MarcyOHH Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 So I am still new at the blacksmithing game and I was wondering what are some good projects for a new smith. I have already made a lot of hooks and even worked my way up to weird hooks. I tried making a leaf but I'm still using a lighter hammer which makes leaf making really hard. I was able to get the leaf made but stepping down the stem is what got me. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 What sort of things interest you? All sorts of basic projects. Fireplace pokers, dinner triangles, tongs, spoons, forks, little key fob things, split crosses... I can go on and on. Roses are another possible project. Even with hooks there are all sorts of things to work on. Twists, tapers, upsets, riveted connections, ball ends, scrolled tips, bends... Determine what technique you want to work on, then look for a project that will let you practice that. My next plan will be towel bars. I have 4 or 5 ideas I want to try. I'll punch and rivet the arm to the base I'll screw to the wall. The towel bar itself might either be bent or I may make the stand offs separate and punch them so the bar gets inserted and riveted over... This past summer I wanted to work on joinery, so I made the stand for my forge with slitted and drifted mortise and tenon joints as well as some wedged tenons. I still want to add a handle to the forge and I'll probably come up with some other planes to try some different joints on that. Leaves gave me issues for a bit. I kept having cracking issues where I necked down the leaves because I kept bending the leaf back and forth as I worked down the stem and the thin part cooled faster than the areas I was working. Turned out my angle of the work to the anvil kept causing the work to bend and flex because I didn't have the angle of the work and hammer matched up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcyOHH Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I feel like roses would be really difficult right now, though maybe it just seems that way because I am looking at the finished product instead of looking at the steps that go into that final piece. I was thinking of trying my hand at some cool candle holders, I have a friend who blows glass and she was saying over the weekend that we should work together on projects. I thought it was a cool idea I just need start figuring out different ways to make unique holders for glass globes and other glass items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 That's a good one. Plenty of ideas for wrapped tea lights and stuff like that. I've seen some nice forged ideas for stake type outdoor lights for citronella candles and so on for example. Hanging ones would be another interesting idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I work with everything from Cub Scouts to grandmothers, so I have developed a few workarounds. If a heavier hammer is out of the question, you have two ways to go: (1) a different set of hammers , or (2) a guillotine tool. Option one is all about developing individual skills with a cross peen, straight peen, ball peen and rounding hammer set in a weight range that you find comfortable. Once you settle on a weight range, you can either buy custom hammers, or make/modify existing heads and get appropriate size handles, shaped to your preference. A good blacksmith's helper/ guillotine tool with plenty of dies can take a lot of the tedious work out of necking/drawing/fullering, but it still requires a fairly hefty hammer in most cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcyOHH Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Where would you suggest would be a good place to start to look for some ideas? Usually when I am forging I will start with an idea but getting into the project it may evolve into something completely different. For instance the last time I forged, I started, thinking I was going to make a plant hook, ended up making a trivet for my kitchen. I suppose that may be part of my problem, I need to be more focused on the task at hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 as I have a deep interest in the history of the craft; when I'm at a plateau I often go look through my books on ironwork in collections and try something from there; viking, renaissance, roman, American Colonial, Spanish Colonial, etc. When I hit on one that looks interesting I start it though like you it may end up something else; ok if it's not a promised project. Also have you looked through the blueprints on this site and the iforge section over at anvilfire? Several hundred projects to choose from! and note your "too light" hammer is probably way overweight to make leaves from 1/4" soft iron wire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Many blacksmith's chapters have an index of back newsletters which are a wealth of ideas. The BAM website has an index of these newsletters, the Florida group is searchable by topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 There are SO MANY different books for getting ideas. Go the library and look at pictures in books of Plants and Flowers. Take your modeling clay, plasticene or play-doh and start making the pieces in your hands. Steel or metal works identical to Play-doh. Think cookie-dough, don't think Steel. Make your rose!!! Take pieces of paper, cut different size squares, use the points of the squares to be the point of the Petal, shape the square into four petals. Poke a hole in the center and hold them on a pencil. You now have a pattern for your ROSE!!! Take some sheet metal and snips, cut out your patterns. Shape the four pointed pieces into a cup shape and allow the petals to overlap. MAGIC!!! Continue as your eyes sees fit!