Jenn

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

Ok you seemed hung up on "best"; don't be.  It's skills that you need not fancy tooling!  Or as I say; "1000 hours working on a US$100 anvil will make you a better smith than 100 hours working on a US$1000 anvil."  If your SO had never driven a car would you be looking for a Maserati for them to learn to drive on? 

By best I don't mean most expensive. I mean most reliable and most useful, something that I won't have to replace anytime soon. Something that gets used often and doesn't frustrate you to use. 

The part you said about the screw and screwbox and tongs was very helpful.

I will definitely look for those books as well. 

6 hours ago, Glenn said:

Look at Holland anvils, and Jymm Hoffman anvils.  Both are members of the site and are extremely helpful. Tell them IForgeIron sent you.  Jymm also sells hammers.  

An anvil in the 100 to 150 pound range will do a lifetime of work.  If you find an anvil of 200 pounds at a good price, consider it but it is not necessary.  Heavier anvils are generally needed for some types of blacksmithing or industrial blacksmithing, due to the nature of that work.

Thank you. I was considering a 70lb anvil but worried it would be too small. 

5 hours ago, dustyrode said:

Outside of a decent post vise, no real brand preference here. I  probably use my wolf jaw tongs the most, but with some hassle I could make due. One of the easiest to make on your own, and I use them almost as much as wolf jaw tongs, is a pair of scrolling tongs. I could not make due without those, although in a bad pinch I might make a pair of needle nose pliers work for some jobs.

Thank you these notes are quickly helping me narrow down my options. There are soooooo many. 

1 hour ago, Les L said:

Jenn,

Ken's Custom site has detailed videos that show how to assemble the tongs and they come with detailed instructions. You not only end up with good tongs, at a good price, but you also get a blacksmith class with them  and the satisfaction of completing them yourself. I bought a set when I first started, it is amazing seeing the difference in the quality of the finished product from the first set to the last set.

That sounds great. He works much better with watching than he does reading so that will be good.

7 hours ago, dustyrode said:

3. A vise. Man, you would not believe how much work is done in and with a vise. Of course a post vise is ideal, but even a smallish bench vise is a good start.

4. A pair or two of tongs. Ken's iron is a good way to go, or hunting at yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales is fun.

Do you have a suggestion on brands of vise that are good?

And what tongs do you use the most?

6 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

No one has mentioned books. An old sage I knew had this advice for me. When starting a new venture (hobby/collecting) the first $1000 should be spent on books. Fortunately in our day & age there a lot of books free for the down load. This thread has a lot of them listed. http://www.bamsite.org/books/books.html

Also we have a thread here for recommended You Tube videos in this link. I especially enjoy those by jlpservicesinc (Jennifer) she rocks as a blacksmith. https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/174-reference-materials/

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/54803-jlp-videos/

He's not really a reader but I am. I will make good use of those. Thank you. 

 I'm taking notes and am glad to have advice. And some of my questions might be obvious or silly.  What are some good blacksmithing supply websites? 

What weight anvil did y'all start with?

7 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Most smiths do not like fiberglass handles and feel that it is too rigid and promotes wrist and arm fatigue and injuries.

Do you think wooden handles are best? Or leather wrapped?

7 hours ago, bluerooster said:

tongs mabe 2 different jaw

How do I choose which jaw?

7 hours ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

the kens tongs I told you about have kits with multiple types of tongs, you have to put  them together yourself but you will get a lot of pairs of different ones for the same price you will pay for a single ready made pair, 

 

Are putting them together simple? 

6 hours ago, Nodebt said:

  If he is interested in forging and such things, I sure hope he does not stumble onto this conversation!    I think a great gift would be to point him here at the right time.... 

I doubt he will. At least I hope he doesn't.

And I will definitely show him this site.

6 hours ago, Goods said:

Another gift that would be invaluable, would be a membership to your local ABANA affiliate, assuming you have one close by. 

I will look into that tomorrow for sure. 

Yes, I do plan to tinker with it myself a bit once he gets the hang of it. I'm wracking my brain trying to determine which are best. I know you can find the hammers everywhere but I'm not sure which weight is best. And wood or fiberglass handles? And what kind and size of vise. Or which tongs? (I read about many types of jaws on tongs) My goal is to have everything he will need by Christmas and I don't want to leave anything essential or particularly useful out. 

I am buying my S.O. the things needed to start forging as a Christmas present. I have bought a double burner forge and am now looking into hammers, tongs, and other supplies he will need. I am curious what things/brands did you personally feel were must haves and which were not worth buying. 

Thank you for your help.