Hello from kc missouri

[Austin Ferraiuolo]

Hello, 

I am from the Kansas City metro area I am twenty years old. I have found a passion for blacksmithing and i have a good support group of smith that are teaching me the tricks of the trade. This forum has already helped me a lot. As of now I only have a 125lb trenton anvil I am still trying to acquire a forge and tools. I look forward to more learning and hopefully being able to shed some light in the future off what I have learned!

[Charles R. Stevens]

Forge is easy, look at the 55 forges, side draft and simple (i'm partial to side draft) see the other newby thread for a description of a simple  "ground forge in a box". But seriusly, a drum , cut just over half around about 5" up, then cutup both sides to the first ring, cut out in a curv to the second ring, so you have a hood, pan and chield in ine unit, now poke a hole in the back 3" up from the bottom run a reice of 3/4" or 1" black pipe in (about 10" for charcoal and about 9" for coal) attach legs to bring her up to forge hight (about 30") at the top of the pan, cut a hole for a 12" stack tord the back of the top, now fill the pan with sand, dirt or clay, dif out a bowl about 3" deap and 6" (charcoal) to 8" (coal) across and sorce a gate or ball valve that fits the pipe and a hairdrier, air bed inflator or any other nomber of options. An on off switch to conserve fuel. Do somthing about those sharp edges and you havea forge. Now you need a file, hacksaw and a bucket and you can start making the tools you need to make your first set of tongs (hot cut chiesl, punch and rivit header) you can forge the cheisel and punch on the ends of longer bar and hacksaw them off at about a foot long. Now you forge the tongs the same way, forge the jaws at opeset ends of the bar, draw out the reighns and cut in half (use the chesel wile hot)

[AndrewP26]

Good to see another local guy. I'm over in kck, not to far away. I am curious of your support group of smith's. I haven't really heard of anyone else local blacksmithing. Either way good to see another local guy. Like Charles said look into the 55 forges. I'm close to completing mine and will share pictures when I'm done. 

[Frosty]

Try not to over think the tools. It's really easy to do but not necessary at all. The 55 forge is an excellent forge and doesn't require much in your tool box.

You kept the Trenton? Don't say Only 125lbs. my Soderfors is 125 lbs and is a real work horse. Mount it about wrist height, it'll really help your hammer control. It doesn't have to be exact but it's a good working height.

Don't get too heavy a hammer, around 2lbs. is plenty to learn with. You want to learn hammer control and a heavy hammer is harder to control than a light one. A 2lb. smooth face hammer will do most of what a person wants to do, a cross pein adds a dimension. A few sizes of garage/yard sale ball peins are always good, pick them up cheap whenever you see them. Ball peins can be forged into many different profiles and make excellent top tools. If you find a turning/rounding hammer cheap grab it! Turning hammers are really efficient smithing hammers, worth buying new if you need to.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

PDont forget to dress those hammers, most have a nasty champher that will leave marcks, sand it till you have smoth radie all around and a slight crown. The peins tend to be way to sharp an cross and streaght peins, 1/4-3/8 is good for a 2# hammer (1/2 of a 1/2"circle or 3/4" circle) radies the edges.

the common rounding hammers that you see at the farrier suplies have a very flat flat face, it payes to dress it as well it sertainly shouldnt look like the rounding face, but just a bit of crown.