Hey, my story is probably similar in some ways to many but I figured I'd share. After being fascinated by blacksmithing since I was a kid my wife signed me up for a workshop a few weeks ago on knife making, less because I'm big into knives and more because it worked out timing wise. Had a great experience and started researching and building a small gas forge almost immediately after that. I'm a chimney sweep by trade so I have a lot of left over materials kicking around that made the build more economical. After looking at building an anvil from odd ball pieces of steel it turned out the guy who ran the workshop was looking to move one of his anvils so I was able to pick that up for a reasonable price. Added a picture with my first few projects at home. Started with the hook, then made some tongs followed by a pendent for my wife that my daughter designed. The tongs were made from 1 1/4" x 1/4" flat stock, the jaws could definitely be a little straighter and the rein are only about 12" long but should work to get me started. Having a blast and my son and daughter have been busy "helping out". I've been reading lots of posts and love all the info provided here. Thanks!
