how did you get started smithing?

[Finnr]

Frosty ! You sir are a very fortunate man!
Finnr

[ironrosefarms]

Frosty you are spot on... I don't hardly know how I would take my next breath without my bride. Her support of all my oddities and the similarities that we share are the greatest blessing in my life.

James

[Justin Keller]

I'm one of those teenage males who wanted nothing more than to make my own sword after watching the Highlander and Conan movies.

About five years later, saw a ad for a basic blacksmithing course but moved before I was able to take it. I was complaining to my parents that I wasn't able to take the course, and they mentioned one of the neighbors was in a blacksmithing group. I asked him about it, he invited me to a meeting and I've been smithing ever since.

I've been smithing for about two years now, very slowly putting together my shop. One of these days I'll get around to making that sword..

As for the wife thing, that's sort of creepy.. My wife has her Bachelors of Fine Arts.. she majored in Fibre. We currently have eight alpacas, and she cards, spins, dyes and weaves their fibre.

[nc_cooter]

I started my journey to blacksmithing by making knives on a belt grinder. I built a gas forge to do my own heat treating. Grinding knives from flat bar was fun, but sometimes I didn't have the size stock i needed. I started looking for an anvil. I put the word out, ran ads in the paper and asked everyone that even might remotely know of one. No luck for the first year or so. Meanwhile, I used a piece of RR track.
After about a year and a half, I found a used 70# NC Tool farriers anvil. The cotton was getting higher. Being self taught, I made a lot of mistakes. I joined some blacksmith forums, asked a lot of dumb questions and read a lot more. The learning curve was very low, but I kept improving.
About 2 years went by and I found a 138# Hay Budden in excellent condition. Then in a matter of days I got a 126# Mousehole for free. I was definitely walking in high cotton. ( the 70# went to a friend)
The journey started about 6 years ago and continues. I still primarily forge knives and BS tools, although I am beginning to make other things.
Last year I fell from a ladder and broke my shoulder. Old folks don't bounce to well. They tend to break. I am still pounding metal, though I have had to greatly modify my technique. (thanks Mr Hoffi)

[Doug C]

My wife is always finding new experiences for me to try. She gives me classes for Christmas. One year was two days with a cooper at Stawberry Banke in Portsmouth, NH, drawing lessons, painting lesson then last December it was 5 lessons with Carl West at Prospect Hill Forge in Waltham, Ma. We made S-Hooks and I was hooked. A guy I worked with sold me his grandfather's rivet forge and a small swaybacked anvil and I have scoured Flea Markets and Craigslist pulling together a 150# anvil, a swage block, vise and some hand tools.

Lucky for me my wife, Deb, encourages me to spend time doing this thing I love.

[Pault17]

I dug my first anvil out of a hillside a few years ago. found a little post vise nearby.built a bean-can forge and began learning

[Ramsberg]

After making a bunch of different stuff, such as a potters wheel and pots with it, painting etc. I got interested in carving wood and stone. I noticed that all of the best chisels were made by blacksmiths by hand! So I decided to learn blacksmithing to make some chisels, got a bunch of books and did too much research before I finally made my first forge.

After a few years and joining a local blacksmithing group I still hadn't made a chisel yet, got hooked on making more artistic stuff with the forge and anvil. A very fullfilling diversion from my original idea of what I was going to make!

Now I have my greatgrandfathers blacksmithing hammer, which my grandfather had brazed a metal handle onto. I anealed the head, ground off the mushroom(it had lost it's temper when the handle was brazed on), filed a proper profile on both sides of it(it was a machinist type hammer), then wraped the metal handle(which used to have leather rings on it) with twine.

The twine wrapping works GREAT, wraped tightly, one has great hammer control, the twine absorbs sweat from the hand, and gives a cushion from the hammer blow. I greatly prefer it over a wooden handle.

Caleb Ramsby

[Frosty]

Last year I fell from a ladder and broke my shoulder. Old folks don't bounce to well. They tend to break. I am still pounding metal, though I have had to greatly modify my technique. (thanks Mr Hoffi)

Bounce reduction is one of the worst parts of aging, I stepped (or slipped) off a tilt top trailer at work two years ago, shattered my left arm and am still semi-disabled.

