IronDan89

Cheers Frosty and postleg. Well I would have enough space In the garage. But the problem for that Is ventilation. Granted there Is a big door, but that wouldn't quite cut It. So It seems the more viable option would be to use a propane forge like yourself Frosty. Now I had a look In the forges part of the forum and when It comes to making your own propane forge there seems to be a certain amount of welding Involved and I have never touched one In my life. So It seems I may have to buy one. Anyone had any experience making rings? (The finger kind) Saw some Damascus ones for sale today while browsing the web and they looked really quite nice!

Thanks very much David. I suppose I should rephrase It. Is there a minimum amount of space? I mean I would have to build my own forge. Maybe find some kind of anvil. Is there a minimum amount of space you need? Also can you suggest any good beginners books? Thanks! -IronDan

Wow thank you all for such speedy and friendly replies! Don't worry I understand how annoying It can be to have the same questions asked to you. I used to manage two coffee shops and I'd get five people a day coming In and asking "Do you do cappuccinos?" Needless to say It got tiresome haha. Only problem Is my friend who Is In the trade also lives down south haha. He may be moving up here In a couple of months. But that's beside the point. So I had a look around the forges and shops part and I couldn't find quite what I was after, so lets hope I don't anger anyone this time. Basically If I'm going to make my own little forge, what kind of space do you need. As my options at the moment are Garage or build a shed. So if anyone has a forge In a shed or just a stand alone forge. How much space are we talking? Also my friend recommended "Forging your way to perfection" by Jim Hrisoulas. Has anyone read that? I'm on amazon as we speak looking for those books people have suggested! Also I have read all the above posts I just can't quite figure out how to quote. So I'm not Ignoring any of this wonderful advice haha. Its'a also good to see a fellow noobie! I think blacksmithing Is something that needs to be kept alive. I mean Joiners (including me) plasterers, brick layers are a dime a dozen over here. But blacksmiths, well, that's a different story. In a way the industrial revolution both killed blacksmithing but also breathed new life into It. It's just harder to make a living out of It nowadays which Is a shame. Keep "forging" on everyone! *grin* -IronDan

Sorry for the cussing wont happen again! I have done a lot of research on the subject, however I find coming to a place like this would benefit more than browsing sporadic websites. I wasn't planning to start with blade smithing as i stated In the post. But thank you for reinforcing that. Sometimes It Is tempting to run before you can walk. With the forums being such large places I thought It might be handy to pose the questions first to get peoples opinions. As In my studies, you have to get more than one set of opinions! I apologize If this post seems like a waste of time that wasn't the intention. -IronDan

Hello everyone! First things first! My name Is Danny and I'm hailing from the lovely city of Manchester In the UK. So, lets get to the topic at hand: *Warning incoming essay* A close friend of mine Is an ameture blacksmith and after numerous discussions over the past few months he has been indulging me picking his brain about blacksmithing. Recently I have become interested, well, enthralled actually with the idea of blacksmithing. i'm a joiner by trade and I have always been proud of making things by hand. I have done everything from fit kitchens to help build a local indoor air rifle range owned by a friend of mine. The thing Is -and here's the kicker- there are NO courses/forms of introduction about blacksmithing In Manchester. (At least what I can find.) So I have signed up here hoping to broaden my horizons on some aspects of blacksmithing from you knowledgeable chaps! So some key points I would like to learn about are (In no particular order): What do you need to get started and how much does It cost? What should you try your hand at making first off to learn the basic techniques? Does anyone know of any Manchester based courses/places I could go down and just have a look first hand. Final one (for now haha.) What kind of money can a blacksmith earn (on a self employed basis.) This Is something you might find strange. But I'm actually at university studying Human Biology and Infectious Diseases. So It may seem like one xxxx of a 180 but I suppose at 24, I'm still trying to find myself and my interests. Even If I don't take It up as a full time job even as a hobby or part time job I would love to be able to call myself even an ameture blacksmith! I have found myself attracted to the forging of anything really, specifically blades , I have seen some truly beautiful work, not just In the area of blades mind you, but particularly using Damascus smithing. Now obviously you can't just think "I want to be a blacksmith lets start the process of folding numerous sheets of metal and create a blade." Right from the get go. But that Is something that particularly catches my eye. I will leave the post at that length for now as I'm sure I've created a few bloodshot eyes from reading that much! Haha! Thank you very much In advance for your input and I apologize for any further questions you may have to endure haha! All the best from me! -IronDan89