Newbie from New Brunswick Canada

[Nate Simon]

Hi Everyone,

 

Over the past few years I have taken an interest in blacksmithing and knife making. This past year I have taken a few classes from a local blacksmith and would like to set up a shop in the backyard this summer with a blacksmithing section and woodworking section (I have been woodcarving birds for 5 years). My main reason for joining this forum is to get some ideas and tips on designing my shop, and also learning about sources of metal, tools, best forge options etc etc.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Nate, glad to have you. Believe it or not one of the largest demographics of today's blacksmiths are wood workers who just wanted THAT special tool without breaking the bank having it custom made and got addicted to working hot steel. You'll be in good company here.

 

A good place to start is reading the shop sections here on IFI, this topic comes up frequently and has been discussed at length. We'll be more than happy to help but it sure helps if you have a handle on the what, how and where of your own situation. Reading the knife section will be invaluable to you as well.

 

For a start, a wood shop and a hot shop aren't a terribly good mix, especially if connected to your house or land where fires can get going. We all tend to do some wood working in the smithy but it's usually small scale. Dust and shavings can be a real fire hazard when associated with hot metal.

 

A huge component of blacksmithing is heat management so time management and tool management play heavily as well. It's probably why so many blacksmiths are soooo into cooking. Working wood is much more casual where tie is concerned except some processes but blacksmithing is anything but once you light the fire the clock is running. You'll be working tool steel so heat and time management is critical. Steel in the fire has a limited lifespan, too long WILL damage it and tool steel is far more sensitive.

 

A brief bit about shop layout. (go ahead guys rib me about me and brief. <grin>) Being time sensitive a blacksmith's shop works best if laid out with the same rules of thumb as a kitchen. Placing the tools and equipment used on hot steel are best laid out in a working triangle with about one pace between stations. One pace is about 6' a pace being one step of both feet. Setting it up using your pace is better than using a tape measure seeing as it's you going to be taking the pace and your pace is yours. The pace should put you at the standing or work position not to the tool itself. For example a full pace from the forge to my power hammer is to where I stand with my foot on the treadle, NOT to the center of the power hammer.

 

The center of your work triangles is the forge as that's the source of heat and so the center of heat management. The term "work triangle" is a rule of thumb, not a hard number, you will of course have more than two tools used with hot steel. This makes the forge the center of a circle, hexagram octogram, or whatever depending on how many hot tools you end up with. The basic though will be: #1 the anvil, no surprise eh?

 

#2 one or more vises. A post vise is for hammering, bending twisting, etc. HEAVY force use. A bench vise is for filing, assembly, etc. precision lighter force work.

 

#3 power hammer.

 

#4 forge press.

 

#5 assembly table, welding setting collars, wrapping, etc. not so likely for a bladesmith but who knows.

 

Anyway, having the wood stations far enough away dust and shavings won't drift into the hot area is a really good idea. Saw dust can be explosive in the right (wrong?) conditions. A lot of the bladesiths I know have dust comps for working handles.

 

Fumes are a serious part of blacksmithing from exhaust gasses emitted by the forge to dangerous fumes emitted by the alloys, fluxes and such. God ventilation is a high priority. CO monitor/alarmss are a really good idea but smoke detectors tend to get worn out pretty quick in a hot shop.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Nate Simon]

Thank you so much for all the information. I made this account last march and then got busy with other things and forgot I even had an account. I came on the forum a couple times since then but I had forgotten my password so it wasn't until today that I got a new password.

[njanvilman]

When you get around to building, if you are putting up a new structure, try to build the biggest building you can as per your zoning, and your budget allows.  No craftsman has ever said their building was too big;  more likely they always are wishing for more space.

[DSW]

With blacksmithing usually goes all sorts of other metal working tools. Saws, clamps, grinders, sanders, welders, OA torch, drills and a wide variety of other metal working tools.

 

Flea markets, yard sales, CL  and used tool shops are all good places to look for tools of various types. Also don't forget to ask friends, family, neighbors and so on if they have any old tools they don't need use any more you might be able to get. I'm always on the look every where I go for tools. You never know what you will find where. I've come across all sorts of surprising finds unexpectedly, and usually try to keep at least a $100 cash on hand when ever I go some place I know may have tools, or if I go around to new places since I might unexpectedly find stuff I want to grab with no notice. I'm constantly buying old hammers, chisels ans so on I can either use direct, or repurpose for something else.

 

 

Clamps... You can never have too many clamps in all sizes and types. A 4 1/2" grinder would be a good investment if you don't have one already. I have several, each with a different grinding , slitting or sanding disk on it for quick changes. A abrasive chop saw for cutting down long lengths to usable sizes is a good investment and not too expensive.

 

 

 

An Oxy acetylene  torch rig is a useful investment. With it you can cut, weld, braze, solder or heat and bend. Skip the tiny kits box stores sell. You'll want a rig with at least a 75 cf acetylene cylinder and 80 cf O2 cylinder to heat and bend at a minimum. If you don't do a lot of heating or cutting, but do a fair amount of brazing and soldering/welding, you can get by with 40 cf cylinders, but you start to run into issues with bigger tips due to the 1/7th rule on acetylene withdrawal. Bigger is better on cylinders, or if you plan to do a lot of heating with big tips, go Oxy Propane instead and you avoid the withdrawal limits. You can't weld with Oxy Propane though, just braze and solder.

 

Welder... You can usually find older 230v transformer based stick machines dirt cheap. Around me the AC only machines are often found on CL for $50-150 and some times cheaper at yard sales. An AC/DC machine is a bit more versatile, but you can do an awful lot with just an AC stick machine. AC/DC machines used run $200-450 typically. Mig machines are a bit easier to learn, but cost more. The small 110v migs are very limiting and 1/8" steel is about the max you can do even with the best of them under real world conditions. Manufacturers over rate these small machines so the literature will tell you you can go thicker, but under rel world limitations, that just doesn't happen. A 230v mig would be my suggestion if you go mig. With one you can usually do 1/4" steel or better as well as thinner stuff. The newer dual voltage migs give you the best of both worlds. Portability on 110v ( but you are still limited to 1/8",) or thicker material when plugged into 230v power at the shop. Tig machines take the most skill to master but give you the most control. Most tigs will also let you stick weld, so you can do really thin precise stuff with tig, or heal heavy stuff with stick. Dedicated Tig machines often cost more even used. However I have seen older industrial tigs at bargain prices, some times as low as $250-500. Newer used top end tigs will set you back over $1000-1500 many times. Spend your money a a good name brand machine. Cheap imports often try to sucker in new guys who don't know better. They hide their spotty reputation in many ways and try to tell you they have better stuff than the big boys who have been doing this for years. In reality if an import machine breaks out of warranty, you are out of luck trying to get it fixed. If you go that route, understand it's a disposable machine and when it breaks, you'll be buying a new one.

[ThomasPowers]

Note when buying an old arc welder go ONLY for the well known brands as they tend to A last forever and B have repair parts available; so my old copper wound Lincoln "tombstone" welder is probably 50 years old but I can get it repaired easily---if it ever needs it...(cost me $40 about 15 years ago)