Bad Creek Blacksmith

Dave Excellent job you baffle me with your designs, your work is so clean and sharp looking. Paul

Vladimir, When things are to advance like that for you don't drop out or get discourage, speak up. Most Blacksmiths are friendlier than ever and at the time they might not had alot of new people. The thing about clubs are you are trying to make all of the people happy all of the time and it can't be done. If they teach the basics all of the time they are going to lose there more expierence smiths. You need to find someone that will be willing to teach you in the evenings or on weekends, if you go to their house take them a couple bags of coal or give them some money for propane if they use a gas forge. Good luck. Paul

Looks like a handy welding helmet to have, might have to check them out for myself. Nothing worst than breathing in grinding dust then turning around and smelling welding fumes.

If you are going to use any oil for heat treating stay with vegatable oil, its a lot easier on the lungs and will do fine for what you are doing.

1)Paul Giardini 2)Delta,Ohio 3)What type of blacksmithing do you do, what do you make? I do pretty much any thing that comes my way,I like making things that sell quick or that I like. Candle holders, sign brackets, door knockers, leaves, triangle dinner bells, and so on. 4)How and when did you get started in blacksmithing? Got started six years ago through a friend of mine, and going to the county fair. 5)What object or thing did you use as your first anvil? I bought an anvil off my friend for $35.00 now my 11 year old son is using it. 6)Tell us about your first forge. There again bought a fire pot off my friend, he gave me a bunch of sheet metal and I bought the angle iron and built the forge. 7)Who assisted you or encourged you in the craft? Tom Burger,Jim Beck,Don Witzler 8)What event changed your attitude about blacksmithing? The first time I hit that hot iron. 9)What tool has changed or made your life easier in the shop? My bandsaw, and will be a powerhammer and knife grinder in due time. 10)What advise would you give those starting out in blacksmithing? Find a blacksmithing group a good mentor and have fun. 11)What advice would you give those involved in blacksmithing? Don't burn yourself out, keep having fun. 12)What are some of the interesting things that have happened to you in your life as a blacksmith. Being able to learn from Don Witzler, and meeting all sorts of people when demoing.

Jack hammer bits

I got a 125# for $325.00 last weekend at auction didn't really want to go that high, but it was a clean anvil.The guy I was bidding against I didn't think he was going to go to $350.00 and if he did it was his anvil. To make up for it I also bid $3.00 on a rusted up tool box that had 4 brand new brazing tips and a 6' folding metal ruler in it, those go for $80.00. Not a bad day.

Michael, Looks good, now you can have a refreshing drink its 1:00pm here so we won't hold it against you. My lunch is done is done and I got to get off this computer and clean the shop so I can do some forging. Been to some auctions and picked up a new old anvil, some c-clamp, cold chisels, different hammers, punches and swages. I'll be getting pictures of the stuff soon.Have a good day. Paul

Welcome to the site Robbimus, You have picked one excellent trade to get into but probably the two worst loctions as far as tooling goes. Been to the islands and its beautiful their, never made it to Alaska but know alot of people who have and loved it. You might want to think about a gas forge if you go to Oahu, don't know how the coal supply is there. Enjoy yourself no matter where you end up and keep the iron hot. Paul

Those are very fine looking dragon heads, now you have to learn to make the bodies to go with it. I'll give you some advise an old blacksmith gave to me, those little table of paper that fit in your shirt pocket always carry one with you. He told me you never know when an idea will pop in your head, sketch it out so you don't forget. You might meet someone and they want you to make some candleholders well you need their name and phone number. You get the message, have fun with what ever your making and your doing a great job.

I want to Thank everyone for their comments, I'm still trying to find time to get out to the shop. Being a single Dad with one son being schooled online and having a bad back, things just don't get done as fast as when I was in my twentys.

John, Very fine looking job. The simplisity look of it gives it that WOW factor.

