I've always enjoyed working with my hands and making/fixing stuff, so I think that smithing was just a natural progression for me.
Decided to build a forge. It is based on the mini Whitlox, but I tend to burn bituminous coal (though I might try lump charcoal). I had the steel sitting around, but I had to buy the firebrick and wool:
I move the air with a 1930 Buffalo Forge blower with original Rheostat.
I have a dozen or so rail spikes sitting around, so I figured I'd use them for practice.
After some more hammering/filing/grinding:
Then I tried my hand at knife shaping, and twisting metal:
And this weekend I tried making a Brian Brazeal style horsehead bottle opener:
Glad to have found this place, and I look forward to seeing y'alls work and hopefully learning a thing or two.