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I Forge Iron

Mullsmith

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  1. Huh, I will say I currently work a desk job and my grip was always average, yet holding on to my tools and what I am doing after 4-5 hours of smithing is certainly a challenge. I ended up investing in an adjustable grip strengthener that ranges from 20-90lbs. I have small hands on the average and that seemed to help me. However through the duration of using the grip exerciser, I have never developed bulky hand meat. Everyone is different though, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless its causing you pain. This will sounds funny, but I have a lot of family members with Dwarfism and their muscles develop very differently and in more of a bulky fashion for sure. You may just be genetically disposed to have large hand muscles. Nothing wrong with that. your family is just jealous of your magnificent hands. lol!
  2. Mullsmith

    Chisels in production

    Dude! how many people you got working for you!? hahaha
  3. Mullsmith

    hammer 2007

    Wow! you must have gotten good at this! How long did it end up taking you to do a single hammer after a while?
  4. Mullsmith

    Pile of Swords

    WOW! did you make all those yourself? How long did that take? I've heard swords can be a pain.
  5. Nice! I gotta Ask, have you tested them at all? They are SO cool!
  6. You are a very wise man Neil. You state my plan as it is in my head almost word for word. This is a passion and a hobby, but my real-life IS my family. I used to work at a certain place for about a year. they worked me to the bone! 60-70 hours a week... I quit FOR my family's sake and my own and I vowed to myself that I would never do that again. I'm just a child asking why the sky is blue, I know I don't have any in-depth experience in Black-smithing, (currently just my hobby) just as a child doesn't have extensive experience in physical sciences in order to completely understand how light scatters differently within air molecules. but what I do have is willingness to learn, passion, motivation and curiosity. I sincerely hope everyone takes that advice. Thank you! Hahaha! nice quote. I shall organize my semi-aquatic birds before I proceed to invest heavily in my metal. I promise!
  7. You are SO right. Frankly guys, I guess I don't know what I am asking. Like asking an artist how long it takes him to paint a picture... The answer I guess is, "As long as it takes." Sometimes I tend to forget how much of an art black-smithing is, I apologize for that. The answer I guess I have found is don't focus too much on how long it takes others, because its going to take you as long as it takes you. When you get better you may learn to make things at a quicker pace, but don't focus on comparison, focus on learning and enjoying and when you sell, you sell it for whats pair based on what you put into it. I sincerely appreciate your advice Rashelle. I understand what you are saying, I want to make sure you know I don't believe for a second that I can make a nickle doing this at this point. I am focusing on the love for this craft, in the long run I do wish to make something off of it and I'm fine if I don't. My point is I'm trying to understand more about the business models blacksmith's follow and I am coming to realize it based on the comments. If I enjoy what I am doing and am making products from it, I would like to continually keep track of what I am doing and market the products I have and can create again. The best way to make money on something is just to continue to be in the market. If that's my goal, then I need info like this to understand what I'm getting into. I have deciphered that and understand. Thank you for your support! your advice is appreciated! I am right there with you! I promise. I'm just a planner and enjoy making plans and seeing them through. Is it just me or have these communities seen people quit their job and jump into this 100% and then become penniless? Hahaha, that's the drift I'm feeling here. (I'm not that kind of planner, because that's a horrible plan." I'm very grateful I found this site and I am appreciative to hear REAL feedback on this side of things!
  8. I want to make it clear rockstar, that my goal is balanced. I am enthusiastic and enjoy black-smithing thoroughly. My plan is not to quit my job and full-tim smith by any means... My plan is ultimately to hopefully make anywhere from 5-10k extra a year if I can. "The best way to stay in business is to be in business." (not sure who said that... but its a quote.) I have 2 things. A love for business (numbers, keeping track of things, making profit) as well as a love for smithing. When I was a kid I'd make a few hundred a year just going door to door re-selling candy and having a paper route. (I would literally sit in my room and crunch numbers for fun and try and come up with business plans. hahaha!) My point is, this is a love for those activities and to me this would not be work. I would enjoy this. I'm not allowing my heart to exceed my brain. And yes, this venture is the riskiest business I'm sure anyone could attempt if their plans were to make a full fledged business. My thoughts are a small at home shop, online sales and side-projects. I have great connections with people own scrap-yards, interior designers, business-men and the like. If I play my cards right, I could very well make some sort of profit. We will see, its going to take careful planning and hard-work, just like anything worth doing. I do appreciate your honesty, sincerely. Your words are taken to heart.
  9. Great advise, However I didn't want to babble on like I have the habit of doing. I should explain my current position in all of this so you understand. I was making a very general question because I wanted very general statements. I wanted someone like you (a critical thinker) to give me real thoughts. My current position at the moment is a bit tied up. I am buying a house soon, I've been married almost 3 years and have a baby on the way. Every chance I get I travel almost an hour (after working full time) to get to a forge a friend and I built. I stay there forging till about 10PM and then head home. (I do this when my wife is at work usually, because spending time with family is important) So, the house we are in the market for is closing in on processing and we are almost sure to get it. Once we do I will have the land to build my own forge. The forge at my friends place, where we have made some items and have kept track of things such as charcoal usage, time to create objects etc. But we are not at a stage where we are proficient or have the tools that usually makes a smith's life easier. (Right now I have found the need to make some tongs because our current ones don't grip well enough) I'm looking for insight from a smith who has done this proficiently and HAS kept a journal and HAS kept track of his investments. Because the pages in my journal are not nearly as extensive as theirs. My point is, my heads are currently in the books because that's the only place they can be at the moment. talk to me in a month or two once I have a house, a forge is important to me and I have made a lot of plans and I am doing my VERY best to act on them now even though there are times I can't. I'm itching to continue. And also, if you have made a jet fighter... then yes, I would like to know how you went about that. hahaha! Thank you again for your advice!
  10. yes, precisely. I don't focus too heavily on equipment, and I'm a fanatical "budget-er".(obviously not an English major) Very wise instructions, Like the previous comment I am looking to make what people buy and not what I want to make. Thank you for your advise!
  11. That is the forwardness I don't mind hearing... You are absolutely right. I guess my largest point on the matter is, what part of this has led to a return on your investment personally. I love doing this as a hobby and will continue that, but where is my time best spent in terms of a "Return on my investment." I want to learn what others have done and emulate the best way to go about this. Also sincere curiosity on how long it takes to make certain items as well as curiosity about what it would take for a business to actually pay an employee... I'm not saying I'm anywhere near that point. But I am avid about my endeavors. That is VERY wise as well... Thank you for your comment, I will keep that close in mind. I agree with the latter expression you used. I understand that this would become a job if this were the route I would take, but that is realistic and exactly what I'm attempting to do. I want to make what people want. Not what I want. I'm trying to determine the worth of my time on projects and that worth is certainly calculated through whether or not people want it.
  12. Mullsmith

    IMG_6553

    wow, incredible. how much time did it take you to make a single pair?
  13. Mullsmith

    100_4227

    You have just solved my recent issue... hahaha. thanks!
  14. Very True! thank you! I am Michigan in the US. And thanks for the site I will check it out!
  15. Mullsmith

    Yes they do break

    if you read the instructions they say that you can prevent this by tapping it with a piece of steel and seeing if it "rings", please dont ask me what that means... Im tone deaf when it comes to cutting wheels... lol
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