Bad Creek Blacksmith

KAM I already im you but let me know about forging I'll be there, my 10 yr. old son forges to. Oh BTW welcome!!!!

When I first started to blacksmith I couldn't bring myself to say I was a blacksmith. After I made my first piece by myself and started being at the forge more I can say that I am a blacksmith. I don't know everything and I never will, you can never learn it all until what you are making calls for that one certain process. Everyone that says you are self taught, you aren't and I don't mean this in a negative way. You may not have some one standing there showing you. If you read Mark Aspery's book on making leaves and then go and make one Mark taught you. Even when I was learning and something went wrong the blacksmith teaching me would just tell me to figure it out.

Thanks for sharing, hopefully I can stop beating my head against the wall already pulled all my hair out.

Welcome aboard, I'm from NW Ohio You'll learn alot from IFI but you should check out SOFA (Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil) down your way if you haven't already.

WOW!!!! Very nice what an artist.

Yes take your time recovering, I had surgery to my right hand was suppose to be out of work for 6 weeks and went back at 4 weeks. I was a carpenter at the time. It was winter and had to pay bills so the doctor let me go back and he wasn't to happy about it. First day on the job I ended up falling in the crawl space smacking my hand on the deck, hitting ice in the crawl space and ended up on my back. That hurt..... ended up going home early that day. Plus its really hard hanging on to the hammer with a freshly healed cut on the hand. So take it slow and don't over do it. Good luck!!!

If you have a vocational high school near by you can see if they have a CNC and if they will cut them for you. I go back to my old school all the time to get stuff cut for me.

I don't have a power hammer so I'll pass, heard of a guy drawing one out to 6' and made a fishing pole out of it.

They look good to me. The boss area looks nice and big reins are tapered nicely and if you pounded these out by hand you did a great job. Keep the iron hot!!!!

Thanks Thomas, I did pick-up some used hand tools off the $5.00 table but alot of it was junk....I have to dress every thing up and put handles on a couple of things. Next year my son is staying home I spent more money on him and I could have bought a few more tools, we had fun and I'm glad he was with us. He was like a fly buzzing around, he would be with us and I turn around and he would be off again looking around.

Very nice set-up, looks like you have a good size shop and its always nice to get out of the weather. Another safety issue I saw and you will probably have this in mind.....its those bales of straw it doesn't take much for a hot piece of iron or sparks to go flying then you lose every thing. Good luck and enjoy.

Thanks JW good thinking!!!!

Welcome to IFI, and you might think about joining Southern Ohio forge and anvil. They have their own web site look around on it and join you will only benefit yourself.

You might want look on the British blade forum there is a nice one with plans on making it, the upper die returns to the open position. britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?78415-Guillotine-tool-quot-how-to-quot The only change I made was drill and tap the front part to bolt on to change the dies. On the plans he welded his front on and if you want to use a larger fuller you can't.

Thanks LDW and Brian for sharing a great project. Always learn from your post. Paul

Great work! One question, how is it hooked up to the ceiling?

Went to Quad State yesterday and couldn't beleive the cost on used tools. Floor cones $700.00-$800.00 and anvils went for $2.50 -$3.00 a pound and they were not anything to write home about. We did have a good time and got some good deals, brand new hot cuts $10.00 needs dressing up and handle. Bought a hot cut hardy, fuller, and a flatter all for $5.00each. all needs cleaned up and handles ( used item). Took my 10 year old son he had a good time and He got more stuff than I did. We got home and he told me he didn't realize that ther was so many different types of anvils and swage blocks. There was some unusual swage blocks there should have taken the camera and posted pictures. Next year!

Good start make more little crosses out of 1/4" square stock $10.00 ea sold most of mine at the county fair and J-hooks $5.00 ea 1/4" square with a twist they sell good to. Good luck.

"Mustache only" I have a beard during the winter months does keep the face warmer. Shaved the upper lip once and kick myself for it......looked like a little kid. My boys want me to shave it off...don't think so.

My grandfather was from Italy wish I spoke the language, It would be an honor to help out with a book of this caliber. Good luck on your endeavor to portray your fathers work. Paul Giardini

I like the idea of a tent set up. Its short notice for this year but a tent at Quad State would be a good location. I see alot of t-shirt sales and some tooling sales.

What a beaut Dennis.......Makes you feel good when someone thinks that much of you to hold a tool and give you that kind of pricing. I would like to get a post drill there nice to have, almost had one and didn't want to spend the money....at the time I wanted it for a wall hanger wasn't smithing the thing sold for $45.00 at auction.

Ramsberg, Thanks for the idea on the easel........He loves to draw and he can make something for himself. Tomorrow we are demostrating at the county fair so its something he cen work on. he wanted to work with me yesterday but had to go with his mother.....Boy he was mad.

Bet he knows where every thing is at!!!!!

Marcus, welcome to the site. since you live in NW Ohio come on out to the Fulton county fair on sunday I will be demostrating there. We do have a blacksmithing organization here,called North west Ohio blacksmiths. SOFA is the same thing but farther south of us. Quad state is one of the biggest blacksmithing event in the U.S.A. and its in Troy, Oh.. I have been pounding iron for three years and this is the first year I'll be going and only on friday. if you need more info PM me and I'll answer back. Paul