GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Howdy, I'm new to anything & everything involving metal working. I picked up a couple railroad Anvils a couple years ago and decided I wanted to incorporate some hand worked metal accents into the furniture I make in my woodshop. So everything I'll be doing will be on a small scale. I'd held off for a long time as the cost of any type of forge gave me pause as to whether I wanted to invest $$$ to get into this even slightly. Don't laugh too hard but I saw the YouTube videos on DIY Can Forges it got me interested due to the cost. I made one and have already begun looking at larger Forges with multiple burners. This winter may be the time to get something actually usable. bio stuff, US Marine, VFW8054, Love Harley's, Sig Sauer Pistols & building ARs, Love Motorhoming, Woodworking & carving I'm also on the SigForum under the same screen name & avatar. that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Thank you for serving! We seem to be on the same schedule I just replied to your anvil stand post. What are you using for a burner in your forge? Making baffles to close off most of the openings will really bring the heat up. You'd be amazed how many blacksmiths are cabinet makers, carvers, etc. who decided it'd be easier to forge and grind that special: gouge, carving knife, planer blade, etc. or the envisioned hardware than earn enough to buy it. Of course the heat and steel addicts them and we help. And we LOVE pics, anything you'd show the grandkids and not have to explain the icky stuff. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 I'm just looking to stay with Propane for fuel as I can shut it off & leave the shop. I have a 10' line so I can connect to my 20lbs LP tanks but it's just hooked to a TS8000 torch head. I'm still working full time , 21 yrs as a prison guard so a lot of what I do has to be done in 2-4hr stages. I like my hobbies to keep my sanity. I always love to learn new skills & im amazed to find out just how much there is to blacksmithing (not so much for my little projects) especially at the levels some of you guys are at. **if you guys like photos I like to post'm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Plan to attend Quad-State in Troy Ohio (just north of Dayton), the last full week of September. Biggest annual blacksmithing conference in the USA! (and you can camp at the fairgrounds where it's located saving more money to buy smithing stuff. SOFA puts it on https://sofablacksmiths.org/ We used to carpool to SOFA meetings from Columbus OH. Your expense comment rather floored me because if you take a shovel into the back yard and dig a scoop out you have a forge! A hair dryer will put out more than enough air and you can burn scrap wood to make charcoal to use in your forge. It will be very like the forges that have been used for about 2000 years longer than the propane forge has been around. The ones that damascus swords were forged in, the great medieval ornamental ironwork was forged in, katanas are *still* forged in; etc. So I read your expense comment as "$0 is too expensive." To shut it off drop a plate of steel over the hole and turn off the air supply. I still have some of the old Ohio Penitentiary that was in Columbus---not the bars as they sold for a lot of money but some of the old watertower; the tank was made from real wrought iron! Moved it out here to NM when I changed jobs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 8 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Your expense comment rather floored me because if you take a shovel into the back yard and dig a scoop out you have a forge! But you'd be assuming I have anymore knowledge about Forges than my cat ! My first notion was to go looking for Forges for sale and the ones I saw (Propane) were $300-$500 so for this unknowledgeable newbie, that's a decent investment into something I didn't know if I'd like or be good at. Information is king & I didn't have much . I'm glad to have stumbled onto this forum. looks like there's tons of info & informed folks I can learn from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Hey, GrumpyBiker! Is that the northern part of central Ohio, or the central part of northern Ohio? I'm in Oberlin, and would be happy to meet up some time. (FYI, I'm primarily a hobbyist, but also a former professional woodworker.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Even better when you meet folks and get to see how they are doing things, Ohio has a number of ABANA Affiliates in it; check out ABANA's website to see if any are close to you. I started back in the early 1980's, (1981 was when I lit my first forge, which I made with pretty much a hacksaw, hammer and 1/4" drill, I was working off of Weygers' "The Modern Blacksmith" which was very much a build it from the ground up book---it's been published combined with his other two metalworking books as "the Complete Modern Blacksmith" (about US$12 used). The Backyard Blacksmith is another good one. No internet, ABANA was not well known, rather a BFMI experience (Brute Force & Massive Ignorance). You do know about your library's ILL program where you can get books the local library doesn't have---makes a good preview so you can see which books on smithing match your particular style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 7 hours ago, JHCC said: Hey, GrumpyBiker! Is that the northern part of central Ohio, or the central part of northern Ohio? I'm in Oberlin, and would be happy to meet up some time. (FYI, I'm primarily a hobbyist, but also a former professional woodworker.) @JHCC I'm East of Marion . northern part of central Ohio. @ThomasPowers I've been watching videos from DF blacksmith on YouTube. dont know what the forum thinks of this individual but I like how he hits the basics & while using the correct terms he also spells it out in laymens terms for us new guys. I'll look into the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 4 minutes ago, GrumpyBiker said: I'm East of Marion . northern part of central Ohio. Not near me, but plenty of smithing folks in the area. Good luck, and maybe we'll meet up at Quad State. 4 minutes ago, GrumpyBiker said: I've been watching videos from DF blacksmith on YouTube. Good stuff. Also check out Mark Aspery and JLP Services Inc (IFI's own @jlpservicesinc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 I will this weekend. Heading out to Berlin (Amish Country) for some R&R in the motorhome. That'll give me something to kick back & watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 I once attended the Auction at Kidron looking for an anvil. As I understand a bit of German, I gave up on it after listening to the collusion going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 They know how to separate you from your money for sure. I never bid against an Amish man at an auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.