max ziffle Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Hey All, I've been lurking around reading the posts for a while now. Been bending iron for about a couple weeks but really have near two months experience if you count building my own forge. It cost me about $400.00 so far, but I know its worth at least $30.00. Experience ain't always cheap. I don't come totally inexperienced in metal bending- I recall when I was a young lad the old man always seemed to have a bucket or two of nails that needed straightening. I've learned some good things from reading the posts on here and I've learned some stuff on my own as well: like the blacksmith's two step, which occurs when you hit the steel wrong and knock a hunk of red hot metal right out of your tongs and onto the ground - and the blacksmith's dead lift, when you try to get the anvil onto that chunk of wood like you see in all the pictures - and the blacksmith's first aid badge which I earned by putting dressings on the cuts, burns and scrapes I got by playing around the forge and anvil. I don't learn real fast but I try not to make the same mistake too many times. My real incentive to get into this came by last year when I bought a new garden tractor - never had a "new" one before. When I started shopping for implements for it I soon realized that all you can buy is what someone else thought of and built and sells - not necessarily exactly what you want. Also, if you take out the cost of the manufacturing and shipping ( I live in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada) and taxes and duties you can save something like 75% by making your own. The surprise for me was how much fun it is to take a piece of metal and make it something it wasn't. thanks for your time Quote
781 Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 Welcome to the group Please change the upper right to list where you zre from Quote
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