SharkBait

That's good to know. I know using YouTube videos for learning is, or at least was when reading back through the archives, not thought of especially well here but that's most of the access to lessons I have and they make it look like a first step. Do you have any suggestions for good projects for learning the basics? I watch a guy who says the first thing you should do is make a whole load of forged leaves, but he's kind of a content farm so I don't know how much of his advice is based around pumping out videos for revenue and how much is genuine good info.

I was going to start with tools, see what felt right, and pick up from there. I've got some flat bars of A36 ready to be turned into tongs as soon as I get the forge running, and then I would like to start working on a drift and punch to make a hammer with. The ultimate goal is to learn a little bit of everything. I'm a giant nerd so I'm sure at some point I'll at least glance longingly at the idea of banging out a sword and a warhammer, just to say I've done it. Other than that, I'll see where the mood takes me.

Hello, folks. I've lurked these forums for a while now and I am just finally starting to put enough together to feel like I should join and join in. I was born and raised in Green Bay, WI and live in the Paper Valley. I'm in my mid 30s, have a degree in creative writing of all things, and work in insurance. In college I took courses in art metals, smithing, casting, and forging, so I have a little bit of foundational knowledge, but since it was all focused on artistic creation I wouldn't say I've got a great handle on all of this. I've got a passion for creating things and I've always wanted to work a forge since I was 12 and went to a reenactment with the boy scouts. I've been trying to accumulate stuff to get my start as cheaply as possible, which is why I've been lurking for like 6 months. In the last 2 weeks I finally started building a forge. I've got a working propane burner, a propane tank cut open with all the holes poked in approximately the right places, today a buddy welded a hinge and clasp on it for me so I can open and ose the front and I just lined the whole thing with an inch of kaowool, stuck down with refractory cement (like glue on the outside, not in the middle lining it). I've got a 3 lb hammer from harbor freight that I've shaped into a serviceable rounding hammer. Still working on rigidizer, castable refractory, and a kiln coating to finish it off. So wow, that was an info dump. Sorry. Anyway, hi, I'm glad to have finally joined and looking forward to contributing.