Hi all!

 

My names Nate, I'm 15, and I live in Northeastern PA.

 

It's been one of my dreams to blacksmith a functioning sword that will last me a lifetime. Life is short; live the dream before it's too late.

 

So here I am, forging in my garage. It is hands down one of the most fun activities I have ever engaged in, and I expect to be doing it throughout summer. 

 

I'm also going to have a Medieval Russian armor project coming up soon.

 

Well anyways, there's a little about me. I hope to get a lot of great tips and experience from this community.

I said my traditional welcome in your other post but having a name is a good thing. I don't know how long I'd like calling someone a toxic banana.

 

IFI has a pretty extensive bladesmithig section and some of the best bladesmiths in the country post here regularly. I'm not one of them, a bladesmith that is. I do have a little advice though. Wanting to start off by forging a sword is pretty common but is a lot more likely to turn out badly. If you start by learning to forge in general, then move on to knives then daggers, then work up to swords you're a lot more likely to forge good swords.

 

Of course that's just the opinion of a "not a blade guy" so I could be wrong. <grin>

 

whatever you end up forging, few things in life feel as good as using a tool you made with your own hands.

 

Frosty the Lucky.

Greetings and welcome Nate,

 

I feel you will do well and have access to more expertise and help with your future blacksmith ventures on this sight than you can ever use..  I would make only one suggestion...  Change your profile name...  I find it hard to type toxic anything...

 

I wish you well

Jim 

Yeah it's a little odd. It's just been my forum name for forever so I find it odd being anything else. If you honestly think I should change my username it's fine by me.

 

With regards to smithing: I am working on knives before swords. I don't want to mess up a $60 piece of tool steel just because of my inexperience.