Well, I went to my first Hammer-In on Saturday, where I joined the Western Reserve Artist's Blacksmithing Association. Well, this was the first time I'd ever put hammer to steel, and I loved it! All of the members that showed up were excited that they had a 'young-blood' in the group (I'm 21, and the next youngest member is in their late forties, I think). This Hammer-In was at the shop of one of the members-- he is a full-time fabricator / welder, so his shop was massive. The group is based in Burton, Ohio, in their Century Village (a restored village), and they had taken on the job of replacing the stair railings for the church, and making them look authentic to the period.

Being the absolute beginner I am, I wasn't allowed to do any of the heavy work, but what they did allow me to do was heat up all the metal they used (with a portable gas forge someone brought to the shop) and bang out the corners of the square stock a bit, since perfectly-shaped stock wasn't really authentic. Depending on which bar I was dinging up, I alternated between a 4-pound sledge and a 2.5-pound diagonal peen hammer. I think 2.5- or 3- pound is my good hammer size, judging from how it felt to me, and how accurate I was.

Needless to say, it was a great experience, and now I can say for sure that I'm definitely interested in continuing this hobby, and hopefully in the future making contributions to the forums as I learn. Once I get past the 'Absolute Beginner' stages into 'Novice', I'll definitely be there to cheer on the (slightly) newer folks.

As it stands, I still have no tools and no equipment, but I've definitely got a fire under my bum now... planning to go scour scrapyards in the coming days and hopefully buy the materials for a 55 Forge.

Attached is a photo of my membership card, because I'm just that proud to have taken the first step.

PS- I am sorry if this isn't the proper forum for this, but it seemed the most appropriate.

Congrats Vladmir, you have been bitten by the blacksmithing bug. Enjoy the ride.

On of the members of your association, Kim Thomas, did the demo a while back at one of our conferences (Appalachian Blacksmith Association). He is great blacksmith and artist. Very knowledgeable of the craft. We also had Marty Reisig at one, also. He is very knowledgeable on period crafts.

You WILL learn a lot from the folks in the association, just by watching.

Have fun and be safe.

-aaron c.

There probally no turning you back now
You should have quit while you had the chance
Good luck as you endeavor to persevere.
Mike Tanner

The 55 forge is a great forge for the beginner, it is inexpensive to build, and works. You may want to look at IForgeIron > Lessons in metalworking > Blacksmithing to get ideas for an anvil, hammer, and tools.

Welcome to the site.

congratulations, you have picked the right site by the way. good luck

Congrats Vlad. You are in good hands. Can't stress enough to beginner's how much you can learn in one day (or one minute) working with and watching folks who know what they are doing. You are well on your way already!

Oh, oh. Sounds like you got bit pretty hard by the blacksmith bug. Time to knuckle down and build a forge. Yup, that's the first symptom. Next thing you know you'll have an ever increasing itch to gather iron and steel of all sorts. The itch will get so bad no matter how much hammering you do it won't go away. The good news is you'll find many good folks who have been bitten by the same bug. Welcome to the club Vladimir! Keep us posted on your progress.

Good to have you with us, Dallas. I really enjoyed reading about your experience and how it effected you. This is a craft that NEEDS as much new blood as we can find. And as you described most blacksmith groups are gettin long in the tooth .......SO........tell all your friends........and you know. It only takes one time playing with the hot metal to hook you. I'm looking forward to following your progress.
Happy Hammering,

Ah Vladimir, I thin kI have you beat, I'm 20

Seriously, welcome to probably the best addiction you could ever hope for.

Oh to be discussing how young we used to be. I have been bitten by
this same bug lately, but I am 62 years old!!!! I have found a forge
and have it ready to go now----- just as soon as this Illinois weather
lets me get outside.

Yes this craft of blacksmithing definitely bites you hard and gets to be an obsession.I am with Rondo I live in Illinois and can't wait for the weather to break and get to work. There is nothing like the ring of an anvil to take you back in time,as my father would say to the good old days.He has altzheimers but when I told him I was taking up blacksmithing it sparked up an hours worth of memories he had as a kid and seemed to take me back in time as much as the anvil ring.Truly this is a great site for us beginners as well as those long into the trade to keep a craft alive and continue the trade.Thanks to all who share the stories,the skills,and the advice.