how did you get started smithing?

[Dragons lair]

Sweany, My Websters defines flexible as being capable of being bent. (grin)
Ken

[crazyknives]

youtube i watched it a tone and learned how to do it

[Bill in Oregon]

My first exposure was in 1959 at age 6 during the Oregon Centennial. At a small ferry crossing town on the Willamette River (Independence), a blacksmith was making rings out of horseshoe nails for something like 25 cents. Fascinating. That was the seed. Also watched a smith make steak turners at a living history demonstration, and though I could learn to do that. But it wasn't until I got a copy of Tim Lively's "Knifemaking Unplugged" that I realized how easy it was to make a simple charcoal forge. Not long after, I ran into an old No. 40 Champion blower, and I was soon ready to heat and mash metal on a Russian-made cast steel Harbor Freight anvil (not the Chinese cast iron ASO.) I am still a crude beginner, but have a Diamondback forge on the way and just built a forge table and mounted my old leg vise. Also have a reconditioned 120-pound Trenton anvil, and plan to get a few more basic tools to expand my limited repertoire. Love this Web site!

[Drako11]

Well I have always been interested in the times of old from ancient Greece, to Rome, from Knights in Shining armor, to the Revolution. I was watching alot of videos on YouTube about smithing and how to make knives and such. Stumbled on a video of a guy making a knife with a home made grill forge. We had an old grill sitting behind the house, ran out and bought some concrete and galvanized pipe and set the grill up as a forge. Found an avil, some ball pien hammers, a few wrenches and away I went. I have only been forging for a couple weeks, but I love it! Probably not going to turn it into a career, but will most likely be a life long hobby. ^_^