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Where would you suggest would be a good place to start to look for some ideas? I try and keep a folder of project idea pictures when I come across them. Some come from projects others do I like on this site and other metal working sites I visit. Others come from image searches I happen across usually looking for something else. In the project folder I tend to make individual folders for different project categories. Horse shoe art, bath hardware, forge tools, camping stuff the scouts might like, shelf brackets, gate/fence ideas, joinery that interests me... I must have 30 to 40 different folders. Before Christmas I went on Amazon and browsed thru various used books on blacksmithing and iron work and ordered maybe a dozen different books. All for under $5 plus shipping. ( cheapest cost me a penny plus shipping) I splurged on 2 or 3 that really interested me... maybe spending as much as $10 on most but one was as high as $20... I saved a ton of ones I wanted, but the prices were more than I wanted to spend at the time. I'll keep checking to see if any of those pop up used cheap every now and then. Quite a few are old reprints of iron work catalogs, most don't interest me all that much, but for what it cost me, it was worth the gamble they'd have something interesting I'd like and if nothing else, they make good reference material for later possibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Have you made any scroll forms? Have you ever made a hook out of a 12" spike from the garden center? Have you made a nice selection of punches and chisels? What about making a nice medallion with a rune carved into it? Projects are great, but don't forget making the tools that help you make projects. For me, personally, I have found a lot of inspiration by searching Pinterest. Even if I don't intend to make a forged iron gate, searching through all those pictures gives me a slew of ideas for bottle openers, latches, coat hooks, etc. You might not be interested in the whole, but parts of the whole can give you some wonderful ideas. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcyOHH Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 VaughnT: That does make sense. I use to check out pintrest when I was trying be more of a girly girl (that didnt work out so well for me). I never even thought to look at it as a way to find ideas for forging. DSW: Thank you for the idea fo setting up folders. I was already talking to my boyfriend about how we need to invest in some books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 You can also try this: http://www.hlcollege.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html Very good and useful books. Might wanna try this too: https://archive.org/ search for blacksmithing, forging, ironwork etc. All the bests and happy hammering! Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Marcy, see if you can locate Lorelei Sims' book The Backyard Blacksmith. I have learned a lot from her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 A second on "The Backyard Blacksmith," it was the first blacksmith book I bought and I still refer to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 check locally for a blacksmith group. getting together with others can really inspiring, as well as a great way to make new friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcyOHH Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I will be sure to try to get my hands on the backyard blacksmith book. I would really like to meet up with some other blacksmiths and be a apart of a group. My problem is that I work most weekends which is when most people get together. Hopefully I will be able to work out sometime soon so I can meet other smiths and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I second the iforge section at anvilfire, and here's another nice list from F.A.B.A. I refer to from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Some folks have middle of the week open forge nights but you have to be in the information loop to find out about them. (I hold one Wednesday evenings down here as an adjunct the the local SCA group's Arts and Sciences meeting) I found a bunch of used, bent up and rusty 12" spikes at the scrapyard and have been forging and selling them as cubicle coat hooks where my day job is. I started out with 1 for me and a couple of my co-workers and now I think there are 27 of them; keeps me in propane and scrap metal and I have been able to work on the process to get it down to fast and easy---soapstone line on side of anvil to mark how long the flat section is, then a piece of sq tubing the size of the cube wall that I set in the post vise and clamp the flattened end to hot with grungy old vise grips and bend it around snugging it up with a light hammer. Then reheat and bend the head end into a nice curve to hold the coats and laptop carriers. So on my own in my shop it's 3 heats per; in the wild it's usually 5. A recent cold snap had folks buttonholing me in the hallways asking about them and I've started the second go round as a co-worker wanted a second one to have for her laptop bag apart from her coat...Now I need to find more scrapped ones or shift to a new design. I was just given 100' of 1/4" round stock so I'm thinking of taking a section and bending it double and trying that on my jig. I also recently sold US$50 of chili pepper Christmas tree ornaments made from scrap black pipe (and other smaller un plated/painted/galvanized pipe found at the scrap yard. An easy forge project and painted bright red or green they sell well down her in the land of "red or green?