AZBL

The reason I am wanting to have my own setup is to practice what I learn from blacksmithing classes I take. Though of course, it'll be for experimenting on my own as well.

I was going to ask what the recommended tools would be, thank you! And now that everyone is suggesting a JABOD, I will be looking into what my HOA would allow and not allow.

I could always buy used tools, never thought about that. I'll start looking around, thanks! I did look, unfortunately the only school that offers actual blacksmithing courses is a few cities over which would not be economical for me to drive there and back. My local community college only offers welding classes (which I might take down the road anyway).

Thank you for the awesome suggestions! Unfortunately, I am a broke college student who has no fancy tools, so I doubt I would be able to make this as of right now. That's why I was looking at buying an already assembled forge. I was definately utilize you're instructions in the near future though! Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what type of blacksmithing I want to do. Since I have zero experience I plan to utilize some of the basic blacksmithing classes that areniffered in my area and then be able to practice what I learned there at home with my own setup.

Hey everyone, so I am trying to find out what forge I should get. I am a complete beginner and just came back from poking around at a local open forge night (which makes me even more anxious to get started). My question is what propane forge would you all recommend for a beginner. I need to stick with propane due to living in a suburban area with an HOA. I found "Devil-Forge" online and the "DFSW" or "DFSW2" model seems to be a nice beginner forge for the price. As well as "Hell's-Forge" on Ebay which looks similar to the other forge mentioned. What do you all think of this? Any other suggestions/opinions are welcome!

Ok, I found this ad of Craigslist from a person very close to my house. Would any of this stuff be worth haggling for? <commercial link removed>

Thank you all for the responses, I greatly appreciate it! A couple questions I have are, what is the best homemade setup you all have used/seen? I hear alot about brake drum forges and other similar ideas (BBQ forge, etc.), as well as a railroad tie for an anvil. But I'm not sure what is a good basic setup for a beginner. Also, I've read online about blacksmithing beginner classes and open forge days. I hope to take a beginner class to learn the basics, but would there be any point in going to an open forge day. Not to actually work but to observe and ask questions? Not sure if there is any benefit in that for newbies yet. Thanks again for all the help! RR Tie make terrible anvil as the wood burns

Tubalcain2, my apologize I should have been more specific in my post. By "old fashioned", I mean not with all of the electric machinery and power tools that modern day businesses would use. I'm a big history buff and the old school way could be anywhere from medieval times to the early/mid 20th century. Though I have to say, some modern day tools sound appealing to make life a bit easier. So, I guess I could say a mix of both worlds is what I am interested in. Since I have no experience, my preferances most likely would change down to road. Thank you again for your response!

Hello everyone, my name is Brandon and I live in Peoria, AZ. I have always been fascinated in metal work, especially blacksmithing, ever since I was a child. I've always loved going to my local renaissance fair, or pioneer village and watching the blacksmith hammer away. I have recently been thinking more about diving into blacksmithing as a Hobby, but I'm not to sure what is recommended to get started. I have researched local classes for beginners, as well as found my local ABANA chapter here in Arizona. Though, I am mostly interested in the old school fashion of blacksmithing which seems to be more rare nowadays. Since I have no experience or knowledge in this field, I'm looking for any advice possible as to what is recommended to learn more about blacksmithing and how to get involved. Thank you for any comments!