futureforger Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 hello guys I am very interested in becoming a sword smith but I have never forged a thing in my life so I am wondering where to start any suggestions? I do not have a forge and i am looking for blue prints on a home made forge any suggestions would be awesome! You will see that I moved your topic into the sword area of the forums. We are fortunate on this site to have many swordsmiths. Most keep an eye on this part of the forum You will likely get more response here. Moderator 51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Welcome to the group! I would suggest doing some research in the forum first, then learning how to apply basic techniques before considering swords or even knives. This would be a good thread to read thru and learn from. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/34169-using-rebar-for-sword-making/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Put your general location in the header and you'll find how many IFI folk live within visiting distance. Your's is a classic beginner's question but asking where to start on the road is better than most. Becoming a swordsmith is generally a many years learning curve. Learning the blacksmith's craft to a level necessary to forge swords isn't a short trail. Making knives and other utility blades can be a work of years to master. Metallurgy is a very involved subject, then there's learning how to work it then heat treatment. Forging and finishing a sword is NOT making a long knife, they're creatures of their own. I'd suggest packing a lunch and something to drink, pull up a comfy chair and start reading through the IFI sections. And NOT just the blade sections, there's whole world of blacksmithing and it'll all help on the road. It's a life long learning curve, enjoy the ride. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlacksmithDrew Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 My recommendations are to get materials you can work with, and make sure you have the proper equipment for it, nothing like working with unsafe tools or not able to heat a metal hot enough. So find materials u can use properly and able to make what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Lets start at the beginning, about a forge. There is a huge amount of information here about building one, but remember, except for heat treating you only need to heat a big enugh part of the peice your working in to work in one heat. Viking (and most Iron Age swords) were forged in forges with a hotspot all of about 6" on blocks of iron les than 40#. So you don't need to go hog wild. Tommas is the man that chimes in for most things late Iron Age and midlevel. Rich and Steve are the guys that answer up most often (and can back up there answers) about knives. There are a bunch of others that can advise you on the prices of the puzzle and how to put them to gether. Now back to the forge, I'd suggest low buck, simple and versatile. The 55 side blast is a good place to start. The Britts on the forum can help you with the care and feeding of a side blast (as can Tommas) Now just because I pointed out 3 names, there are hundreds of names I recognize and trust (new ones crop up every day) on here. But the best advice, after listening to what we have to tell you, go and ask the steel. It will let you know with even more certainty if you have it right or wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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