C.I.TR3 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Hello All, I have been lurking on the forum for quite a while and doing A LOT of reading. What a great wealth of information on this site. I am an aspiring beginner located north of Seattle Washington. At this point my plan is to be mostly self taught based on reading books (The new Edge of the Anvil and The Art of Blacksmithing) and websites but I am hoping to find a weekend class locally that can help get me started on the right foot. I know David Lisch at Studio 4 forge does some weekend classes and I am on his email list hoping he will do another one this fall. In regards to tools, I am learning to weld as well and have just started working on building a forge. After this post I will be heading to the gas forge forum to post some questions there. I am also searching for an anvil but they seem to be difficult to come by in the northwest. Based on my reading I have learned that the way to start is to tell everyone I am looking for one and to look on Craigslist. I have started on both these tracks. Anyway, thanks in advance for all the knowledge that is being shared on this forum. I look forward to learning more from everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Howdy from 'bama ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Welcome. I spent 5 years out in Keyport Wa when my dad was stationed out there in the early 80's. In fact I got started in smithing because the Jr high I went to in Poulsbo had both a gas forge and gas foundry setup. I took every shop class I could while out there. I loved the area and would love one day to go back. My guess is it's no where near what it was like when I lived out there. Now it's all probably built up heavily. I know it was starting to when we left. Try Searchtempest.com to expand your CL search. It lets you put in a search term to look for. "Anvil" or "Blacksmithing" are two common searches I use, and a distance from your zipcode you are willing to go. I usually set mine to about 100 miles unless I'm seriously on a search for a specific item. Sometimes playing with the search terms can bring up unexpected results because people misspelled something.. You;'d be surprised how many "ARK" welders I've seen listed. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.I.TR3 Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 Thanks to both of you. Yes, Washington has grown a lot in the time I have been here (20 years... yikes). It is still a beautiful place to live. My favorite activity when family comes to visit is to drop crab pots in the morning, hike a glacier in the afternoon, then crab boil on the beach in the evening. Truly a northwest day. I will give searchtempest a try. Great tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Have you hooked up with the NWBA? they're a great bunch of guys ad it will network you with tools, equipment, classes, hammer ins, etc. all over the place. Dave's a good guy though I've always wondered about a guy with D. Lisch as a handle. <grin> The Pac NW has been a heavily industrialized area since the Russians trapped fur there. There are tools everywhere but they're getting harder to find and more expensive. Snohomish used to be good hunting but since it's gone to antique central everything's gotten really expensive. East of the Cascades is more rural but it wasn't as heavily industrialized. Farming, logging and rail roads being the exceptions. I used to see some older farms, ranches, towns, etc. running 395 but that's been quite a while. Keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground and they'll come to you. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 PM me for Bill Apples' number. He has what you need but be realistic about anvil prices. Typically 2$ a lb will get you a beater. Twice that gets you in the ballpark. Steve- Ballard Forge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.I.TR3 Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 I have looked at the NWBA site and once things settle down from the summer (i.e. school starts up for my son) I am going to try and make a meeting or event of some type. We just took a trip to yellowstone and I thought for sure I would find one at an antique store or flea market along the way but no such luck. I am just starting so I know this kind of thing can take some time. Steve, I will drop a PM. I just looked at your site too and may try and get in for one of your weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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