Had a great time at the meeting yesterday. Got to know quite a few local smiths and learned a lot. I was not expecting to see so many people there. But it was my first meeting so I really did not know what to expect.
Looking forward to the one on Nov 5th.
Hey Brandon, I'm no pro at all but I made my own forge and anvil with a friend of mine (and his property heh) to give this craft a try and I am glad I did. totally worth it. I will say don't be discouraged if the first thing you make isn't what you had in mind. Try different things, different metals. I would even suggest buying some rebar and hammer that into blades, add some curves and such. It really helped me with hammer control and shaping a blade. I am now planning to move on to some other metals like rail road spikes, leaf springs and coil springs.
Even if you miss a meeting or two, I am sure some of the local smiths wouldn't mind letting you see the setup they use or help you with your own. I use a coal forge and hand crank blower. But I discovered yesterday that most of the guys are using propane. Which isn't a bad idea. It lets you decide how long you plan your forge sessions. Since I use coal, my forging sessions are usually several hours.