George N. M.

Yes, pretty cluttered. I suggest a minimum of a 6' table. Also, some items go well on a display board that shows them to customers semi-vertically gets more items displayed in a minimum of table space. I have a sign with 2 uprights on the ends of the table with a horizontal arm across the top which holds a sign saying "Westmarch Forge" and it gives a place to hang items such as ladles, S hooks, spatulas, etc.. It is put together with bolts and wing nuts so that it tears down for transport. Also, I think it is a good idea to have pieces marked with prices rather than having to repeatedly answer the question, "How much is this?" There are a number of things besides ironwork on your table. What are the multi-colored tubes and the upright brown blocks behind the chalk board? BTW, if you bend the double headed mail swords slightly you can have a saber or flatten the end a bit and curve it and have a pirate cutlass. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Well, live and learn, Frosty. Thanks for the link. Now I know something that I didn't when I woke up this morning. G

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. We all started out at one time or another. Some of us have been hitting steel for decades and some are noobs. 1/3-1/2 of a 3 car garage is plenty of space. Forging in an urban neighborhood can pose some issues. Actually hitting hot iron is not that noisy. It gets louder with power tools and if you miss a blow and ring your anvil. This is why there are lots of ways to dampen the sound of a loud anvil. Odor and smoke can be a problem if you are using a coal forge. That is why I went to using coke some years ago. Charcoal is also pretty odorless. As Frosty points out, carbon monoxide is always an issue. So, one or more CO detectors should be one of your early purchases. CO is heavier than air and will settle into your basement. So, make sure that you have a detector on the lowest level of your house if you do not have one already. And if it goes off don't go down there to investigate. You shouldn't be put off by the risk but be aware of the issue and respect it. You may also have to run a chimney or vent through your roof or out of a window. If, like some houses, there is a living area above the garage this can get problematic. Depending on your area you could rent a garage, storage unit, or shop space away from your house. I had to do that when I lived in apartments. Time, distance, and security issues can all be a problem. If you do rent a space make sure you get a lease rather than just a month to month arrangement. The books recommended are all good. I also like Country Blacksmithing by Charlie McRaven. There are reprints of older books around but many were originally written for professional blacksmiths 120+ years ago and are not that much help for a 21st century beginner. I hope that you find the craft as engaging as most of us have. I've been at it for 44 years and it has been a very good outlet in good times and bad. And finally, I add to the previous suggestions of hooking up with a local group. I and others here were self taught and that is definitely 2d best compared to in person learning. If you watch a demonstration in person or on a video go do it as soon as you can. That develops muscle/kinesthetic memory which lasts longer and is easier to recall than just mental memory. BTW, say hi to Titania. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Jade would be very hard to knap because it is very tough due to its fiberous crystal structure rather than brittle. However, it would make pretty good sparks with a firesteel or frizzen if it were sawn to shape. It would have a sharp, tough edge which would not need to resharpened very often. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

This is an area of pretty confusing nomenclature. To me, as an old geologist, anything in its natural state is "chert" while if it has been knapped or otherwise shaped it is "flint." If it is red it can be called "jasper" if it is banded, "agate." It is all amorphous (non-crystalline) silica dioxide (SiO2). Anything that is fairly brittle can be knapped, either percussion or pressure. Quartzite and quartz are not uncommon materials and some basalts have been made into points. Most materials will break with a "conchoidal fracture," a curved, shell shaped fracture surface. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I saw a You Tube video where they threaded large bolts into plexiglass (so the threads could be seen) and then applied various penetrating solvents to see how far they penetrated down the threads. The AFT/acetone mixture did about the best but there was a commercial one which did about as well, IIRC. The homemade stuff is a lot cheaper. Again, IIRC, WD40 did not do very well. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

In the 30s and high wind here. Yesterday, some places in CO had gusts 100+mph. Springtime in the Rockies. 2 years ago we had a foot+ of snow on June 8th. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Revelator, you'd be surprised how a new craft can compliment an existing one. Besides making wood working tools you can make hinges, handles, hasps, locks, decorations, nails, and anything else you can think of. There are a lot of us who do both. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Frosty, I think the chiseling and punching was done on the side of the anvil to avoid having to get out a bolster plate to protect the face. The sides of my Peter Wright is covered with this to the point that 90%+ of the markings are obscured. This is a sweet anvil which is hardly broken in. My anvil envy is kicking in. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Colorado, welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. I strongly suggest you look up Rocky Mountain Smiths who are active in your area. They are a good group and are having a get together in Greeley in early August. (I hope to go but it will depend on weather, covid, and my very covid cautious wife). Nice anvil. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Are you planning just to store them in a high position and then lower them back down for use or are you planning for them to stay there and pump in that position? Yes, you could use bicycle wheels for pulleys but they are pretty large and cumbersome. Any grooved rim wheel would work. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Norman, when I showed the seagull lamps to Madelynn she laughed and described them as "hysterically cute." She wants to know how much they weigh. She is originally from Florida and appreciates ocean and nautical themed items. Here in the US I could really see them in anyplace near the ocean. We do have seagulls (and pelicans) here in Wyoming but they are not iconic in they same way as eagles, elk, pronghorn, or buffalo are. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Norman, I think they look great as is and Madelynn agrees. The symetrical twists are more pleasing to the eye than if everything was in the same direction. The only thing I would suggest is to draw out the ends of the handles a bit and curve them back. BTW, I'd like to see some pictures of your iron seagulls. G. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Happy B'day! 16? How the years do fly by! "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

