Clover9493 Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Hi There,My name is Richard Medina. I am 19 years old, turning 20 in June, and I'm looking to start reaching for a certain dream of mines and take up Blacksmithing.After some unsuccessful searches through craigslist, google, newspapers, etc. trying to find somebody locally to Apprentice under I've decided to check out some blacksmithing forums to see who is around locally.Hopefully to help guide me through the processes, teach me what I need to know. Because, being fully honest, I don't even know where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 You found a real good starting place here. Look through the threads. There is a section for blacksmithing groups, there might be one local to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 If John Thompson is still in Hawaii, look him up. He used to have his ornamental iron shop right down the road from me, but moved to HI to be closer to his wife's family. Great guy and I don't doubt that he's still involved in the metal fabrication business. He actually cut his teeth at the navy shipyards around Pearl Harbor. Fantastic fellow to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 There have been several folks from HI on the site. One an apartment dweller that forged on his balcony. Another was looking for an anvil and found a piece of heavy stainless that looked nothing like an anvil, but worked very well to hammer upon.Pack a lunch and a cold drink and read what subject interests you on the site. Many of your questions have been answered already. The site is full of ideas and information that you can use.When you are out and about on the island, do not look, but see. If you look for a hammer, you will limit yourself and can only find a hammer, passing by many other items. When you SEE an item you can then see the possibilities of the many things that CAN be used as a hammer. You will also SEE many things that have use to a blacksmith that are not hammers. (Hint) Do a site search for TPAAAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Welcome aboard! You might be surprised as to tools and such, the navy was has smiths for over 100 years on and around ships, if not ships lead to big hunks of usable scrap that can be used as an anvil, good luck finding an apritsship as a smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clover9493 Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 If John Thompson is still in Hawaii, look him up. He used to have his ornamental iron shop right down the road from me, but moved to HI to be closer to his wife's family. Great guy and I don't doubt that he's still involved in the metal fabrication business. He actually cut his teeth at the navy shipyards around Pearl Harbor. Fantastic fellow to know.Oh cool! Would you know how to contact him by any chance?Sounds like a good starting point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clover9493 Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hey guys, Thank you all for the warm welcome. Feels like a great community here and it's a real testament to how well technology does to help a guy out.Personally my goals with this is just to learn how to make tools for myself and others.As much as I love browsing a Home Depot for tools, I really would love to swing a hammer that I made on my own. Built with my own specifications in mind.As a male citizen in America, I'm sure we all have a knife or two in our pockets or toolboxes and in high school I would make my own designs with measurements and lengths on page so it would be amazing to take one of those from the page and put it into my real life collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 We have a few ladies hear that put the guys to shame, lol. Men and women are truely equals theis days if obviusly different! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clover9493 Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 We have a few ladies hear that put the guys to shame, lol. Men and women are truely equals theis days if obviusly different! LolOh i'm VERY sure xD I had no dad or brothers growing up so my Sisters were the ones who always showed me up in life.I didn't mean any hate or nothing with my comment I was just going along with the guy sterotype that we collect knives haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Didn't think so, but I couldn't resist snubbing your nose, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Is it difficult getting from one island to another? My former helper, Daniel Baumann just took residence in Kiluaea, Kauai. He's renting living space on a farm, and is slowly gathering smithing tools. Also, in Holualoa, Hawaii, there is Donkey Mill Art Center. I don't think that they have a smithy, but they have hosted blacksmithing demos in the past. PM me if you want Daniel's contact info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Clover guy: If one of us gives you a little friendly grief it's NOT because you might have offended us or hurt our feeling, it's to make you feel at home. We only tease folk we like.I'll come up with something shortly.