Hello from Southern Oregon

[hawk18]

I'm not a blacksmith as much as I'm a tool nut. I love old tools and seem to have developed an addiction to rust. 

I imagine my fascination with smithing started when I would accompany my Dad to Mr. Jokel's shop in Dederick, Mo. to get plow shears built up and sharpened. His shop was amazing. With a center overhead drive shaft powering all manner of grinders, drills and such and a monstrous power hammer in one corner. He could fix anything, including my broken sheet metal toys. 

I have lurked around here for a while and find this forum to be a wealth of knowledge and information. I will continue to absorb the product of your sweat from the comfort of my living room. I will contribute as I feel I can. 

Regards, and thank you 

Hawk

[ironwolfforgeca]

Hawk where in southern Or are you ? northern Ca on the coast just bellow the Or line here

[hawk18]

Rogue Valley. Central Point. I used to work in your area some. Still have a friend that lives in Del Norte county. 

Hawk

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I have a couple of acres in Sprague River, just east of Klamath Lake

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Hawk, glad to have you. So, how long do you think you can just read about and look at pics of this craft before you just HAVE to take slash t it yourself? You DO realize it's very addictive and there's no cure. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[hawk18]

"How long" is is more defined by space than by will. I have the makins, it just takes time and effort to drag them out and put them back. But, there is a plan. 

Hawk

[Lou L]

Hawk, glad to have you.  I find it quite cool that you are in a unique position.  Most of us join here having nothing and trying to figure out how to get into the craft.  You have lots of stuff and have to work through it to get into the craft.  We envy you.  Get forging my friend and join the scale junkies!

[ThomasPowers]

Yup I used to have to carry my anvil and tools up a rickety stairs from the basement and across the kitchen to the back door and our across the old back porch to the yard when I wanted to forge and return them at the end of the session---we lived in the inner city and so could not leave anything out in the yard.

Moving to a rural area and building a shop was a dream come true!  (On the other hand living in Central Ohio was a much more tool rich environment---lots more anvils in cities than on farms!)

[JHCC]

7 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

 used to have to carry my anvil and tools up a rickety stairs from the basement and across the kitchen to the back door and our across the old back porch to the yard when I wanted to forge and return them at the end of the session

Barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways….

[ThomasPowers]

Why yes, save for the barefoot part. In the snow definitely and as I had to carry it up the basement stairs and down the porch stairs one way and up the porch stairs and down the basement stairs the other way it was uphill both ways!

The point is that if you want it bad enough you will find a way to do it.  I know a college kid that chained a propane forge hidden in a gas grill out behind his dorm and kept scrap metal under his bed.  I know people that made micro forges and forged on their apartment balconies or a guy who's set up would fit in a 5 gallon bucket and he would go to city parks and forge.

[hawk18]

On December 17, 2016 at 8:28 AM, ThomasPowers said:

a guy who's set up would fit in a 5 gallon bucket and he would go to city parks and forge.

This is something I might expect to see when I visit Portland. I do feel a little guilty when I see the videos by the guy on his third floor balcony in Taiwon. 

Hawk