I had a bone graft done two weeks ago (surgery 5) and yesterday's x-rays show new bone growth so it's looking better. Unfortunately the new surgeon put me back in an articulated brace and nixed me doing anything for the next month.

I agree, alpacas are kind of creepy, look cool, lousy personalities.

As to how fortunate we seem to be finding wives of supreme tolerence. WOOHOO!!

Yes I'm lucky!

Frosty Edited October 2, 2008 by Frosty

[civilwarblacksmith]

I was already a civilwar re-enactor when I became a type 2 diabetic. It scared me to be on the field after that. If for some reason my sugar were to drop would anyone know that something was wrong or would they just think I was pretending to be shot.

So in order to stay in re-enacting I became a living historian, portraying a medical officer, then I portrayed General Fitzhugh Lee, R. E. Lee's nephew. I then took a class at the guild that I'm a member of and brought that into the re-enactment scene.

[Frosty]

I can identify with that Reb. I was diagnosed type 2 in 2,000 after losing 60lbs in five months. It's changed my life in many ways, I know if I'd paid half this much attention to nutrition before I wouldn't be on life support now.

How long since you were diagnosed?

If you want to talk BS management, tricks, pitfalls, etc. please get with me on the side.

Frosty

[Doug C]

I too can relate to the low sugar problem, been type I for 20 years. I keep a supply of granola bars near by when I am at the forge. Many times I am having so much fun I forget to eat and check the BG. Next thing I know I am low.

[1860cooper]

I became involved unintentionally, for which I'm thankful. I was brought on for the summer as a demonstrator at Ft.Stephens, OR. I was supposed to do military demonstrations, talks, tours, but they Ft. had a falling out with their previous blacksmiths so a compete smithy shop was at my disposal if I wanted to tinker. And tinker I did.

I've been a Civil War reenactor on and off for 13 years. A year ago I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so for that and other reasons I've come to terms that soldiering isn't in my future (sigh). And now I'm married, and my wife has a passion for history herself, so we're preparing to get back into reenacting as civilians, as you may guess, as a cooper.

So I'm trying to get back into smithing so I can make some specialized tools and such as I'll need for historical trade work.

Here's to equally crazy and supportive wives. :D

[tribal forge]

Hey Frosty!
We both seem to have a great Lady, mine can not only forge, but she is a Silversmith by trade, does leather work beads, does baskets and gourds! I forge, can work leather, do some bead work, but she outclasses me in those crafts/Selden

[Frosty]

Hey Seldon:

Yeah, Deb is good with her hands, a much faster study than I am. When we got together I tried to tell her she didn't need strength to work metal but it wasn't till a get together of metalhead friends that she really got it. There was fold forming, repousse and chasing, enameling and other light gage stuff she could do without hurting her hands.

Of course now she wants a "corner" of my shop!

Frosty

[Holzkohle]

It started with a camper when I decided to cook the evening meal in cast iron cookware(first addiction-now have a ton of CI cookware and cook at least one complete meal a week in camp cookware). This led also to participating in a living history group-circa 1840.

When looking for CI cookware earlier this year, I found a Hay-Budden farriers anvil, 140#, and bought it for $125. A neighbor is a blacksmith and machinist who helped (he did most of the work) build my first forge. Started pounded iron in June.

Since that time, I have picked up 3 post vises, an Armatage Mouse Hole anvil, another English style anvil, and a rivet forge with a small Bufco blower which I wanted for demo's.

Did my first demo earlier this month with another scheduled for 8 Nov. If things proceed like the first demo, this may be a self sustaining hobby (Is ther such a thing?).

You're never to old to start a new hobby. I'll be 70 years young on 3 Nov.

[herchammer]

My interest stemmed from time with my Father and Grandfather. Grandad used to tell stories about visiting the town smith, and about the daily maintenance work done on the farm in the farm's smithy. My Dad, has a portable forge with a cast firepot, and a Champion 400 hand crank blower. That is where I got my start.

