Wood-N-Metal Workshop

Thanks for the welcome Frosty. Lots of good info here, been reading a lot, now I need to get 2 jobs out of the shop so I can move forward with a forge.

I just picked up the Lincoln 210 MP about a week ago, I haven't used it much yet but the test beads I ran right out of the box were great. Here is a video I did on it. https://www.youtube.com/embed/BooODsjXH-o

At some point I will build another one, for right now I have a very nice old welding table that has a 1/4 top 24x48 on a heavy base that will hold a fire pot 9x13" perfectly. The brake drum I have is 13" dia and will need a bit of modification to sit down in a hole, much easier for me at least to cut up some scrap 3/8 or 1/2" plate and make one. Thanks for the welcome, I always try and read and search topics before asking a question, I am very well aware of how tiring it can be to answer the same questions over and over.

Just a bit to introduce myself, I am a welder fabricator who wants to learn the blacksmithing trade, to enhance the services I offer my clients. Over the last several years I have had many requests to add forged elements into projects and beyond doing hammered finishes I have not had the skills or equipment to do much. Right now going into the buildup before the holiday season I figure that it is time to start learning so I can incorporate some of these things in my designs. Tonight I learned the term ArcSmithing and that is the type of work I will be doing. Last week I got a nice PeterWright 143lb anvil, hammers I have but need to add tongs of all types and a forge, researching how to build a forge is what brought me here. I was going to build a simple brake drum forge but my reading has lead me to believe that I should build a better one so as not to be disappointed in my results. I'm sure that I will ask many stupid questions and get flamed for it but no one comes into this world with skills, we all learn them at some point.