January 9, 20179 yr Hey everyone! I am new to this and was wondering if anyone could give me tips on starting out! Making a forge ect! I am a stay at home dad and my daughter has recently fallen in love with blacksmith work and bladesmith any advice would be great! Thank you!
January 9, 20179 yr learn the basics before you start bladesmithing, you dont learn to drive a formula 1 race car before you learn to drive a normal car. plenty of people here who will help you with what you need to know and there may even be some local to you. type of forge will depend on fuel type you can get and what you can use coal, coke, charcoal, gas, oil, induction and many more
January 9, 20179 yr Your daughter you say ... buy her "The Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims, published by Crestline.
January 9, 20179 yr There is a ton of really good advice on this forum for smiths of all ability levels. Take some time -- take a lot of time, actually -- to read through the site as much as you can, paying special attention to the pinned post at the head of each section. (These usually contain important basic information.) You don't say how old your daughter is, but there are even a few threads specifically about smithing with youngsters. It's great that she's fallen in love with blacksmithing; just be careful about her falling in love with a blacksmith!
January 9, 20179 yr 5 hours ago, Marc1 said: Your daughter you say ... buy her "The Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims, published by Crestline. i can also recommend this. great book.
January 9, 20179 yr I must agree and also comment on Lorelei, When I wrote my stuff I decided not to include basic smithing. rather I pointed people to other authors works already printed and available for general smithing, This young lady is one of those. When I asked Miss Sims for permission to use her book as a reference, she was honestly shocked that anyone wanted to reference/use her work <HER words not mine> for another book. Such skill and humility, Its is a wonderful book and it needs to be shared with everyone.
January 9, 20179 yr Hello Mr. Joey Civ and welcome to Blacksmithing. A year ago I was a rank beginner, now you can take the rank off my name. I too recommend "The Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims, and I recommend bookmarking this forum, it is rich with information. The book will help you outline and prioritize what tools and appliances you need, it did for me. It does focus on coal forges which may not be practical for your situation. If you decide propane is for you spend some time (a lot) reading this forum, You Tube is informational, but as a newbie it can be full of junk as well. I took a beginners two day class, I and highly recommend some formal training, but not until she has done some hammering on hot metal. Others may disagree about that prereq, but for one, two days of hammering takes a little pre conditioning (exercise). And I hope you look into blacksmithing clubs in Ohio, I hope there is one close to you. I do not have any experience with youngsters starting out, I wish I could help you on that aspect of this undertaking, the best I can do is suggest she and you look at the Alex Steele video's on You Tube and read his resume on his web site, at the least he will provide inspiration.
January 9, 20179 yr Also, where are you in Ohio? Lots of good groups here with open forge events and educational opportunities.
January 9, 20179 yr Hi welcome to blacksmithing, I am a full on newbie, but this forum has been a great help. I can also recommend 'The Backyard Blacksmith' and also 'The Home blacksmith'. Both are really good guides to have.
January 9, 20179 yr Ohio is positively thronged with smithing groups---SOFA is the big dog, I try to get out there and drive 1500 miles each way to attend their conference in the fall! If you are near Columbus OH may I commend to your attention the Blacksmithing classes taught at the Idea Foundry. If you are in Western Ohio the IBA conference is in June and not too bad a drive...
January 9, 20179 yr By the way, if you're just getting started (or even if you're not), a JABOD forge is a dirt-cheap way to start heating metal.
January 9, 20179 yr Welcome aboard Joey, glad to have you. My advice is to take learning the craft one step at a time. don't worry about getting "perfect" or the "best" tools, it's a common trap most of us have gotten caught in breaking into any craft. What you need is working tools, good enough is just that, good enough. After a few years and your skills sets have grown to need something special or fancy is the tie to look into special tools and equipment. This craft and the associated skills are addictive, once you're in you're in for good. Enjoy the ride. Frosty The Lucky.
January 11, 20179 yr Author On 1/9/2017 at 6:43 AM, JHCC said: There is a ton of really good advice on this forum for smiths of all ability levels. Take some time -- take a lot of time, actually -- to read through the site as much as you can, paying special attention to the pinned post at the head of each section. (These usually contain important basic information.) You don't say how old your daughter is, but there are even a few threads specifically about smithing with youngsters. It's great that she's fallen in love with blacksmithing; just be careful about her falling in love with a blacksmith! She just turned 8!
January 11, 20179 yr Well, my son's almost fourteen, but my wife is trying to set him up with the daughter of a college friend, so he's not on the market.
January 11, 20179 yr 8? Mm ... reminds me when I tried to get my daughter to get woodcarving at that age ... no chance. But if dad or mum are in the room, nothing stopping her hammering hot iron on a very small anvil with a very small hammer. She could be making all sort of small things. I was a bit older (15) when I started and I remember my first private project (to be done after hours), was a miniature treasure chest. Took me a while but it turned out OK. I made it with the idea it would be a gift for my wife (I was a bit aloof back then). i did gift it to my wife 10 years later. PS The market? Are you in Ohio or Dubai?
January 13, 20179 yr Where are you located? If you're near me, I'll give you a copy of Backyard Blacksmith (I have 2 copies). I also have a Brake drum forge that I need get rid of! I'm just south of Cleveland.
January 16, 20179 yr Hope I'm not stepping on Joeys toes here but seeing a few people from my area got me excited. I too am a brand newbie and was wondering if any of you went to any WRABA events or open forges? (Perhaps Jason's shop?) Ive been digesting as much as I can over the past few months; 2 books including backyard blacksmith : ) u tube instructionals, and of course the treasure trove of info that is this forum. So thank you all for sharing your knowledge! I've heard many times hands-on instruction from a professional is the gold standard and best way (and possibly fastest?) to learn. And before you ask I'm in north Olmsted ; ) Cheers, -J
January 16, 20179 yr I've not been to any; just haven't been able to get the scheduling right. I was in North Olmsted this morning, though....
January 16, 20179 yr Author I'm in the Youngstown Warren area Sorry guys just been busy haven't been able to respond like I want to! I'm starting up my stay at home dad blog and getting my twitter account going lol but I found a class about 3 hours from whereal I'm located at it cost 150 bucks for one class !!
January 16, 20179 yr I did see a beginner class in Zoar for 100$ but yeah it seems that 150 isn't far from other prices I've seen. btw thanks to whoever moved the thread
January 17, 20179 yr I've been to WRABA before. They are a good group. We are also very lucky to have Sofa in Ohio. Remember to pencil in the dates in September for Quadstate 2017! (they haven't picked them yet - probably around 22nd) Awesome event! http://sofablacksmiths.org/
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