Sombody help this downcast ameture blacksmith wanabe

[Loki Steelheart]

Hello everyone.

I am a 20( 21 on the 31st) year old who likes blacksmithing/bladesmithing.

local ordinances prevent me from doin my thing.(mentioned above)

Are there ANY blacksmiths/bladesmiths in the Lancaster county Pennsylvania area that would be wiling to take me in so I have a place to work?I have my own anvil and one large pair of tongs,a few hammers.I lack a blower and i need more tongs.I also have some mig welding skills and I am also good at making new handles for hammers.I have not been able to make anything since late september and I long to beat on some glowing steel again.Can somebody help me out

[OddDuck]

Just out of curiosity, what do the ordinances stop you from doing? Are there restrictions on open fires or is it a noise ordinance? Do you live in a rural area or are you in-town? I would check very carefully and ask the local authorities if certain uses are allowed, such as blacksmithing. I would think that if you can have a barbecue you can have a forge, the noise ordinances would be a little more difficult to deal with. There are ways around just about everything, I highly encourage you to do it legally, however. If you are an apartment dweller you may have a tough row to hoe, however.

[Loki Steelheart]

Just out of curiosity, what do the ordinances stop you from doing? Are there restrictions on open fires or is it a noise ordinance? Do you live in a rural area or are you in-town? I would check very carefully and ask the local authorities if certain uses are allowed, such as blacksmithing. I would think that if you can have a barbecue you can have a forge, the noise ordinances would be a little more difficult to deal with. There are ways around just about everything, I highly encourage you to do it legally, however. If you are an apartment dweller you may have a tough row to hoe, however.

well Not supposed to make fires in my yard...against ordinances even though our yard is just basically a dirt pile.....then the noise some person reported me to the nazi zonming officer...I was happily pounding out steel till about then.I live in a suburban area that borders a forest so...I was thinking about making a primitive forge in thye forest near a river too but im sure not gonna lug the anvil that far as it is 200 pounds...really blows my younger brothers liked to helkp me too (15 yr old 16 yr old and a 19 yr old ...the 19 yr old plays the baGpipes) so yeah kinda bummed >.>

[ThomasPowers]

Having forged *inside* my house in a city neighborhood before I think that what you may need is to modify your set up.

1: Look for a Fisher or Vulcan anvil---very quiet to work on.
2: Make a propane forge or use only charcoal----no smoke
3: be aware of your neighbors, especially if they have babies and work around their schedules

(during a bad winter I was going stir crazy and so built a 1 fire brick forge powered by a small propane torch that I used in my basement to make penannular brooches, small knives and a bunch of nails.)

[OddDuck]

Nosy neighbors are always a problem. Again, find out what the specific ordinances are. If they allow barbecue grills, they should allow forges. It's not an open fire, it's not a burn barrel or something. If the Nazis are going to give you a hard time, make 'em work for it. The laws are there to protect you and your property rights as much as your neighbors. Knowlege is power. If you find out that you have the right to do it, know the paragraph and subsection so that you have proof the next time they show up. Do your homework. As far as noise, do something to muffle your anvil. Build a windbreak to direct the noise away from your neighbors (check codes on this as well, perhaps make it moveable and portable so that it isn't a permanent structure.) Don't make noise late at night or early in the morning, be a considerate neighbor.
Remember, you have rights as well. You are not harming anyone, you aren't doing it in your neighbor's yard, if there aren't covenants or a neighborhood association they have little say on what you do in your yard. It sounds like you are still living at home with your folks. As long as you have their permission and their full knowlege of what you are doing I would insist on your rights. Build a propane forge, build a forge in an old barbecue and see what they say. Make the person who told you to stop cite the relevant law, and get it in writing. It shouldn't just be their opinion, it has to be a specific ordinance. Unless you are doing this to sell stuff, aka a business, this is just a hobby. Commercial statutes shouldn't apply.
Now, for a disclaimer, these are my opinions. Your mileage may vary. You are not powerless, you have rights too. I don't suggest building anything (especially something involving fire) on someone elses property, aka the "primitive forge" idea. This could get you in more trouble, and you could lose your equipment as well if whoever owned the property found out and hauled off your stuff when you weren't around. Your best bet, short of finding someone elses forge, would be to do your research and find out exactly what you really can and can't do. Check the town code enforcement office, check the zoning office, check with the fire department. Know more than the idjit that told you to cease and desist.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I see a new TV show in the works here "Guerrilla Blacksmithing"