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Frank It used to be there were fairly regular island hopper flights between islands that were much like larger versions of Alaska bush planes. I know when I was out there a number of years ago, hopping a flight between islands to see family friends wasn't at all unreasonable. I'll admit it's been a few years since I regularly talked to most of those folk, so things may have changed some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarry Dog Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Seeing that you're on an island, would it be reasonable to assume that there's a scrap yard somewhere on that island with all the dead cars/industrial scrap/non-sensitive military scrap? I mean, not many people that would really want to pay shipping from an isolated archipelago to a major land mass for junk, unless the chinese have "recycling" contracts like they have with most scrapyards over here. Now fuel, that's another problem entirely. I would imagine coal is either super expensive, or outlawed by all the environutz. Propane isn't too cheap either from what I remember of my trip a few years ago. Perhaps an oil burner running off of McDonald's fryer oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) I imagine forge fuel is a problem if propane is as expensive as I remember regular gas being. I'd be thinking charcoal for small scale, maybe coconut shells. Is there a plant processing coconut like I buy to top cookies, muffins, etc. I'm pretty sure the shells are left after you've shredded the coconut meat.Another thought for charcoaling could come from the highway dept. they have to brush along roads don't they? Home builders have to clear land and get rid of trees, brush, etc. We buy our firewood from a home builder, their kids cut, split, deliver and stack firewood for reasonable. It's a good deal for us all seeing as I don't cut firewood anymore.Frier oil is a possibility but I haven't seen a home built oil forge burner I'd use or want near. It's not as simple as most folk think or there'd be a lot of them around and there isn't. Seriously, I can pick up frier oil from local super markets for the asking. It's what I use in my quench tank. There are close to 2x the BTUs in a gallon of canola oil than a gallon of propane. If oil burners were practical I'd expect there to be a lot of them around and there just isn't.I'm open for a good design though, just gotta see one that doesn't scare me.Frosty The Lucky. Edited June 1, 2015 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.w.s. Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I imagine forge fuel is a problem if propane is as expensive as I remember regular gas being. I'd be thinking charcoal for small scale, maybe coconut shells. Is there a plant processing coconut like I buy to top cookies, muffins, etc. I'm pretty sure the shells are left after you've shredded the coconut meat.Another thought for charcoaling could come from the highway dept. they have to brush along roads don't they? Home builders have to clear land and get rid of trees, brush, etc. We buy our firewood from a home builder, their kids cut, split, deliver and stack firewood for reasonable. It's a good deal for us all seeing as I don't cut firewood anymore.Frier oil is a possibility but I haven't seen a home built oil forge burner I'd use or want near. It's not as simple as most folk think or there'd be a lot of them around and there isn't. Seriously, I can pick up frier oil from local super markets for the asking. It's what I use in my quench tank. There are close to 2x the BTUs in a gallon of canola oil than a gallon of propane. If oil burners were practical I'd expect there to be a lot of them around and there just isn't.I'm open for a good design though, just gotta see one that doesn't scare me.Frosty The Lucky.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_charcoal - I'm certain it grows in Hawaii and a quick Google search shows it's not terribly difficult to make. On the plus side it's apparently environmentally friendly. ?? Propane is expensive on the island if I recall correctly and should making a waste oil burner be a little much for a new guy I think this might not be unreasonable as an entry approach to getting started. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) They got to roast pigs on somthing, lol unless the navy has abandoned any coal stock piles. Edited June 1, 2015 by Charles R. Stevens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hey he could always forge over hot lava from the volcano. Isn't that what they always do in those video games or swords and sorcery books? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Not always. Richard, my favorite and longest lived Ranger Character used 8th. level Druidic spells to invoke a charmed silver flame to forge and heat treat his sword. I'd get into it's hit and damage modifiers but that'd be getting carried away.A 10th. Level Ranger Druid use . . . lava? ! ! !Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clover9493 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Oh boy xDLotta things went down.Well we do have an s-ton of bamboo growing on island. Some parts of our forests are just blanketed with the stuff. Though I believe certain laws prevent people from just cutting it down without a permit or such. But that is interesting on how there's different kinds of possible fuel options than just coal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 As bambo is a grass, the colms die each year and new ones grow from the root stock, getting permits should't be a big issue (is it seasonal?) as mentioned before, right or way maintinance tree/lanscape services may be a source of wood for charcoal. Now if you could only use frogs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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