YungSmith14 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I am and have always been very interested in smithing and i am intent on helping too bring it back into the younger generations. I am only 14 years old and many people will not take me seriously but in the future i would like to train as a blacksmith. I am not asking for help or anything like that i was just wondering who the youngest smith here, if you dont mind me asking is. I am just interested because i have heard that blacksmithing is dying out and i would like to try and change that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Probably more hobby blacksmiths around now than there were professional ones 50 years ago. Not dying out at all! Come to Quad-State and see hundreds of smiths all together! I don't generally teach people below 10; but have worked with some 7 year olds under special conditions. Youngest fellow I would consider a smith was that 11 year old fellow who did some of the project demo's over at anvilfire "Another demo by (now) 11 year old Sean Conner" of course he's several years older now. Don't focus on being the youngest; focus on being the *best* a far more worthy goal and one you can keep attaining all your life! To be taken seriously---take to it seriously! Research and practice the craft, do demo's contribute back to the craft and folks will be dragging their kids over to watch you and say "why aren't you more like him/her!". On the other hand don't hold it against them; I figure that out of the several hundred folks I have given an intro to blacksmithing course to less than 10% are still forging after 2 years. Of course I'm willing to teach almost anybody so there is not much preselection going on. It is common for young folks to try out a bunch of stuff before they settle down into their groove so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Welcome aboard youngsmith. Thomas is right, you're already too old to be the youngest, even on this forum but it's never too late to become the best. Or try at least. As to asking for help, it's unlikely you'll even become good let along one of the best if you don't ask occasionally. Besides, rendering opinions is something smiths really enjoy doing. It's like the old saying, ask a smith a question and get several answers. There're lots of ways to do things so it's always a good idea to hear how others do it. The more you know the better chance you'll have of doing it. Whatever the particular IT you're interested in doing is. If you click on User CP at the top of the page and edit your profile to include your general location we'll be more likely to be able to put you in touch with smiths in your area. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I hope you do well. In the old days (now fortunately long gone) a blacksmith would already have started his apprenticeship by your age. You will have a big advantage that at your age you will learn quickly- not like old guys who have more trouble remembering. So go for it and take my best wishes with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Welcome YungSmith14 For what every reason that brought you I Forge Iron, you have found the right place to receive the information you need to become a well trained blacksmith. Thomas Powers and Frosty have summed up and presented some very good responses to you that I feel answers your questions or concerns. As you can see they take you very seriously. It is also reflected in there responses that they care about you and your interests, as I do. Here at I Forge Iron you will be taken respectfully regardless of your age, gender, etc. I have discovered that the nature of the blacksmiths found here at "I Forge Iron" is one of having a willingness to help other people with similar mind sets. I wish you the very best on your journey to be come a skilled blacksmith, but always be safe! Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Several young folks have joined IForgeIron and have impressed folks with their thirst of knowledge, desire to learn, and then their drive to take it to the fire and turn theory into application. Jodie Robinson was 10 years old when he presented Blueprint BP0507 Spork. Whitesmith was blacksmithing at age 6, ask to work at a forge on a regular basis at age 7, already has 3 wholesale accounts for his work at age 8, and presented his first demo at 9 years old. (Thomas, I had to check as it has been a while.) Both Jodie and Whitesmith are still interested in blacksmithing. YungSmith14 The best way to be taken seriously is to be serious about blacksmithing. Read all you can on the subject, takes notes, and learn how things are done. Go to IForgeIron.com Getting started, and Lessons in metalworking > Blacksmithing. Then go to IForgeIron Blueprint BP0238 Simple Side Blast 55 Forge , build a simple forge, and get some metal hot. Pay more attention to safety and technique than what you actually produce. Once you have the safety and technique, make say 25 of each item, making each batter than the last one. Compare the first and last ones looking for the differences. Then read some more, take notes and go back to the fire to see if you can apply what you have read to transform the metal. Keep us informed as to your progress and ask questions. Welcome to IForgeIron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerkid Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 welcome aboard! i`am also 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Dwyer Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 It's nice to meet you. Make sure you follow Glenn's instructions to add your location so we know where you're at. There might be some blacksmith near you. By the way, don't worry about not being taken seriously, a lot of people don't even take full grown adults who play with fire and pound the snot out of metal seriously either. Ha, ha!!! For instance old Uncle Frosty from Alaska can be a real character. He gets me laughing pretty good some times! Having fun is more important to me than being accomplished. Never the less, there are truly a lot of folks on this forum (often referred to as IFI, short for I Forge Iron) that are super super super accomplished. So tell us, what kind of equipment do you have? How did you get started? What kind of stuff are you interested in making? Looking forward to hearing more about your blacksmithing adventures. BE SAFE (remember everything is hot!) and have fun! Phil (in Hawaii) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Mulholland - Tetnum Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 welcome aboard i am only 15 treat all metal as if its hot good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Which proves my earlier point. At your age you think you are super human. As a blacksmith you will become very strong but PLEASE take care of yourself. We have winches, hoists, pallet trucks, forklifts etc. for picking up heavy stuff. If you strain your back it might never recover so please use correct lifting equipment or get someone to help you. Also heed the warnings of those with more experience. Wear steel toes, safety glasses and all the other modern devices to protect yourself. This includes hearing protection. I am nearly deaf largely due to my own stupidity and it is no fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habu68 