Watch smiths do their dirty work despite code restrictions, unneighborly neighbors, and the dreaded housing Nazis AKA HOA's!!! See how they disguise their Smithies with BBQ forges, planter box anvils, "fireplace" tongs, yard art hardies, and much more!! Can these Smiths get their projects done in spite of narrow minded bureaucrats, and boring uncreative folks who surround them?!?! Tune in and find out!!!!! B)

[son_of_bluegrass]

Is there a local blacksmithing club near you? Check the ABANA website for an affailate. Here the local chapter has a shop set up that members can use.

ron

[ThomasPowers]

Unfortunately a lot of places the ordinances make a specific exemption for cooking food and so a gas or charcoal forge does *NOT* fit under a BBQ grill section.

I had a bad neighbor once that kept calling the Fire Department on me; but by the grace of a beneficent deity, every time it was when I was using my smoker to cook! So after the 4th time the FD wedged their pumper down the narrow alleyway to see me cooking chicken or salmon with wood, it stopped. (I heard on the bounce that they told the person doing it that there would be a $1000 fine for a false alarm the next time they did it.)

In Columbus OH the ordinances were written so that *anything* making a discernible noise or smell off your property was forbidden---then it was just not enforced unless they had a complaint.

I had a student that fought back and was told he needed a permit from the EPA to burn coal. So he called up the EPA; they asked how much he was burning and he said "500-600"; they said "Tons?", "no hundred pounds". When they stopped laughing they told him not to call back until he was in the 100 of tons range. He asked and they nicely documented that for him and he presented it to the city. Whereupon he as told he had to file for a burning permit 10 working days before *each* session *and* pay a $25 fee each time.

Note that this was the same city I ran my forge in for 15 years and save for the smoker incidents and the time a building burned down near my shop because nobody called it in thinking it was my coal smoke there was no hassle for me.

[j.w.s.]

Hello everyone.

I am a 20( 21 on the 31st) year old who likes blacksmithing/bladesmithing.

local ordinances prevent me from doin my thing.(mentioned above)

Are there ANY blacksmiths/bladesmiths in the Lancaster county Pennsylvania area that would be wiling to take me in so I have a place to work?I have my own anvil and one large pair of tongs,a few hammers.I lack a blower and i need more tongs.I also have some mig welding skills and I am also good at making new handles for hammers.I have not been able to make anything since late september and I long to beat on some glowing steel again.Can somebody help me out

I'm actually in Mount Joy, pretty much right downtown and I have no problems (knock on wood) but I do my smithing inside of an old stone garage and most of the time with the doors closed. As for shops in the local area that might be able to help you out, try http://www.pablacksmith.org/ - I'd love to help out a fellow smith in need however my time is limited at the moment and I may be moving shops before too long. Good luck though, and do a little research as some other folks have said - Personally I went to gas for my forge which eliminates the smoke and I tend to only do hammering while the neighbors are at work - but I'm blessed with that sort of schedule. :)

[pkrankow]

There are many ways to reduce the noise of an anvil including wrapping in chain, fastening securely to a stump, putting a rubber pad or sealant between the stump and anvil, burying the anvil partway in sand, speaker or cow magnets. I am sure there are more.

However this will not eliminate all noise of the anvil. There is a particular sharp sound from the hammer striking that will not go away!

I am using secure fastening to the stump, sealant, and chain. I still feel the need to wear earplugs, but am thankful my neighbors are a fair distance away.

A quieter anvil is healthier for your hearing too.

Good luck.

Phil