SoCal Dave we were using coal but the method we were using could be done with gas. Yes we had to do a drop tong forge weld also, I made about fifteen dry runs before getting the metal hot this helped alot. Okay I'm going to try explaining this method. First off get a piece of 5/16" round and draw one end to a point, then bend 1 inch at 90 degree. this needs to be about 16" long finished. We'll call this our poking tool. Now just like any other forge weld you will heat your metal to a red and wire brush and flux it. Hold the flux piece above hot coals to melt flux and then stick it into the coals, no need to build a cave just need to see a little bit of area where weld is to be. Take your poking tool and heat the pointed end to a good heat (Bright Orange) and poke at the area that is to be welded when the two pieces feel magnetic when touched together it is ready to weld. NOW COMES THE TRICKY PART when you bring your piece out of the fire DON'T hit it to hard and ONLY hit it TWO or THREE times and then STOP!!!! Its welded together just not real well you need to repeat all of the steps wire brush,flux, melt flux,and etc., do this about four or five times and then you can work the weld without fluxing, but make sure you keep it hot. Hope this helps, maybe some day I can do a video or at least a blueprint.

In the last five years as a Blacksmith I have been held back and it has always bothered me. I always felt like a fake because I couldn't FORGE WELD. Not any more today at our open forge a young fellow that was taught by Clay Spenser, taught us. Wish I could explain it but its easier to be shown. I have been shown about 3 or 4 different ways to weld and this is by far the best way. My 11 year old was to shy to try it in front of everyone there, but next couple of days we'll be in the shop and he'll be forge welding to. Now I'm pumped to start all those projects that calls for forge welds just to keep in practice. I didn't complete my project today since it was nasty outside and we only had one forge lit, so no pictures and need to clean shop before I can work in it. Tomorrow heading to an auction trying to get a Peter Wright anvil.

Harold, I found out for myself it took time and friends. After 18 years of marriage my wife moved out and told me she wanted a divorce. Kick me you know where and rip my heart out. I've only been blacksmithing for 5 years and had no will at all to even pick up a hammer until this year. Friends of mine got me smithing at one of the county fairs this year and we had a blast. Today and tomorrow I'm demoing for the county 4th graders, Friday will be at Quad State and Saturday got to demo at Fort Meigs and maybe Sunday. Harold I will keep you and your wife in my thoughts and prays and hope it doesn't take you 1 1/2 years like it did me to get back into things. Paul

Love it!! Today had a lady try and take a picture of me in one of those thinking modes, when it looks like your standing there doing nothing. I put the peice back in the fire and thought about when it was heating up.

I'd go for the last offer give it away at Quad state I'll be there on Friday only. Be walking around the tailgait section just ask around for Paul G. From NOB.LOL Good luck with your hunk of metal.

Wish I was going with you have very good friends in Colorado Springs, But have a good and safe trip. Take alot of pics. Paul

We were doing the same thing on Saturday drawing out 3/4" cold chisels to make punches, but we had a power hammer it was still blazin' hot out. Nice leaves thoses would look nice on a gate or fence panel.

I would buy it if you were on this side of the pond. Very nice work Beth, keep it up.

Eric, Threasher is a piece of farm equipment that ran by steam engine and it seperatered the wheat from the stalks so it could be taken to the mill to be ground into flour. Their was alot of other steam engine equipment there also, mainly to do with farming. Google National Threasher Reunion Wauseon, Ohio to find out more.

Had a great time this weekend smithing for the threashers we had some good and bad weather but we were inside. Made mostly small things crosses, j-hooks, and leaves. The best thing that happened was when a youth came in and started to ask questions and you could tell they want to absorb as much knowledge as they could. After talking to them for a while I invited them to my shop to teach them some things. Their Grand-pa has a forge so once they get the basics down they can play around on his forge and if they need help I'm always around to to give a hand. I guess after seeing so much garbage happening in our world today it was freshing to see a smile on a young persons face and know that their going to grow up to be a fine citizen in the future.

Good job Dave!! My way of thinking is you don"t know if you can do it unless you try, and some times its try,try, try again. You can have all the book knowledge in the world but until you get your hands dirty you don't know if it will turn out ok. Keep up the great projects and God Bless.

I like to put my fires out at the end of the day. I'll separate the coal from the coke and then I'll shovel the fire pot out and put all that stuff to the side. When I start the fire I'll use shredded paper from all the junk mail we get. First I'll sift all the stuff from the fire pot threw hardware clothe to get rid of all the clinkers and ash. A friend of mine uses Kingsford match light charcoal to get his fires going and hes been smithing for 30 years, he forgot one day and had trouble lighting his fire.LOL

I live in Northern Ohio and we don't have any problems, if you use it enough that water is going to get a little warm.....not boiling. You can still place screening over it with a cut down innertube tube tire offa bike if your still worried about it. good luck. Paul