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I Forge Iron

Hello from Indianapolis


Frode

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Hello and thanks for including me in the forum!
I come this way from woodworking, having taken an interest in green and medieval woodworking. I've learned quickly that the unique sorts of tools for this kind of work don't show up in a big box store (or almost anywhere else, for that matter), and that lots of folks involved in this sort of thing end up making their own. Although I've turned a couple of pieces of mild steel orange and hammered them into blade shaped things, I'm no blacksmith! This forum comes up a lot in other discussions though, so here I am, and I hope to learn some things. Plus, it's always fun to look at the great work of others!
Thanks,
Frode

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Well, beings your from Indianapolis, I would expect that you would learn FAST! :rolleyes:
That was supposed to be a PUN!!

Welcome to I Forge Iron!

I beleive it is wisdom to take a little time and get used to this site.
Read, read, read, and read some more.

For example: When you learn how to paint oil paintings, including color combining, brush types and strokes, space usage, depth of field, and on and on, then and only then you may paint any pitcher you would like, nicely.

The same principle with Blacksmithing. Basics Basics, Basics - then move ahead to make what you can dream of!

I wish you the best in your quest to create with steel.
Ted Throckmorton

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Welcome to the group
If you are looking for tools not from the box store go to Quad state conference, Troy OH,
It starts Sep 23 but people start arriving about the 19th.
Some where around 100 tailgaters/vendors
They have more on Wed for a weekend conference than most conferences have the whole weekend.
Lots of blacksmith demos besides.

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I second and third Quad-State! I'm driving in from New Mexico for it in a 22 year old PU with no cruise control or AC!

Hope to see you there! http://www.sofasounds.com/conference2011/2011index.htm

I've been doing quite a bit of medieval cooking tools lately as I have a friend who does medieval cooking using medieval tools rather than modern stove and oven. Her Peacock was quite tasty last campout as were the ducks, home made noodles, cobblers, etc.

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Frode I will be picking your brain a lot if possible, I want to build an open air kind of building and set my coal forge up in it, I was really wanting to do this kinda like a medieval shop, post construction, half walled, thatched roof kinda thing, waiting on the sap to drop to start cutting locust, took the bobcat and cleared the ground last week, and figured I would try to make all the tools I would need and try to learn a bit of the techniques while Im waiting on the sap, can you recomend any good reading on this subject, or if you have any, I have quite a few books on smithing I would be glad to maybe trade you out for a bit on.

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I'd suggest you look at medieval illuminations of smiths at work before designing it then to see what was actually used over what folks nowadays believe was used.

Thatch is a fire hazard, especially if you go medieval and forge with charcoal!

For a nice post and beam shop take a look at the one Charles McRaven had in Country Blacksmithing. Once when I was in Hollister MO I hunted it down and saw it in person.

IN gets a lot colder in winter than England does in most places so if you try to replicate an original please take that into account.

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Yeah the fire hazard crossed my mind, I told my son that would be his job to keep roof from burning down lol.......thanks for the advice I will look into the McRaven one, my coal forge is outside right now and the cold did keep me from it a few months, thats why I built my gas forge and set up an inside shop as well. I may be a bit crazy on this one really, but I just think it would be really cool to have an outdoor shop like that, historically correct would be great. Doubt I would ever get to where I used it exclusively as I really do like my little gas forge and modernized shop a lot, but it would be great for certain projects to really get into the feel of it all.

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I built my own double lunged bellows---came into smithing in the 1400's by way of the gold smiths IIRC---and decided I liked it better than my hand crank blower---which I had previously decided I liked better than the electric blower I started smithing with.

"Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel" Gies & Gies has several medieval illuminations of blacksmiths at work in it; unfortunately while the show the forge and anvil and bellows they tend not to show the shop.

May I commend to your consideration "De Re Metallica", Agricola, for a slew of woodcuts showing very nicely how metalworking buildings were made in the 1500's. Easily found in English translation (translated by an american president no less!) published by Dover. Your local library can ILL it if they don't have a copy!

Off to Quad-State!

Thomas

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