Satkye Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Well i got my anvil up on my stand I made and my rotor forge made I'll put pictures up tomorrow. Looking for ideas what to look for in material. Has to fit in a trunk. Was going to see if the have wrought iron , maybe some coils prongs to make punches from. I saw a lot of the beginer stuff on anvil fire probally starting with tongs as I burn if touching hot metal. Also going to blacksmith thingy outside of Richmond this weekend Last thing are there any of the leather aprons better then others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankem Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Welcome Satkye, Sounds like you are on your way to a new hobby. As far as material, Metal. See if you can find some scrap lying around. If you desire, purchase some mild steel from a supplier. I started using lawn signs and leftover rebar from the job site. The important part is to start. Read, Read, Read. This forum has more information than you need. Enjoy the journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Traditionally, blacksmiths aprons were made from Horsehide, ... but I'm not sure where you'd find that. Currently, I'm using a knee-length apron, made from a piece of Upholstery Leather, ... probably Cowhide. It protects like a suit of armor, ... but is a bit warm, some days. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Farrier's chaps are mad from water Buffalo splits, but they lack a bib, welding aprons (leather) provide good coverage but are a bit thin for bucking tongs against your thie to do cross anvil upsets) going to have to breakdown and make a set that combines the two... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 look for crow bars, coil springs, leaf springs, old chisels and punches, lawnmower blades, old files, saw blades, all of those are great carbon steels, but you may want to do a spark test on some of them just in case. also look for any usable round stock square, flat, etc. I always come back from the scrap yard with something I wouldn't expect to find there, so just keep your eyes open. this will be a very fun and rewarding hobby. Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 What you DON'T want to bring back is plated materials, (galvanized is toxic, cadmium is VERY TOXIC, Chrome is bad too---cheap steel is not cheap if you have to pay for an ER run! (my last insulin crash ER trip looks to be costing me a US$1400 co pay; glad I was coherent enough to have refused a CAT scan "in case I had bumped my head" Shoot no bruises/pain was good enough for me...) Also heavy *old* paint is very likely to be lead based. I'm no longer worried about reproductive toxins but the neuro toxins are still a concern. Watch out for stuff coated in odd compounds---PCB laced transformer oil shows up in scrapyards from time to time. If you are just starting out real wrought iron might not be too helpful as stock; but it's just going to get harder to find over time...I generally pick up nuts, bolts, washers when I can find them; far cheaper than the hardware store. And finally---look out for old blacksmithing tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelonastick Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I was recently told by an experianced smith at a recent IBA meeting that a new smith needs to learn consistency. They must first master the beginner skills. They have to learn to maintain a good fire and not to waste fuel. They need to learn hammer control. If you have no idea WHAT metal you are interacting with, it makes learning how to work that metal very difficult. He suggested buying mild steel stock, so you are working with a consistent size and type. For example some re-bar is low quality "junk" steel, and will only frustrate a learning smith, and inhibit learning. Oh and experienced smiths have trouble with wrought iron sometimes due to the fibrous nature of the material. I would personally avoid this if you are just starting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beammeupscotty Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 3 hours ago, Squirrelonastick said: I was recently told by an experianced smith at a recent IBA meeting that a new smith needs to learn consistency. They must first master the beginner skills. They have to learn to maintain a good fire and not to waste fuel. They need to learn hammer control. If you have no idea WHAT metal you are interacting with, it makes learning how to work that metal very difficult. He suggested buying mild steel stock, so you are working with a consistent size and type. For example some re-bar is low quality "junk" steel, and will only frustrate a learning smith, and inhibit learning. Oh and experienced smiths have trouble with wrought iron sometimes due to the fibrous nature of the material. I would personally avoid this if you are just starting out. Thank goodness for a voice of reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldironkilz Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I use a cotton shop apron. It protects my shirt and pants from mostly my dirty hands. I have been using it for some time now yet it has not one hole caused from hot metal, sparks or slag. Even keeps my knees clean if I don't get down on my hands and knees too often..............to pray you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 My apron was made from a whole goat hide I picked up on ebay about 8 or 9 years ago. It's only now starting to show the abuse it's been put through. I've changed the straps on it a few times though. Still a good few years life left in it. The leather is quite thin, but has held up well. I'm not sure if I'd want to have thicker leather on my next apron or not. All the best Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 The scrap yard is a rabbit hole. soooo much good stuff, so much to sift through. I've had several people give me the same advice as Squirrelonastick gave. I decided to take it and I am glad I did. I am trying to work through the ABANA lessons and you just can't do it if you don't know what you have. I got a stick of 3/8 round and 1/2 square. That's 40 feet of known metal so each piece I cut off will act just like the one before. I can concentrate on my technique.....which really sucks right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Consistency and self discipline are great advice. You can do a lot if you are determined and attentive, but it is easier if you have material that behaves consistently, so you can focus mainly on what you are doing, and how that affects the steel. The other issue with scrap is that you often find interesting pieces that are easy to grab, but still hard to work, like rail bolts and springs. 3/8 round and square are so much easier for a beginner to move and manipulate. Build techniques like your building tools you want to keep and be proud of... Because they are the "tools" you always have with you. If you can taper, and fuller, and shoulder in, and upset you are building your metal toolbox of skills... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 2 hours ago, SJS said: Consistency and self discipline are great advice. You can do a lot if you are determined and attentive, but it is easier if you have material that behaves consistently, so you can focus mainly on what you are doing, and how that affects the steel. The other issue with scrap is that you often find interesting pieces that are easy to grab, but still hard to work, like rail bolts and springs. 3/8 round and square are so much easier for a beginner to move and manipulate. Build techniques like your building tools you want to keep and be proud of... Because they are the "tools" you always have with you. If you can taper, and fuller, and shoulder in, and upset you are building your metal toolbox of skills... Well said on all counts! Once you have the basic techniques mastered all a person needs do is learn a new steel, flaw detection is another skill and varies with material: type, age, wear, etc. Doing all three at once is a PITA for an experienced smith and it does happen but less often as time passes. You can find yourself trying something new at any time and doing it with mystery metal is the definition of PITA. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I thought doing something new with a mystery metal, with a partner you have never worked with was just a "Saturday Night Forging Contest" at one of the local Conferences. One of the conference speakers I have seen at an IBA conference, said "Do something that scares you at least once a year!" But I think that was intended to prevent languishing on a plateau, once you had developed a decent foundation and were getting too comfortable. The more you challenge yourself, (IF you have worked smart and developed a solid foundation!) the faster you will grow, and get better. The more you challenge yourself without adequate fundamentals, the more frustrated you will become, and the more likely to quit. Cause who wants to play a game you keep losing... If you find your finished product not matching up to what you visualized in your minds eye, you may need better tools, but most likely you need to go back to the fundamentals. So that you can use the tools you do have better. I keep thinking about teaching a class on that... The most fun you can have with metal is getting it to do what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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