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I Forge Iron

Neighborhood Blacksmithing


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I own 200 acres and have more trouble than a city dweller on account of people that have moved out here on a postage stamp think they can control what has been going on for 50 years. A housing addition less than 1/8 mile away on my north slope.

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Live on a couple hundred acres on a farm so no problems with my neighbours being the nearest is a quarter mile away and ones my grandfather and the others I repair their tractors for them. I couldnt imagine living in the city it would drive me crazy.

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I rent a house in a fair size city in SC. Technically I live in the county so there are few limitations and restrictions. I do have neighbors all around although we have big yards. My forge is outdoors (sort off)..... I have a concrete slab with four posts and a roof. I get just enough shade to see the color of the steel in the forge. The pump house for the well is about 50 feet away and I run a hose to the shop just in case.

I burn charcoal and have almost no smoke when forging. There is initial smoke when I make charcoal in a garbage can, but only for a short while. It's common for my neighbors to burn leaves and debris in their yards so no problems there. As far as noise, I asked my neighbors if I was being too noisy and they just laughed and said enjoy myself. I'm currently making a simple anvil from a piece of 4" x 4" x 12" mild steel I want to embed in a big ole stump I have. I've been told that if I add sand to the base, the hammering sounds will be greatly diminished. I live around good folks who appreciate handcrafted steel. That being said, I do all I can not to be a nuisance.

Happy Hammering:D

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I have one neighbor who thinks our forge is cool and stops by just to see what we are working on. I have several others who are cranky about it but I'm not breaking any rules or laws so they have to live with it. Besides, now that the strip mall behind my house if finished complete with liquor store and smoke shop you can't hear my hammer over the loud music in all the loitering cars :)

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For the couple years I lived in a small city, I had no problems with the neighbors. The older lady across the alley and the ones a couple houses down would wander over to watch and talk. They remembered it all - growing up on small farms or in small towns. They would even bring the grandkids over to also see. The city cops would occasionally swing by, but they just wanted to watch and talk as well.

The noise? It was far less than the guy several houses down the alley who always worked on his racing stock car - especially when he was tweaking the engine at 11:30 P.M. along with a couple of his buddies and a case of beer! He did get talked to several times by the cops about the noise.

Out here in the hills, I do have one "I know best how everybody else should live and treat their land" guy on the ridge across from me. He built his "summer/vacation home in the country" and complains about all the normal farming practices going on around him. He has HIS 40 acres, and NOBODY better EVER set foot on it without HIS permission. But he has no concerns about wandering over all the land of his neighbors any time HE feels like it. And then going up to that neighbor to CONFRONT them about something they did on their land that HE doesn't personally like! If HE does something, it is automatically considered correct. But he feels it is HIS duty to confront anybody doing anything that HE doesn't personally like - because HE knows best - being an educated gentleman from the big city amongst all these uneducated rural hicks! Few people in the area will have anything to do with him. I'm on ... cordial ... terms with his wife, but try to avoid him. The last time I told him it was none of his business (some logging) he immediately bristled and almost yelled at me that HE would have something to say about that! Never heard another peep from him about that. I'm pretty sure he TRIED to have his say at the County Courthouse, and I know they told him where to go! Now, if only he'd go crawl back to that big city where he thinks he's god (instead of just being a retired power company worker).

He's never said anything about the blacksmithing. But he's also over 400 yards away with part of a ridge in between.

So, no problems smithing for me. But I haven't tried to ... push ... the issue on anybody.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' german blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

Edited by Mike Ameling
bad spellin
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I live on 10 acres (more or less) on Hwy 11 about 2 miles out of town and shoot my Rifles and Handguns in my Backyard since about 25 years. I had a cop come by once about 20 years ago and he was more worried about a reasonable backstop (I have) then the noise...LOL I helps when I sight in the guns for my neighbours and once in a while help the cops with their guns.
My forge will be with charcoal (I will be building) I have to wait for warmer weather!! 4 Days ago our Hwy was closed for about 200 miles both directions (BLIZZARD) and right now we have 2 days of blowing snow and minus 12 Celsius.
I don't think that smoke will be a problem, since all the neighbours have woodburning stoves!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I live on a ranch the middle of nowhere - literally...in the middle of nowhere. I live in the center of the largest inter-mountian valley in the world. Colorado's San Luis Valley is a geographic oddity. It is a valley that is the size of the state of Conneticut. The nearest city is 150 miles away. It about as remote as you can get outside of Alaska. My nearset neighbor is about a mile away. There are a few of us oddballs who live out in the boonies on here arent there...hmm I wonder what that says about smiths in general? I dont have a problem with noise, but my suggestion is to sound proof the shop as much as you can, set hours of operation and be really nice to your neighbors(make them something from time to time) :)

Edited by Reid Neilsen
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I wish I lived in the middle of elbow room even if my wife is a city girl and would rather be in a downtown condo. We do live out in the country of sorts as I'm not in any town but there are houses all around me like a large spread out neighborhood. My neighbors beside me and I live on 1/2 acer lots with a small ravine across the street with a couple of houses over there and a small farm behind. The land use to be a trailer park till the owner found he could make more money selling off lots instead.
So far as I'm just getting started I have had no complaints with only 1 neighbor to really worry about. But after building a wood shop, patio awing and other outdoor type things, along with just finishing a small utility trailer I have had no complaints about noise yet. I don't work everyday but I do have to do my forge work outside when I do so I hope my luck holds out. Both neighbors are good folks so maybe it will. I just hope the little volunteer fire department does not get to be a problem as they do come up with some of the wall regs and rules. But I have in the past worked with most of them when I was on an ambulance and they as first responders so should be no problem there if I'm still in good standing.
Bill P

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Neighbors are seriously important to be on good terms with. I have the rule that if the work takes less than a half hour it is free for a neighbor. They like me so no trouble. Building inspectors are related to**** and are to be groveled to or else.

Edited by steve sells
removed a poor choice of reference
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Stuck in suburbia here, with enough restrictions to choke a cow. (With good reason, anyone remember the Chicago Fires?) With that said, I try to keep myself as meek and out of the way as possible, and thankfully I have some good neighbors. (He even bought some things off of me, how's that for being a nice guy?)

That said, I -do- have a rather grouchy neighbor on the other side, who likes to call all manner of public officials on me for the slightest of reasons. Most times they ask me "What in God's green earth" I'm doing, and I have to spend about 20 minutes explaining. Then they just tell em to keep the noise down and they leave. Worst that ever happened is that I got a long lecture about the "dangers of fire' and then got told to put it out. I covered the fire with some dirt, let them leave as you merry will, dug it back out and then got back to work.

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I live in a small town, work with coal, and am on good terms with my neighbors.

I have spoken with my neighbors and asked them to make sure my house is on fire before calling the FD, and I have friends there too!

But the local constabulary has asked me not to shoot my cannon in the back yard... I think if I don't, then we'll stay friends.

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start at 9 and end by 6 is my rule. i have really grouchy neibors on all sides. i just use charcoal (no smoke) and i have a fisher (almost no ring). try a little dirt under your anvil between the base it kills the ring but leaves the rebound. no problems yet for the police coming but, a few annoyed neighbors.

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