For newbies like me.

I've spent a lot of time trying to find a source on the internet for truly basic blacksmithing methods and pointers ... I think I have located the best source to date: "Basic Blacksmithing" a 132 page e-book with very simple but understandable ideas ... things you can do with things you can find!!

Has a section that explains how to skin an animal for your bellows

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/downloads/pdf/blacksmithing.pdf

I located this link on the Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association website. Hope this is helpful to some of the other newbies.

Tim

thanks for this...if only i had seen it earlier!

alec B)

Thanks Tim, What a great book you found.

Thats a good resource,

and here is another free downloadable one with much more information to add to your knowledge base

http://www.hct.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html

Great info everyone! Thanks! :)

There is some more info if this url works: http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/blacksmith/farmshop.html

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of blacksmith schools

Thanks for the responses -

John B. ... couldn't get your link to work.

Frank Turley ... thanks, that's a great source too.

The best part of this site is the ability to share and the willingness of everyone to help.

http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/education/education_index.htm

Try this some excellent information here too.

Thanks for the responses -

John B. ... couldn't get your link to work.

Frank Turley ... thanks, that's a great source too.

The best part of this site is the ability to share and the willingness of everyone to help.

Sorry Tim, I don't know why you couldn't get that site, I have just tried and it got straight through,
There is another site you may be able to get to them through

http://p1.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/archive/publications/craftpublications.asp

Hope you have better success with this one.

here is the site to my smithing group it has some books for view and some for download http://maritimeblacksmiths.ca/pdf/ really nice resource

Thats a good resource,

and here is another free downloadable one with much more information to add to your knowledge base

http://www.hct.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html

Here's a good site for blacksmithing e-books. Some the same as above, some additional.
http://www.blacksmithingebooks.com/

http://books.google.com/books?id=zoFIAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=elementary+forge+practice&cd=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false
here is another.
Phil

Thanks to one and all. It is amazing the information that is available once we start looking. Most of what has been posted here I have not seen. Lots of happy reading/study for the next few weeks. Best online blacksmithing school going - IFI rules! Now, if they could only get the blueprint section up and running ... it'll be great!