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Fokko I am new to the forge also. Nice article on your blog. Please continue to add to the blog. It could be very interesting over the years.

That's great !!! Have you been able to get in contact with local Blacksmith or Blacksmith association?

I have taken to listening to Blues, when listening. And I am particularly fond of a site in South Australia. South Australian ROOTS and BLUES That and learning to play Banjo in the frailing style, and later this year the guitar - folk type music. There is this place called Tangier Sound that got me started on this. Patrick and his Dad teach on the site and there are lessons and insights going back to last May on the Blog. Begin at the beginning and it's easier to make sense of it.

I am also new here. As a newbie I'm thinking the best thing that can be done is to read the forum a bit, and then get with some local Blacksmiths or your local/state Blacksmith association. Get with real folks somewhere close to your area and learn a bit. Then you can have a better idea about what you need from a skills standpoint. I can't say enough about getting with the local guys. Real people and hands on application is where to start.

That is a very, very good. I'm amazed.

What I was told by my betters is that $3-$4 is the rough market in the desert SW for used. With the devaluation of the dollar I am finding it tough to keep a handle on what is worth what.

Mark, my 13 year old son started doing this stuff in early May. We had met a couple of guys from the Arizona Artistic Blacksmith Association a couple of months earlier and they let us know about an upcoming class. The class ran one day per week, 3-4 hours in the evening, for 8 weeks. It was great. They covered a lot of territory, the hands-on was priceless. They used two books, one was by Mark Aspery, The Skills of a Blacksmith vol.1, and The Blacksmith and His Art by J.E. Hawley I also have The Backyard Blacksmith by Sims. The book by Sims has is nicely done and the pictures are in color. It's a nice initial presentation of the subject and might appeal to a youngster. Mine liked it. But from the standpoint of usefulness later on, the other two books are content rich. And there are lots of other books that are great too, I just don't know about them. Try if you can to meet with the local or the closest Blacksmith people or association. I think you will find them to be very helpful to a young guy who is trying to start and a Dad who is picking up the tools. For videos, youtube really has quite a bit on the topic. But the easiest full access source when starting out is likely this place, iforgeiron.com

I have a friend who is a wood turner, he does show and sell some of what he makes. He says that the general practice for his stuff is materials cost X10. So if he has $30 worth of materials into a project he will charge and get $300 for the piece and factor in additional time if necessary. This may or may not translate to metals. But like Firebug mentioned, you have to understand your own costs. In talking with Smith's locally, the ones who make a living at it are very selective about what economic level they will work with....they want to make sure the get paid for what they do. If you " give it away" you hurt yourself and every other Blacksmith around.

Around here, we are seeing a noticeable increase in the number of folks who use a bike if they live within a few miles of work - even with the heat. And a lot more motorcycles are being drug out and used during the week, not just on one weekend a month for the Harley joy ride. Like jayco mentions, there is an unfamiliarity with bikes and how to ride by a lot of folks plus the manufacturers will address a market only if they see opportunity. There are very good bikes around but they are not cheap and they are not kids toys, and can not be bought at W-mart, or K-mart, or a discount store. A real and useful bike costs real money and there are a lot of choices today as opposed to decades past. As for opportunity for a Blacksmithing as it relates to the oil costs, I don't know. But something that may happen is a swing toward charcoal or coal by folks who use propane. Anybody know sources of inexpensive charcoal? - neighbors in cities might not like us making our own.