this will be my first post, I think I should probably give you some background information; my name is Alex, I'm 23 and I live in Yorkshire, England. My brother does a lot of 'Living History' work (reenactments, authentic 10-13th century living, etc.) and since I've always wanted to get into smithing I thought that helping him would be the perfect jump-start to my education. So I've read a few books (Basic Blacksmithing, Harries and Heer and The Modern Blacksmith, Weygers), I've lurked around on anvilfire and i've watched a ton of instructional/crafting videos (Mostly the ones on this channel), and I think I'm ready to start hammering stuff; I don't want to craft anything yet, just get a feel for the experience and see if it's really something I'd enjoy. I'm looking into classes in my area, but in the meantime I'd like some information on an anvil which, for the last 60 years or so (apparently) has been sat by the back door of my house. I'm told that this anvil was given to my grandfather by a local smith who is unfortunately no longer alive (I would have loved to ask him some questions about it!), but that's about all I know. I'd estimate that it weighs between 80 and 110 lbs, and it's pretty beaten up, but that's about all I know. I can't make out any kind of lettering or insignia anywhere on the thing, but to me it looks pretty similar to the anvil in this topic. Anyway, time to get to the point. Here's the anvil. I've tried to get a picture of every face, from angles which (In my inexperienced opinion) are the most helpful. I'd like to know: 1) Is there any surefire way of identifying this thing? 2) What is it? How old might it actually be? 3) Is it at all suitable for my early forays into smithing? 4) If not, is there any way to make it suitable? I'm currently a student, which, for me, means that I have pretty limited funds at the moment (at any moment!), so it would be fantastic to find out that I can actually start working without too great a financial investment. I've got a ton of scrap metal lying around in my garden, a workshop full of tools and everything I would need to make my own forge (I'm hoping that a compressor is suitable, but if not I'm sure I can find a haridryer or something similar lying around). I'm open to any advice, and if the response is 'learn more' or 'find someone to teach you' then I'm prefectly willing to wait. I want to do this right. Anyway, I digress. Any help you guys could offer would be very much appreciated. Alex