civilwarblacksmith

Always make sure you put pictures of your actual work on the website that you are going to sell and make sure let them know you can do custom work if you want to do custom work. Also an idea from a buddy and fellow smith from Mississippi Vance Moore, use your business cards as your price tags. That way they get the price of the item as well as your card.

Lot's and lot's of business cards. I used to sell a good bit on e-bay but due to rotator cuff surgery in Dec. it has cause to barely be ready with inventory for current events. I made sure to send business cards with every purchase. If it was to a re-enactor, I added extra cards so they could pass it on. When I go to events, I always make sure cards are out and now with the web page have gotten work. Check local fundraisers that are being done by non-profit groups who are looking to have businesses place adds in program flyers. They are usually fairly cheap. For a 10 dollar add you could reap alot od business.

brass hammer

I think it looks in good usable shape, as is. A few nicks along the edge can be taken care of with a grinder. If the are deep, get a welder with some hard rod and then grind them flat.

Make sure the shop has plenty of ventilation. If you can put a solar powered or regular powered fan in the gable ends of your shop or the highest will help greatly to draw alot of the heat out while pulling a draft through windows and eave vents. Drink plenty of fluids. You can also buy neck wraps that an absorbtion material inside of it. You soak these in cool water and the material swells. Wear it around your neck like kerchief and it will keep you cool.

Worrying about working in a small metal is no different than working in a large metal shop. I work at Evapco. We make commercial refrigeration and heating units like water cooling towers; evaporators; forced draft unit that you see on office buildings, hospitals, etc. Alot of metal in this place, more than in our smithies. The building is wood/metal construction. I work in the sheetmetal dept. running press brakes, shears and CNC punch machines. All we worry about is shutting the machines down in order to protect the computers. Only thing to worry about in my smithy is protecting any high dollar machine from a power surge.

When a married man makes a mistake, there is always a good woman behind him to remind him of it.

Just to ask. Do any of these places sell coke or charcoal? we might also want to add places that sell Coke and charcoal to the list of suppliers unless we put them into there own section. Some people need to use these fuels instead due to where they live.

Here are a couple of contacts with a guild in the Florida Area. FLORIDA ARTIST BLACKSMITH ASSOCIATION Pres: Bill Robertson 5079 Sundance Lane Tallahassee, FL 32309 (850) 668-2876 applecrossforge@nettally.com Ed:Steve Bloom PO Box 760 Archer, FL 32618 (352) 528-6508 smith@blacksmithing.org Florida Artist Blacksmith Association Affiliate Liaison Rep. Bill Roberts -Ornamental Metalsmith Custom Design Metal Arts 3740 NE 40th PL. Ste. D Ocala, FL 34479 Custom Design Metal Arts Studio - Bill Roberts, Ornamental Metalsmith. Ocala, Marion County, FLORIDA Hope these help. If you are in Northern Florida or the panhandle, GA. or Alabama might be able to help.

The Blacksmith Primer by Randy Mcdaniel in either the book form (easy read and informative on a level a new smith can understand) or in the 3 set DVD. Would recommend the book first. Least expensive. Recommended by the Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland Blacksmithing Accademy.

This is pick up only as they do not ship. Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland Maryland Westminster Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland $7.00/ 50lb bag members $10.00/ 50lb bag non-members

Lucky charms

Hollar!!!!!!!!!!!

If you make a bellows. Use a marine varnish as it will seal the wood from rain and other adverse weather. Also, use canvas instead of leather and paint it with the black plastic Dip-IT paint. It will stay flexible and should weatherproof it. Using the canvas will also make it easily replaceable.

Was looking for that blueprint. View the video on that blueprint. It will help also.

Here's a video from Youtube that will show you in pictures. YouTube - Forging a nail

confederate

Marriage or ball and chain

I have a blower (and if I ever get it back from the fellow putting new babbits in it, I'll post the name. It was Pitt and something) that is supposed to be dated 1857. It is a crank that runs on 2 leather belts. Hopefully he will have it finished this month.

All the lady can say is no.

At BGCM we teach student to forge barehanded as we don't want to get used to wearing a glove then grabbing hot metal when they forgot to put the glove on. Down the road on their own if the choose to wear gloves is up to them. If the do, the glove need to be loose fitting so that if a spark falls into the glove it can be thrown easily. I wear a pair of high welding glove on certain thing I might be doing. I normally forge barehanded though.

Coal is the better way to go if you are in a situation to use it such a rural area. I live in a townhouse developement so I have to use either charcoal, coke, or gas. You will burn more charcoal to do the same project that you would with coal, meaning that to do the same job is costing you more. The amount that you are paying for coal seems alot to me. Something you might think about is join a local blacksmith guild if you have one in your area. The guild I'm with buys a bulk load (this year was 26 ton) and we sell it to our members at $7 a 50lb bag. Here is some guilds in your area. I don't know how close you are to them. BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA KOOTENAY BLACKSMITH'S ASSOCIATION Pres: Chris Waters Chinook Country Forge Site 113, Box 12, RR 3 Sundre, AB CANADA T0M 1X0 (403) 638-3529 ironshop@telus.net Ed: Jesse Ellingson Box 775 Nelson, BC CANADA V1L 5R4 crazycat@netidea.com VANCOUVER ISLAND BLACKSMITH'S ASSOCIATION VIBA Office: VIBA 1040 Marwood Avenue Victoria, BC CANADA V9C-3C4 Pres: Charlie Dowdeswell #53-2911 Sooke Lake Rd. Victoria, BC CANADA V8B 4R5 (250) 478-2460 Dowdeswell@alumni.ucalgary.ca Ed: Dennis Gillett 1212 Garden Gate Drive Brentwood Bay, BC CANADA V8M 2H6 (250) 544-4816 dgillett@shaw.ca Vancouver Island Blacksmith's Association (VIBA)

sorry, I thought I pasted it. Had a long day demonstrating at Boyd's Bear's Yankee Doodle Days. By the time I posted that I was ready for bed. Pres: Owen Bostram 99 Chase Hill Road Ashaway, RI 02804 (410) 377-2611 obostrom@cox.net Ed: Fred Mikkelson 23 Waterman Drive North Scituate, RI 02857-2036 (401)647-3086 fred@trollshammerforge.com New England Blacksmiths

I have bought from Admiral Steel before with good results.

here is some contacts for the New England blacksmith Guild in New Hampshire. they should be able to help you find coal. they might be a good guild to join in your area.