Reckon I'm the new kid on the block. Just a beginner really and mostly smith for fun and the odd plant hanger that my wife may want. I have taken the beginners course at JCC, but it was a few years back.

Welcome, have you had a chance to look at the blueprints section? I just found it last week. Some good ideas/stuff there. Jim

I havnt been thru the whole section yet but I'm definitely working on it.

Itry,
Welcome to IFI.
I hope you will keep working on looking through the whole section.
When you are done, maybe the hook of interest will be sunk in a little deeper. I think it would be a good thing if it happens!
To get started into the blacksmithing craft only require few simple tools/equipment.
That is, not as many tools/equipment as I once thought were necessary years ago to get start into blacksmithing.
After seeing photos of native blacksmiths who live in third world countries who are just squatting on the ground using an animal skin foot pump for a billows, and forging on a chunk of steel, I realized that it don’t take many tools to blacksmith.
I use the term “To Start With” when I talk to someone who is just starting out into blacksmithing. Some people do not have the financial means to lay out a lot of money for the purchase of a top of the line anvil, forge, hammers, tongs, or swedge blocks, etc.!
Or, they don’t know if they want to invest much money into tools/equipment just incase they loose interest.
Due to the abundant availability and low cost of small gas forges now days, and the easy availability to plans to make a small forge (gas or solid fuel), overcomes what once was an obstacle for an easy start-up into blacksmithing years ago.
Then all you have to do after that is figure out what you will use for an anvil (something like a railroad track) to start with, tongs (maybe use long handled pliers) to start with, and a slack tub (water bucket) to start with. You may need a hacksaw and a hammer (or what ever you have) to start with.
Then you can start making simple bending tools, punches, drifts, chisels, cut off hardie tools and swedge tools “to start with”.
Once you get started and are actively forging and have a feel for what blacksmithing is all about, at that point you will know just how much you are willing to spend to up-grade your set up.
Be safe!
Old Rusty Ted