Hey all,
This will be my first post on the forum. I am getting ready to set up my first smithy and I'd like to get input from the IFI community. A few things to mention: I live in South Florida, it's hot, humid and frequently wet. I live in the city/suburbs. This will be my first smithy. I will be using a propane gas forge. I have some basic blacksmith experience under my belt, but I am still very much a beginner. I've chosen a corner of my parent's backyard as the location for my smithy. Industrial space is too far and too expensive for me right now. I'm mainly interested in forging hardware, fixtures, utensils and eventually get into tools and blades.
As you can see in these photos, I'm dealing with a roughly 12'x12' gravel footing, shaded by trees. The airspace above the gravel is fairly open sky. As of now, my plan is to find a 12x12 canopy that is either tied off to the trees or self-supported. I plan on placing the anvil in the center, roughly where the garden ball currently stands. I will lay out a circular work area roughly like this Forge>Anvil>Vise and back to forge. I figure that should take up roughly 1/3 of the 12'x'12 work area. Somewhere else in the work area, I will set up a work bench and a tool box.
Right now I've got a few things going around in my head:
What sort of Anvil Stand will I use? If I can find the lumber, would digging a post into the ground be ideal?
Am I asking for trouble with such an open air setup? I figure I can cover my equipment and tools, someone suggested covering the anvil with an oiled cloth.
What sort of workbench is ideal? Will I build one from wood and finish with marine varnish?
Not having walls means having to store equipment/tools elsewhere.
If possible I'd like to preserve the beauty of the space by keeping it open-air, but not at the expense of leading to the premature destruction of my gear.
Any advice, questions or comments are very welcome. I'm going to need some help to make this a reality. Thanks for the support in advance!
