Birksy

I wanna try to do a vinegar etch to get a deep black finish. My question is do I need to get it to a mirror finish, with no scratches, or just sand it to exposed steel? Or will the vinegar remove the forge scale by itself if I just leave it in longer? Thanks in advance!

I have unable to get in my shop due to a surgery to repair my menisicus from football. I was just about to be able to get back in but it seems like I might have retorn it. My question is are there anyways to get better and learn outside my shop. Any plans I could follow when I finally can get back to swinging the hammer?

Well I did what you guys said and put my set price at $250 but sadly I am indecisive and panicked because it was toward the end and I got it for $300. As for the other tools I can take a few pictures later but they are boxes of random things mostly pliers and punches. Also sorry I had a tough time reading the Wilkinson and have never heard of that brand lol.

Well the auction was this morning and managed to snag a #105 Williams and a few other tools... it wasn't my first choice but I'm still more then happy with what I got. Thank you everyone very much!

Thank you both very much. I plan on getting there as soon as possible to look at them. I have a 45lb anvil right now but its so small and doesnt have a single good edge, it works but I will take better if i get the chance so I'm not going for the best one there just one thats better. Money wise I think I have a good amount (for being in highschool at least).

So a Sale Barn near me is going to be having an auction and there will be many anvils there for sale. I have never gone out and had a collection of them to choose from and was wondering what are things to look for? I know about rebound testing with a ball bearing, clean edges, etc. But I was wondering is there anything else to look for that tells its a good anvil? Brand? Year it was made? Any help would be welcomed and thank you!

It is made out of some welding stock from Menards. I gave it to the owner of a fishing lodge I have been going to since I was around 8 years old so I haven't had the chance to ask him. And i'll make sure future pictures are better.

First knife I ever made. Did it early in the summer, nor perfect but any tips would be great, doesn't have the handle on in this picture but I don't have any others and I gave it away to a friend

I have the same problem. I have used it twice (the second time earlier today) and put it about 12 psi and couldn't get it to yellow

There is a YouTube channel called AWE me and they have a series( they have more then just smithing that is different people) called Man at Arms and they make weapons, armor, and shields from tv show and video games. Not to long along ago they posted an announcement that their are going to become a TV show on the Lray network in June. More details can be found on the video. Just though some might want to know about it Here is the video if you want to see it

Thank you everyone who has replied it has all helped alot

Thank you everyone this has helped me

Thank you both and I live in Iowa

In my Careers 1 class as a semester test I have to pick a career and do research on it and I have to use certain sources that my teacher has checked as OK. Since blacksmithing is not a common career none of the sites have any real information on them so she said I could ask and fin out info. on here. So I have a few questions to ask. And before anything else I thank you for spending your time reading this! What does the workplace look like, what are the working conditions and typical hours? What skills are needed for the occupation, what will you need to be able to do? Is there any specific education/training needed, if so how many years and what type of program/degree do you need, and licences or certification information if applicable? What are some rewards and sacrifices, at least 3 of each, and reasoning behind why you think so. What is the job outlook and trends, what is the prediction of how many job openings there will be in the future? What are at least 3 related occupations to the career you researched and give brief description of each? Some of these questions may be obvious to answer but I am also required to use 3 different sources. Any help is greatly appreciated! Clicked submit twice sorry lol

Finally someone else from Iowa!