jgreerberube

Hey I'm from Canada too! I'm also new too, my introduction post is here... :D Welcome!

Hey, I'm a new (Canadian!) blacksmith. My first project (which I'm working on now) is cold-forging a 3'' iron nail into a small knife. I'm making one for my mother's birthday, which is in August. She doesn't like weapons, so I'm cold-forging a nail into a "letter opener" so she can open her birthday card with it ;) .

Anyway, I have a few new person question :P Here they are:
-What kind of material/metal should I make my pouring shank out of?
-Is it okay to use cheap Dollar Store clay for molds (will be pouring molten metal into it), or should I look into specialty stores or something?
-What happens when you just melt a bunch of metals together (iron, brass, copper, steel, etc.)?

These are tools I have:
-Hammer
-Vice-crips
-Safety Glasses
-Vice

These are tools I'm getting:
-Anvil (my dad's getting me a chunk of metal from his construction site)
-Tongs (making them)
-Forge (making one out of a barbeque and cement :D)
-Safety equipement (for my school welding course, I may wear it for smithing :D)

Also, any helpful tips are highly appreciated! :)

-Jordan