Hillbillysmith Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 Who has a smithy/shop/garage that they use for their smithing purposes, and who does their creating outside? It seems to me that I'm the only one who does work under the stars, but I know of a few people who do as I. So, where do you smith and if inside, how big is the working area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Jim Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I have a 10'x20' costco car port that acts as my shop. I have to push the forge out from under it before I use it. So it's sort of a hybrid. All my tools go under the car port. The longer I use the space, the better I get at using it efficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I have an one car garage that I work out of until I get my forge hood hooked up in the shop (10'x20'). I pull the rivet forge just outside the roll-up door to keep the coal smoke out. A very temporary set-up (two years now). I only have room at the front of the garage for the vise, forge and anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I'm in a 10' x 12' shed. Not much, but sure beats the 8' x8' one I moved out of. It's got an open front, so my work can easily spill out the door if size dictates it and the weather allows it. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I've worked outside, it was a pain in the butt. I only have a couple pics of the outdoors set up, this one has Richard in it. He was one of my first students and a fine young man. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdwarner Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 i bought a horse run in shed because it had no floor , and i filled with the floor with crush and run , the size is 10 by 12 i cut a hole in roof and have a hood over my coal forge . i have a 300 pound anvil plus my 10cent harbor frieght anvil that was heat treated oh the point i was ramblin , it is open in the front with ornametal steel gates on it , so i close and lock at night so i work out side but under a shelter chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 Results will be posted at the end of the poll. Place your vote to the poll is posted on the opening page of IForgeIron.com Which best describes your shop. Inside and climate controlled Indide, heat available in cold weather Inside, unheated in cold weather Outside no roof, set up each time Outside no roof (one set location) Outside with only a roof (carport, roof on poles etc) Outside with roof and some permanent walls (attached to a building etc) Outside with roof and tarps or temporary walls Other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 Does this forum have a poll application . .in which we can click on stuff to vote or somethin? Anyways mine is Inside, heat available in cold weather. ( from the forge itself and from a woodburning cooking stove ..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 i am in a 12x15 steel stall in a 30 x 45 steel garage....first time out i was a forge in a breezeway....couldnt breath or keep my eyes from watering...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 IForgeIron.com > Poll On the right hand side of the opening (home) page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 oh ..got it. . .feel so dumb for not seeing that ; ; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 My little forging 'station', is 8 ft.x16 ft. and open on the south side. I get plenty of fresh air that way, but it gets pretty cold in winter. So this year, I put some old roofing tin over the open side and added a homemade flue. It certainly ain't pretty, but it'll be warmer. By the way, this little shed was only meant to be a temporary shop......35 years ago! A new shop is planned for spring. here's a couple other threads that kinda deal with forging and shelter:http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f11/forging-under-canvas-115/http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/forging-cold-weather-3655/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Outdoors in the small concrete cube that is my back yard. Can get bloody cold when its raining and you're waiting for the iron to heat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I have merged the thread and the poll as they are the same subject. Results of the poll will be posted on this thread later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Well the Gasser is in the 20x30 smithy---all steel construction, concrete floor with two 10'x10' roll up doors on opposing ends. Currently unheated and no electricity The coal forges are outside and I'm scrounging stuff to build a shelter for them and some of the "rougher" pieces of shop equiment. I alos have some money put by to get electricity to the shop; 200 amp service. just wishe I could get 3 phase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I got a ~15x30 detached garage/shop as a main selling feature of our house. There's a heater once I hook up the propane, and there'll be a chimney for the coal forge once I finish putting it up. It has a two story ceiling, 60 amps for outlets, seperate breaker for lights, and it's own paved driveway. There are other outbuildings for garden tools. It's good so far, and should be great once I get the forge chimney set up. However, it's filling quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity earlier this year to take over a hundred odd year old purpose built smiddy- main workshop is about 22m (thats metres!) x 10m, with metal store/cutting room 10m x 12m, which has a sliding barn type door with a good ''ventilation gap'' around it. There are also two gallery/showrooms one 8m x 5m and another 8m x 8m, so as you can see I am blessed for space. The walls are made from granite and are just under a metre thick- just think of a cave!! It keeps it cool in the summer, and hey, cool in the winter too! In the metal store room there are still the rings on the wall where horses would have been tethered to be shod. (this is going off topic a bit now but- I had an elderly lady come to visit me in the summer, she looked around and explained that she was a local, lived here all her life of 86 years. She was