Hello everybody,
I would first like to introduce myself. My name is Will, and I (s well as a good friend of mine) seem to have been bitten by an iron bug and have come here to learn as well as post updates on our journey and lessons learned in the ancient, but seeminly forgotten by many...art of Blacksmithing.
Neither I nor my friend have any experience in this field nor does any close family, friends... so you all here on this forum, you are our guide and teacher (as well as fellow aqcuaintences) in this first step, as well as many more to come. I will be doing my best to ensure that I don't post or ask anything that hasn't been spoken of before. There is a ton of information on this site in which I can answer most if not all of my questions, but as for personal thoughts and input not mentioned or resolved, I will not hesitate to ask (as we all know, you can't get an answer if you just don't ask! :P)
Now more on my (our) current state. Neither of us have any of the proper tools or space as of yet. For us, this is a chance to immerse ourselves into what we will be getting into before we dive headfirst. Our goal is to get started into blacksmithing as merely a useful hobby. We don't need a full on indoor blacksmith's shop with all the works and our entire savings dumped into something we (for now) only want to to for fun as well as for basic smithing (hand tools, knives and simple pieces that aid in everyday life and use). We both have a facsination and passion for excercising our primitive nature. We love the woods, the smell of a simple fire and use of hand powered tools...in other words, everything revolving around this art makes us drool at the thought of someday mastering it's uses.
The best idea I can give you for what we are looking for as of now, is to start with the simplest and most basic tools and equipment required to get started. Preferrably building our own, or finding a suitable substitute for an anvil as well as starting with a "ground forge" (just an earthen pit and piping with either a blower or simple bellows). This is obviously not the best, easiest or safest way to start...but we are safety consious and as for me, I feel that starting from that, will allow us to better understand the history as well as better understand what we need and why later on.