You, your family, and mainly Freja are in our thoughts and prayers. George and Madelynn

My father was a Captain on the Chicago Fire Department. A lot of really good, solid guys (no women then) but a few flakes. They didn't last too long. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming, USA. Glad to have you. Tell us more about your shop, tools, and what you make. We LOVE pictures. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I have had a similar problem but it has varied, sack to sack of coke. I suspect that it is unintentional and the result of, as Irondragon says, the product being stored in an unpaved area with the loader picking up dirt and rocks when getting to the bottom of the pile. I have minimized the problem by sorting it on the shovel by picking out anything that doesn't look right. A hassle but better than having rocks in my fire. The ones that turn white are probably limestone and the smokey ones are probably coal. The ones that open up may be carbonaceous shale. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

You might have slightly over tightened the bolts holding the 2 halves of the blower housing together and the stress relieved via the crack. I suggest drilling a small hole at each end to prevent the crack from propogating and then brazing it. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Re-enactor event, American Civil War, Revolution, fur trade, medieval, etc. can be good events as well as ethnic festivals such as Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, etc. can be good business opportunities. The best weekend event I ever did was the Colorado Irish Festival where I did about $3k business and would have done more if I had had more stock. The best events are those with lots of attendance and attract folk with disposable income. If you want to talk about this more, PM me and we can exchange phone numbers. BTW, what part of NY state are you in? My late wife's family was from western NY, the Buffalo/Lockport area, where I've spent a good bit of time. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Nick, First, browse through the IFI thread on the business side of blacksmithing. There is a lot good and varied information there which I won't repeat. It depends if you want the craft to support you as a full time business or a hobby that will pay for itself or a supplemental income on top of your day job. Each has a separate set of parameters and ways to approach your goal. You have to know your market. You probably won't sell many high end knives at a Christmas craft show but you might with a booth at a large gun show. You have to pick and choose your events for which will have a demographic that will want to buy your goods and which ones have a reasonable fee for a space. Some events are free to anyone who wants to set up and for others the organizers make a significant amount of their money on space rental. If the booth fee is $100 you don't have to sell much to "make your nut" (cover overhead) but if the booth fee is several thousand dollars you have to make a lot of sales to get to the zero point. I don't have any experience with selling via etsy, ebay, or otherwise on the internet. Others can offer advice about that. Most importantly, selling and business is a complete different set of skills and tools than knifemaking or blacksmithing or any other craft. Recognize that and approach it that way. BTW, very nice knives. However, as you say, a knife is seldom a good financial return on time invested. There is just too much fiddly bench time involved. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Will, That actually looks like a good forging area to me. The decks are too low to act as benches but you will still find them convenient places to lay hammer, tongs, etc.. Just plain forging isn't very loud, IMO, unless you have an undamped high ring anvil. No worse than driving nails and maybe less. The noise comes in with various power tools and things like treadle and power hammers. Not forging related but our 1977 house has similar double decks, one outside the dining room and one outside the master bedroom. Do you know when your housing unit was built? That may have been a design thing in the '70s or '80s. Also, if you don't mind telling, what seminary are you at? My wife's late husband was a Presbyterian minister and studied at several seminaries, none in Michigan, though. GNM "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Cool. This is a phenomenon of which I was unaware. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Without the hardened steel face plate this anvil is pretty useless for use. You could use the remaining plate on the tail but, as mentioned previously, you'd be better off with and improvised anvil using a piece of scrap steel. There is a way or recreating the hardened face by heating the whole anvil and building up the working face with hard welding beads but that is a major hassle and expensive in time and materials. The only way I could see that justified was if you had some emotional connection to the anvil, e.g. it was your grandfather's, and you wanted to put it back into use. Frankly, without the face plate this anvil is no more useful than a Harbor Freight cast iron one. That is, not much. Sorry for the bad news. I hope you haven't bought this but if you had I hope that you didn't spend much. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

John, for the basket one did you calculate and cut the length before you started forging or did you start with a long piece of stock and then cut it off and taper the end when the basket go large enough? I can see doing it either way. Thx. GNM