danielj

George -- many thanks! I was actually looking into getting The Blacksmith's Craft. Glad you recommend. I will look into the other as well. Initially I probably just want to set up a place to learn and then see what comes. wondering if I would even do this outside somehow. my dad told me farriers he knew used to affix a forge to their trucks and work on location. I suppose working out ventilation may the biggest issue if working under the garage roof. BBQ's should be allowed... not totally sure. it is an unincorporated area, so I think things are a bit looser. There is actually a beautiful old BBQ there with little coal tunnels beneath hot plates. sending just for kicks. with original hispano moresque D&M tiles. just finished laying the new patio. garden i want to design low ornamental fence for will be just to the right where the grape vine is. but yes, very dry and brushy in the Summer, so must be careful. ah yes, metal worker! Maybe I will send a photo of garage when I get back to give better idea. Thanks for the words Billy, this makes more sense after hearing from yall and thinking things thru a bit. And thanks to others for the resources!! You've been really helpful

Anvil -- glad you liked the vid! He stood apart (in my eyes) even from many of the professional iron workers with huge workshops that I saw on Youtube, just for his sense of design. I am sure he is making it look easy. Yes, I imagine there is quite the learning curve. I suppose I'll start with a couple of books and try to sketch some designs and go on from there. Thanks for showing me into your world a bit. inspiring to see your work. and looks like a beautiful cabin! I imagine those rails were a bit tricky to measure out and get right. We also need a rail made for some porch steps. Perhaps if I get into it... I especially like the truss and the bracket, beautiful designs. I was imagining something like short perimeter fencing, maybe only 1.5' high, to surround a desert garden I am designing. And then possibly work up to bigger things. I'd like to first learn how to do scrolls and piece them together. Ever work with copper? Nice to hear you did all of that by hammer in hand. My feeling is to want to keep things fairly simple along these lines, at least at first.

Sorry about the delays in my response, I've had some issues updating my computer today. Thanks all! Thanks again Glenn. Will circle back when I have more specifics. -- Greetings George, thanks for the welcome and for shedding some light. I've taken your notes and will look into the associations. My initial thought was to get a couple books on traditional blacksmithing to learn about the various techniques and terminology. If there are any you would recommend please let me know. There is a community forge down in Orange County, so I may try to step in and get a feeling. I'm a good self-learner but this does seem like something where it would help to get some pointers. I do also like the look of the traditional collars on the work. I was just impressed by the users speed of work using cold methods and welding. I will look into the users you recommended. I was initially interested in setting up a forge, but not quite sure how if and how I will be able to make the space I have amenable. I'll be in the countryside, but may have to look into zoning etc., as we are a fire rich area... ha! There is a one car garage that is open on one end. Probably 11 feet wide by 15 deep, 8.5 foot ceilings, concrete and dirt floor. Alterable. Anyway! Great to hear from you. Many thanks again, more to come. -- Anvil, this is beautiful work. Love that truss. Reminds me of some of my grandfather's design work in the 60s and 70s. I'd like to give your response its due so will get back tomorrow. NoGoodWithUsernames as well, night all.

Great idea. That seems to be a good place to start, and then I can better determine what tools will be required for the size and style of the project. One last question. For doing larger curves pieces, say an archway, how do you normally go about making the bigger curves? Would these pieces normally be machined? I mean pieces that would not fit in a forge. Thanks again

I appreciate the list. As for being able to make scrolls, is it just that forging makes things faster? The YouTuber above does his work without heat, so I'm wondering what the advantages and disadvantages of each method are, or what is possible with each. I imagine a lot of the old work was done with heat which allows for more beautiful variations and ornament, but I'm still trying to understand. Thanks Glenn, much appreciated. I took down your list. I like his seemingly rudimentary setup and approach. Getting into bigger pieces -- archways, pergolas, and the like -- do you think a forge will become necessary? Trying to figure out in this kind of work when and if heat will be needed aside from welding. Do people scroll with heat because they consider it more beautiful? Or is it because the iron used here is too thick to do by hand?

Hello all, This is my first post. I am interested in building a minimal set up to learn ironwork. Specifically, I would like to design some pieces gardens. Low ornamental fences with grilles/scrolls, and maybe work my way up to archways, gates, and possibly a large pergola for growing vines on. I know this is a lot, but this is just to give an idea of the area of my interest. I love some of the Victorian and Art Nouveau style designs, and I am interested in learning the techniques required to create these styles. Ideally, I would like to be able to work with a minimal amount of large expensive machinery, and I like the idea of making tools where possible. From what I've seen, smithys can vary quite a bit depending on focus and style, so I was just hoping to be pointed in a good direction for my purposes. I am open to taking classes to learn techniques, but they seem to be somewhat rare and/or expensive, and in the case of welding, geared towards electricians. I am located in Southern California. Any advice to start? Yesterday, I stumbled upon a YouTube user whose work I really appreciate (video below). He seems to do all the work without a forge. I'm wondering if this might be a good place to start for my sort of applications. He uses relatively few tools, makes his own twisting machines, etc. Mostly, I'm just wondering if I could get by learning without having a huge shop full of machinery. I know it's a bit of a big question, but any pointers would be appreciated, as well as books you would recommend for beginning this kind of work. Examples in photos below. Thank you!