JHCC

It’ll come faster than you think!

In the “Could Be Worse Department”.

They make plaid cigarettes? Now, THAT seems improbable... No, it's just that at the next Quad-State, you'll be able to tell the SOFA members by their kilts.

Worth remembering the "Lou Rule" (formulated by @Lou L): When you're starting out, decent tongs are a better investment than a fancy anvil.

Nice setup, Scratch. Good planning, getting the hardy directly over one of the holes in the rack.

Grammar=good.

@old school blacksmith, when I was your age, I was incredibly lucky to have my parents spring for a series of weekend basic blacksmithing classes, and EVERYTHING that I have done since springs from the lessons I learned then. Having someone with real experience showing you in person what to do and -- perhaps more importantly -- watching you work and helping your correct your mistakes has value that no amount of watching YouTube videos or reading on a forum (even this one!) can possibly convey. To be sure, there can be value in learning from your mistakes, but it's even better to learn from someone who knows what mistakes not to make.

Exactly.

Yes, please clarify.

Maybe you have very short toes.

Pretty cool, Spronez. Out of curiosity, do you ever find those feet getting in the way of yours?

The old silversmiths’ hallmark registries and the like were organized by the government of various countries, centralized, and — critically — mandatory. Unless we are all going to go to the trouble and expense of listing these with our respective countries’ trademark registries, I honestly don’t know how useful this would be.

My lovely bride of 25 years married (after many years as a couple — we met in 8th grade, dated off and on in high school, reconnected and got engaged in college, and married a couple of years after graduation) and I have an arrangement: I support her knitting, and she tolerates my smithing.

My mother used to say that God answers every prayer: sometimes with “Yes”, sometimes with “No”, and sometimes with “Not Yet”, and we have to trust that he always gives us the right answer, even if it’s not the one we wanted.

Now go add your location to your profile settings!

Not half bad! Congratulations!

For a non-parent, Frosty gives good advice. Especially keeping a bag packed in case you need to scramble for the ER. Hoping things work out, and keeping up the prayers. In case no-one’s told you, it looks like you’re doing all the right things.

Do it before the baby arrives, my friend. You will discover that your time is not your own in the same way that as it was before.

Hey, Dennis. Welcome aboard! Check out the Collection of improvised anvils thread for a LOT of ideas on how to get forging without overspending on your anvil.

Around here, you have to be selective: some of the signs have plastic holders, and some have galvanized wire.

Fingers crossed!

I say, Go for it!

Basically what Glenn said. When I say “pushing it in”, what I mean is that you can bring more “cooked” fuel to the center of the fire by pushing the outside of the fire in towards the middle (kind of like packing a snowball), not just by raking more coal over the top. In either case, never add raw coal to the top of the fire, but always put it around the outside.

Excellent!

Anthracite doesn’t coke like bituminous, but it does like to “cook” a bit before burning. If you add it directly to the top of the fire, it will definitely spit and crackle, but if you add it around the outside of the fire and push it in as needed, that will help keep it quiet. Be careful with that spitting: I was once bending over to pick something off the floor, when a glowing shard of rice coal popped out of the fire and into the gap between my shirt and the waistband of my jeans, right down the center of my extreme lower back, if you know what I mean.