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I always encourage young smiths to develop their processes... Practice makes perfect, if you work on developing skills in you mental tool box it helps you realize your dreams. Having the vision to see what you want doesn't get you there without the skill. Skill generally isn't just a gift from God, generally it is acquired through focused determination and practice. Do one, you did it. Do 10, three might look nice. Do 100, 90 will be really nice. Do 1000.... Tapering, shouldering in, veining, punching & drifting, when you get good at these skills it becomes easy to work out new designs or you can look at someone else's work and see how you could do that. It is fun to bounce around doing this and that, and whatever catches your fancy, but taking the time to practice builds your skill set tool box and that expands your capacity!!! Discipline pays off;-) if your in IN I might be able to help... On my phone and the mobile site doesn't give all the info that the full site does:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 When I am short of things that will fit in my time available I tend to make more tools. My favorite books are the Mark Aspery ones. They progress you through quite a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 If I haven't said this already, welcome aboard Marcy, glad to have you. Learning blacksmithing is like any other skill, takes time, a little knowledge and practice. You don't want to get too invested in making "something". Skills are what you're really interested in, far less than things. Things are like test and quiz results, less important in themselves than what they indicate. Hooks are excellent beginning projects and can be expanded upon easily. In itself a hook may not be very glamorous but what a hook really is is a section of a scroll or circle. Just extend the hook 3/4 around or all the way around don't worry about making a scroll yet. A hook almost all the way around or closed into a circle make dandy towel hangers. Of courses you'll need to make a wall plate to hold it but that's another basic skill to learn. Hmmmm? What worked for me early on was learning basic processes then putting them together into more interesting projects. Probably one of the most basic is a taper probably right after bending. A really long even taper with a little graceful waver bend is a finial flame like seen on fences and grates. Or done in strip stock becomes blades of grass. A little shorter and rounded a little is a feather wanting a center vein and gentle texture. A leaf is just like a feather with more pronounced veining. A feather veining tool might be a sharp chisel or a specialized tool say an old single cut file. A leaf veiner might be the edge of the hammer or an old dull chisel with a rounded edge. For now work on becoming familiar with processes and worry about putting them together later. Seriously, once you've bent a few hooks into scrolls you can put them together into trivets, window grates, etc. Smithing is an addictive craft and we're happy to help you along. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibrariaNPC Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I wish I had more to add that would provide better information, but I don't have much beyond this: If you've taken a class or were really into making something, brush up on that and try to expand from there. For example, my first class was a bladesmithing class, so I'm making a pair of knives for practice out of different materials to get an idea how that metal moves and to learn how my tools work. This has also given me some insight as to how I can make a letter opener and, due to a mistake I was able to remedy, it gives me an idea as to how the metal moves for things like hooks. I've also considered how to make some odder designs because of that. As previously mentioned, there's a blueprints section here on IFI and the iForge section of anvilfire is really fun to look through (there's three plans there that are on my docket once the weather clears). It's amazing how looking at one of these plans makes you go "Hey, wait a tick. . ." Another thing that's come up has been brought about due to the people I talk to every day. Sometimes a neighbor, friend, or colleague will mention that they are looking for a replacement for something, and sometimes that's a nice challenge. My aunt always tells me about the colonial reenactment groups she runs into and the sort of things they make that she would love to have, so she's challenging me to make these things for her. A neighbor approached me while I was packing up my forge and was wondering what I was doing. Once I explained, she informed me she was looking for a welder, but will keep me in mind as she likes ornamental things (she has some semi-ornamental iron railings on her porch, for example). This may lead to other challenges to research before making. In fact, my friends have been sending me requests every since they learned I took that first class. It will be some time until I get to that needed level to even start filling those requests and challengers, and even longer until I can fill them! So if you're looking at getting more practice, you can either dabble around or you can get the hang of something and use that as your springboard into other ideas in the future. Regardless of how you do it, good luck and happy smithing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'm with Frosty as regards to hooks. They are excellent to learn many different skills. Drawing out, scrolling, square to round, round to square, bending, twisting, hut cutting, shouldering, punching a hole for a nail or a drive hook with an integral nail (make a 90 corner can help doing 90's), You can do different finials, on the ends, leafs, spades, hearts, the different scroll finials, etc. Lot of different ways to do hooks including welding on more hooks. Try three with a snub end scroll, then three with a penny scroll, lot of options. If done in series you can learn a lot of different skills and end up with hooks to give to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcyOHH Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'm with Frosty as regards to hooks. They are excellent to learn many different skills. Drawing out, scrolling, square to round, round to square, bending, twisting, hut cutting, shouldering, punching a hole for a nail or a drive hook with an integral nail (make a 90 corner can help doing 90's), You can do different finials, on the ends, leafs, spades, hearts, the different scroll finials, etc. Lot of different ways to do hooks including welding on more hooks. Try three with a snub end scroll, then three with a penny scroll, lot of options. If done in series you can learn a lot of different skills and end up with hooks to give to everyone. Hooks are all i have done so far, i have a few different styles and some that are the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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