just being nosy she said, and wanted to see what we had done to the place, apparently this was where everyone met, exchanged stories, was the centre of village life in ye olden days, and she used to get her pony shod here. I asked her what her pony's name was. Queenie, she said. When I moved in I found bundles of old rusty (proper hand made) horse shoes, some of them still in sets, bound with twine with Horses name's on tags, and wouldn't you know it, one of those bundles had Queenie scrawled accross the tag. So I disappeared into the back and dug it out, and when I gave it to her, it almost brought tears to my eyes, let alone hers! I gave her the shoes, which she later told me she has proudly displayed on her mantlepiece. (she also went around the village and let everyone know how she was reunited with her long lost pony's shoes!) anyway, I digress! One day recently when it had been cold for a good few weeks, (just above freezing) then suddenly warmed up one day there was actually condensation on the outside of the windows! There is no heating, but a great big hearth in which I have been lighting a (wood) fire when not doing forge work, but when its going or when I get the gasser on , keeps me warm. I think its its in the Edge of the Anvil book , where author Jack Andrews talks about setting up a smithy in a tipi, now THAT really appeals to the romantic in me. I wouldn't complain about my set up now, but somehow working in a tipi in the right surroundings (nice valley, woodland) would be a little bit magic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 (this is going off topic a bit now but- I had an elderly lady come to visit me in the summer, (she also went around the village and let everyone know how she was reunited with her long lost pony's shoes!) anyway, I digress! Oh no, that's no digression, It's a taste of history. It lets us know how the village smith was thought of and their place in the society. That you could return such a terrific memory to your visitor is something rather wonderous. Not to mention being almost as good P.R. as saving the mayor's kid from drowning. Excellent story, thanks for sharing. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GVR-4579 Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Mine is a 3 car garage, i will have a lineshaft up at some point and have my trip hammer and a drill press in shop. For now its just the forge, anvil, swedge block and a workbench tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 It lets us know how the village smith was thought of and their place in the society. Very true. I suppose that since 'by hammer and hand, all trades do stand' 'most all village people visited the villagesmithy on a regular basis (please no jokes about policemen, builders etc. ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Thanks Frosty- it seems that I too, have now gone down in history as the first female Blacksmith to work from "The Old Smiddy" - I was featured in the local paper in the summer (as you can see not too much happens round here!) Our village museum has an exhibit dedicated to The Old Smiddy- here is a link about the museumVisitscotland Atholl Country Life Museum Blair Atholl Museum Welcome Now they have posted the article in the museum up along with the exhibit which is really nice! (more of that good publicity too!) This place was run as a Blacksmith's until the early 1970's when it closed and lay vacant for many years. When it closed the Blacksmith gave most of the tools and the bellows to a local farmer (who is the man responsible for the museum). It had become a woodturners, a store room for the local post office, and a few other things before it fell into disrepair. A friend of mine bought it about 5 years ago and spent a couple years doing it up, kitted out the workshop then got married and moved to the Isle of Skye. When he asked me if I wanted to come and take it over, I jumped at the chance! It's amazing that it is now again in service as a Blacksmith's although now I make decorative objects, sculpture and the occasional gates and railings, and sell my metalwork and some paintings in the Gallery, rather than the traditional work of fixing things, (having said that I have fixed the golf club's mowers a couple of times, oh, and forging some custom bolts for a friend's horse carriage, oh, and forging some custom parts for the watermill, hmmm, ok, so maybe I DO do a little bit of traditional work...). The village I live in is very special in that we have a Castle (Blair Castle, which has a private army!) and we also have a working watermill which was built in the 1600's. My neighbours are the millers, and I think its just hilarious that ''the Blacksmith's children play with the Miller's children" all in a 21 Century manner though!! Blair Atholl Watermill So ya, a little bit of history, in a beautiful highland setting, and I feel privileged to live among it. Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skunkriv Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 tzonoqua-Sounds like a wonderful place to live and work. A great slice of history and a great story reuniting the lady with the pony shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinD Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Outside with roof and some permanent walls (attached to a building etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Peters Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Both inside and out -- I have a charcoal forge, JY tire hammer, anvil, and post vise outside under a carport attached to my 13'x22' shop. I also have a couple of propane forges, anvil, two post vises, and a soon-to-be-completed treadle hammer inside the shop. I have a wood stove in the shop for heat, but the propane forge also works well to heat it up. Now, if I would just get out there to do some actual forging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Outside with roof and some permanent walls (attached to a building etc) What's the huge metal wrapped brick bucket thing?. .Is it a coal forge without a firepot or?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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