stokemonkey Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Hey! I'm 25 and decided it was time to give blacksmithing a try after seeing the craftsmen in Williamsburg for many years when I was younger. I have made a small knife so far out of a forge I built as a test to see if I really did enjoy the craft... Needless to say I am friggin hooked! I'm looking at new forge designs and proper equipment everyday now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Howdy from 'bama. Smithing is kind of addictive aint it? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokemonkey Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 Yes it is! I can't get enough of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Hello and welcome. I'd suggest looking around and finding a local blacksmith's group to join. I'm betting you can locate one fairly easily in Va or Md. with a bit of searching on the web. You might also think about looking into a class at some point. Most times when you sit down and add up what you get out of a class, the cost is stupid cheap. My class ran me something like $11.50/ hour when you broke it down. For that I got fuel, access to equipment and tools I wouldn't have been able to afford at the time, plenty of materials for practice and projects as well as quality instruction. When you sit down and think about it, it's hard to see how they actually made money on the course. Just learning some basic things about hammering and so forth and well as fire control, probably saved me at least the cost of the class in wasted materials if I'd have gone at it on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Google "Blacksmiths Guild of the Potomac". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 So what part of the forge did you make the knife out of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokemonkey Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 Here is the knife I made, I heated it over and under hardwood coals while a small blower directed with a pipe blew air up through the bottom. I'll have to get a picture today of my totally slacker forge... Although it did work :D Thank you to the guys who directed me toward the local Guild and the thought of attending classes, I will be getting more info on that soon. So the knife is THE FIRST thing I have ever forged I watched myself putting a cold shut in the tip of the handle but I guess I kinda wanted to see what a cold shut was and how it reacted. The blade portion I (using a beat up little old vise as an anvil) know I had an angle in my swing since it was up so high because of all the crescent shapes. I am going to grab some fine sand paper to finish it eventually and really give the blade an edge (I water then oil quenched it). I tried my hand at a little bit of file work and a twist with loop and I think it came out ok and has definitely made me want to really take time and care next time around! So that's my introduction and what I am kinda doing, Thanks for reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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