Hello from North Carolina!

[blackironskillet]

Hello everyone! I've been intrigued by the art of blacksmithing for a while now and finally took the plunge.  I am an architect and have done wood working in the past. I really enjoy bringing creations to life. I live on the coast of North Carolina which I'm slowly finding out might be the wrong side of the state for blacksmithing haha.

 

Nevertheless, I bought my first anvil yesterday and am truly excited. I will try to get pictures uploaded soon to see if any of you can tell me more about it. I do know that it is a 147# solid wrought in what seems to be very good condtion (85-90% rebound using a ball bearing). I was told it is a Peter Wright and from what i have seen/read online that seems to be true. The stamp has faded but there are traces of the solid wrought circle around the middle number. I think half of the fun of this is learning the history behind it.

 

As of now I have an anvil, a pair of tongs, a brake drum off of a transfer truck, a ton of questions and even more ambition. I hope to learn the basics and then migrate into knifemaking and finding out how many things I can make out of a railroad spike.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this and I look forward to learning the trade!

[781]

Welcome

[njanvilman]

Welcome to this site.  Take some time  and read all you can of any of the thousands of posts here that interest you.  You will find a wealth of information, and a lot of knowledgeable people willing to answer educated questions.  Then practice, and practice more.  Try to find someone to show you the basics.  Go to a blacksmithing event and watch and question.  This field has no limits.

[DSW]

Hello and welcome. Plenty of good information here to look thru and lots of guys who are willing to help if you do a bit of research 1st.

 

 

I think wrought iron is what got me interested in studying Architecture to begin with. Right now I'm still very intrigued with architectural projects, brackets, hooks, hinges and so on.

[North State]

On 9/2/2014 at 12:05 PM, blackironskillet said:

... the coast of North Carolina which I'm slowly finding out might be the wrong side of the state for blacksmithing haha.

Blackironskillett, I was thinking the same thing! My in-laws family is all from the Black Mountain/Swannanoa/Asheville end of the state and forges seem like belly buttons, everyone's got them, the farther west in the state you go!