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 An "old hand" of 6 years old in coveralls taught me a good way to light a fire after watching me blunder with wet tinder. He started his lecture with "weeeeellllll the way we do it....." as he showed me how his grandfather and father taught him to light a fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannes Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 HELLO YOUNG SMITH, I'm pretty new to this forum myself, but I have been playing with hot metals since I was about your age. You'l find allot of info here, red true all of it, if your native english speaking or ar got at it, your lucky, there are mutch more books on blacksmithing tan there are in anny athor language... get some of them, you can even read a few online here for free. My athor advise is find a teacher/school/aprentincenship, i don't know about your area, but around here there are still some good blacksmithing schools left, you'l have to make an efford but its worth it! Be ware of safety! but get paranoid about it, if you fear what your working with you'l never get things done, understand it, respect it and be causious about it, but do not fear it. Also an athor tip, learn some stuff aboud metals and metalurgic science, and educate yourself in design a bit, it will help you shape your idea's. Hope its helpfull, welcom aborde! greetz Johannes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YungSmith14 Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 wow, thanks alot for all of the replies. I certainly wasnt expecting this much support so quickly. Ill make sure to take all of your advice. Is it a good idea to start training properly by making your own tools, or should i wait till i am more experienced to do that so that they will be more reliable? cheers YungSmith14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YungSmith14 Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 oh...i forgot to say... i have been in enough scrapes and accidents to know about safety. With my version of a trial and error system (i hurt myslef in some way then figure out why) i have learned to be cautious enough not to hurt myself but not afraid of what i do. If you fall down get back up and try again. and thanks alot Glenn for the link to the forge. Ill be making one as soon as i get the items needed. thanks again everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveh Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 hi YungSmith14.making your own tools is agreat way of learningto forge its one of my favourite things to do.i really like using things ive made,seeing if they take the punishment theyre put through.i hope you will have fun while you are learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Welcome Yungsmith! A lot of good advice has already been given, but here is something I think has been missed so far: you are still growing! Don't forget to make your stands etc. adjustable, modifiable or replaceable as you change. Also, not all of you will grow at the same time; your bones for instance may lengthen at different times to your tendons. I found that there were certain things I could do physically one week that I couldn't the week before -- or even vice versa! :shock: But once again, welcome! In one way we are unlucky to be in this era of a reduced continuity of blacksmithing (the 'dark ages' of the mid 20th century for instance) but we also have great advantages not seen before in history; power tools cheap to buy and run that can do a day's labour in an hour; materials cheaper and higher quality then they have been at most other times in history; a wider range of creative projects we can do; greater number of ways of doing things from around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 oh...i forgot to say... i have been in enough scrapes and accidents to know about safety. With my version of a trial and error system (i hurt myslef in some way then figure out why) i have learned to be cautious enough not to hurt myself but not afraid of what i do. If you fall down get back up and try again. A couple helpful points from Old :confused: Uncle Frosty. You might want to rethink the part about following ALL the advice you hear, some of us have wicked senses of humor and I'm sure you wouldn't want to wake up blue or something some morning. Would you? I see you have already gotten a handle on how to learn from your mistakes. Pain is a wonderful instructor eh? Everybody falls, the trick to success is to fall foreward. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden_eagle Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 WOW! I almost belived I was the youngest here.... I'm 14 & 4 months (to the day) and have been blacksmithing for 2 months 10 days. P.s. anyone know where I can get another anvil? my cast iron one is starting to fall apart, its to light for all but one of my hammers and that hammer is to light for me... EDIT: any one have any thing to do with plow bits and Pre-1960 hydrolic shaft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Go to the top of the forum page and click on user cp click on edit profile go to the bottom of the page, enter your location, and save. We would like to know where in the world you are located. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The tailgating section of IForgeIron had a couple of anvils available (reference Stiffy post). IForgeIron > Blueprints > BP0017 Plow Work IForgeIron > Getting Started IForgeIron > Blacksmithing Groups Locate a group near you and go to the meetings. The folks there can point you toward an anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Glenn, should you follow your own location advice? IForgeIron at Big Chimney is not very obvious... As to finding anvils; there have been a number of posts on how to go about it as well as using "non-standard" anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Maybe Santa will start bringing anvils down from the Big Chimney. Hmmmmm? Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogPondForge Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Isn't there a Big Chimney in WV. ? MIKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keykeeper Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Glenn, should you follow your own location advice? IForgeIron at Big Chimney is not very obvious... There IS a Big Chimney in WV. Look it up. (Not to mention Glenn has a "big chimney" on one of his forges. Frogpond: See, you are correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 For what its worth, I am now 64, not the youngest by far, but I started my apprenticeship under my father and uncles tutalage at age 7 and kept at it till I permanently injured my back 2+ years ago. Take a look at my Avatar (picture in the top left corner) by my name, That is my Grandson who lives in Texas, Demoing at Gerald Franklins hammerin in Duncan , Oklahoma a few years ago. Notice all the safety gear and the hammer he is wielding is a one pound cross pein I made him. the anvil is a 10 lber, he is in I think 4th grade in school now. A chip off grandpa's block, LOL A very PROUD, Grandpa. A bigger picture. He got the attention of all the older smiths there when he started hammering out the "S" hook he was making. 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.