Hello!
I've wanted to have a go at forging stuff for a while now, after seeing some youtubers start themselves, and then getting recommended videos from some proper blacksmithing channels.
I'm a postgrad student at the moment, so haven't been able to try as shared student houses tend to frown on open fires (and even candles), but I'm at the family home for the lockdown until the unis open back up so now might have a chance!
I'm looking to get a basic newbie setup to have a go. I'm near Reading, Berkshire, and have access to logs (a nearby tree surgeon has a big pile of free big logs), an ageing claw hammer, a moderate-sized garden, a couple of old pairs of pliers, somewhat-tolerant parents, and might be able to borrow the family car. Does anyone have any tips on how I could source an ASO / build a basic forge / get some stock metal during the lockdown? (Most things I've seen seem to suggest trawling boot fairs for cast-iron-flat-irons, or otherwise assume that going outside and talking to people is legal)
Also a slightly broader question: considering I'll probably be back at uni by the end of the year, and anything big will have to be thrown away/sold as my parents will want their garden back, is this actually worthwhile? Or does the minimum-viable setup need too much investment to only be used for a summer?
Thanks in advance!