ok i am new at this

[snowsmith]

ok see i want to know how to do everything so if someone wants to give advise i am open for some cause i just picked this up as a new hobby and how i ended up at blacksmithing is i have always wanted to make my own knives and tools and such

[ThomasPowers]

My advice: go to your local library and ask them to ILL books like "The Complete Modern Blacksmith", Weygers, and "The Complete Bladesmith", Hrisoulas, for you to read. If you like them then they should go on your christmas list *NOW*.

Next find a local ABANA chapter to you. There is a fairly good list of them at anvilfire on their navigate anvilfire pulldown menu look for ABANA. Go to meetings.

If you are near central NM I would be happy for you to come visit my shop for some basic training.
Thomas

[keykeeper]

Snowsmith: Listen to what Thomas is saying. There are myriad resources on the internet, and your local library will have some good books on the subject. Also, if you look hard enough, you will find some good, honest folks will to help you. Just remember, you can't learn it, without doing it! So get out there and make it happen!

Personally, I read all the books in my local library, and even had some brought in on inter-library loan. But the true learning began at a conference, and was furthered after my forge was built.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask questions as you go along the path of learning this fine hobby!

Give us your location, someone on here is probably close to you, and would be willing to help.

[ladysmith]

Snow,

Listen to Thomas and Keykeeper. Beyond that, here is what I did when first getting started...Go through the blueprints on this site. When you find something that looks interesting that you think you can understand the directions, try it. If you're like me you'll get lost half way through more often than not. Here's the trick though...keep at it until you figure it out. One of the first things you'll learn is there is no "one right way" to do most blacksmithing. However there are ways that work better and are easier than others.

Another tip is to get comfortable smithing with mild steel before starting on high carbon steel knives. Mild steel is easier to work, and way more forgiving than high carbon steel. Understand how the steel moves when you hit it with different hammers, and at different heat colors. Understand what happens when you leave it in the fire too long or at too high of a temperature. Experiment! Once you understand what happens, and get a few cool projects under your belt, then practice making "knives" out of mild steel. (They make great letter openers.) Read, practice, experiement, and ask plenty of questions, and you'll do well and have a lot more fun.

Pam

[job]

snowsmith
Take heed to the ladies words She doth speaketh the truth and has used her words with care. The book learning is also a good idea but it all sounds very easy when looking at it page by page and most thimngs tend to go pear shaped when you hit that first heat . So get into the heating and hitting and getting the odd spark or two as you swing that hammer..
I reckon a good first project would be to play with a couple or three dog spikes Then at the end of the day yoiu can look at the result and say " I made that"( that is one hell of a feeling)And just remeber Everyone started some where with just that first hammer blow( Then the addiction set in)