handbentironworks Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hello all. My name is Bill and i am just introducing myself. Have fooled around with modern bending, scrolls, pickets and house decor but never fooled around with smithing. I am considering trying to give it a shot. I have a few things that i will need including anvil and few hammers that i use for the scroll bending etc....The big expense will be the forge and forge blower. I found a well known blacksmith in Brandon MS on the internet by the name Brian Brazeal. Considering a few workshop classes with him at his shop. I enjoy reading what everyone is sharing on here. Thanks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Welcome to IFI ! Where are you? Baton Rouge La. here, Arnold @ Anvil Blacksmiths. Drop by! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handbentironworks Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thanks. Im from the outskirts of Summit. I will have to drop by and see what im getting in to..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'd think our smiths in South America, South Africa and Australia might argue your "down south" designation! Putting your *general* location in your profile can help people with location specific queries. A coal forge can be built for under US$10 including the blower and it sounds like you already have the skills and equipment to do so. I use the axle cover from a banjo rear end as a forgepot; bought two used as jackstands for $3 and have used the first one for 25 years so far so I'm set for life! I've built bellows for next to nothing too and a well made properly set up double chambered bellows was much nicer to use than a hand crank blower which in turn was nicer than the electric blower I started with 31+ years ago. Find a HVAC company and see if they have an exhaust assist fan from a scrapped house furnace you can get for little or no money. I tell folks that if you are spending a lot of money to get *started* blacksmithing---you are doing it wrong! Assuming you are in the USA go ILL "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" by Weygers at your local public library---it's full of ways to do it on the cheap and examples of the high quality stuff you can make from those ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhoman Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 South is relative :rolleyes: Welcome to IFI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
781 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I agree with Thmas about getting a scrap fan It can even be an old vacum cleaner although they are very loud I use a small squirrel cage fan that I put a movable steel piece that covers the intake. If I dont want air I cover and if I want a lot of air I have it totally open. As for a ducts nest some use a brake drum and a sheet of steel along with some piping. As for Brian Brazeal you would have the opertunity to learn more in a few days that you might be capable of obsorbing. He can move a lot of metal very quickly and effiecently. LDW post here regularly showing class that Brian is teaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I have to agree with Roger I had Brian here several times to demo and to teach He is the real deal no smoke , no mirrors , no bs, no trying to dazzle you with a lot of nonsense,just the moving and manipulation of the metal in the most efficient manner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Don't fool yourself, you can build a functional forge for nothing. That's exactly what I've got in mine, minus the electricity it took to weld it up. It's not pretty, most here would laugh at it, but it works. Heck, my first forge consisted of an old brake drum welded to the bottom of a metal wheel barrow. Made a lot of stuff in it until it rusted through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handbentironworks Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Thanks guys for the introduction. I included my location South Mississippi, Summit to be exact. Very small town but been here all my life. I found a blower I had put up in the loft of my shop. It is one of the small electric blowers used to air up and keep inflated the holiday santas and other decorations in your front yard. Also found a junked Ashley insert that i can get the firebox out of. Total cost is nothing so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handbentironworks Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 I checked out alot of Brian's videos and find them to be really interesting. I agree with 781 the opportunity to learn more than my brain would allow me to process is probable. But it would be a great experience to learn what i could remember in a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 welcome aboard, glad to have ya. It'd be awful hard to beat a clinic or two with Brian for getting yourself into the craft. As said already, making a forge is as simple as it gets, there's no need to get fancy, all it has to do is hold a fire and let you air it. Same for an anvil, almost any heavy piece of steel will work. Same for hammers, ball peins are dandy a single jack sledge is good to have but not necessary. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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