I haven't had the luxury of being near the forge, in quite some time. My job and now, newborn twins, take up much of my time, but I am making small steps toward building my own shop. I have the building,and I'm in the process of outfitting it. I recently purchased a 200 pound Hay Budden, in great shape, and will be picking up a Buffalo hand crank blower and cast fire pot next week. I'm gettin' there, I just ain't movin too fast.:)

[Ross_E]

I have always been interested in metal work, forging is my third attempt.

First I bought a mill in hopes of making 1911 frames before I realized it was too expensive, the mill now sits with a hogger and no power.
I then tried casting before I realized the furnace in my company's lab would only melt aluminum. I also figured out that nothing useful comes from casting!

I'm not building a forge, and I've realized it's the least expensive form of metal work, and also the most rewarding!!

[Sask Mark]

When I was in my early teens, I heard of a guy who built knives. I was at the newstand one day and picked up an issue of Knives Illustrated. while paging through it, I saw Hugh Bartrug's pattern welded steel, and started researching how it was done.

That was my first introduction to blacksmithing. I used to be intent on making knives, but my interest has shifted more to the sculpture recently.

I wish I was introduced to it by my father/gradfather as I could have been at it a lot longer and with more guidance and teaching. So far, it's been forums like this that has tought me the most.

[wolfshieldrx]

Great-grandfather was a smith (I use his vice and hammer). Grew up on storied of my dad as a small boy helping with the bellows. Got a degree in pharmacy in '82 and have worked at the same hospital since then. About two years ago, one of my buddies at work said "You will probably think I'm a nerd, but I always wanted to learn blacksmithing." I told him I always wanted to also. A couple of weeks later, he told me that his step-father knew a guy that tought classes one night a month...the rest is history. I won't give up my day job...but just completed (minus painting) a 12x12 smithy. Grand-dad's vice...100 lb columbian...brick forge. I'm having a ball. I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

[ptree]

I got started as a blacksmith as a PRE-SCHOOLER. We lived next to a house muesum. They built a blacksmith shop, and they did not have a fence:) I was adopted by that smith as his bellows boy. In the third grade we moved away:( At 18 I joined the ARMY, and ended up in Germany. In advanced training I had learned to cut jem stones in the craft shop and went to the base craft shop to check it out. No jem cutting:( But, they had a Jewlery shop. So I begain to learn fabrication and casting. They hired a German jewlor to teach, and boy was he strict. All the others in class dropped out, so he taught me as an apprentice. When I came back to the US to Engineering school, I went looking for a job as a Jewlor to help pay. No dice. I did go to work in factories that worked metal, and then a shop with an industrial drop forge. Still only forging silver at home. Then a neighbor bought a forge and anvil. Could not get a fire going, and did not know how to do anything and I showed him how to manage a fire a little. CAUGHT the bug bad. Had an anvil soon, built a shop, built a bigger shop, built an addition etc.

[paulhw]

my grandpa was a farmer and poor as dirt. he had a blacksmith shop where he sharpened plow points and made whatever else he needed. when he died a man stole his complete shop. he never even set it up. just threw it in weeds. i waited 41 years for this man to die so i could steal it all back. and i did. found everything but the blower. now it's mine and i'm enjoying it. remembering when i was a kid and grandpa let me turn the blower and beat on some metal.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Paul, glad to have you.

I'm glad you got your Grandfather's tools back and happy you were able to wait for the thief to pass on without helping out.

Frosty

[TimB]

I allways had a curiosity in the back of my mind about blacksmithing and knifemakeing. I tend to gravitate toward doing things for myself. I took up leather craft in highschool, so I could make my own gun leather. Taught myself to weld--oxy/acet and stick, so I could build myself more contraptions, got into reloading my own bullets, inherited grandpas fly tying outfit, and took up black powder--soon to gravitate into casting my own bullets. Blacksmithing was just the next logical progression in my own evolution I guess. I've always loved blades, and carried a schrade carbon steel bladed folder (the best blade IMO) since dad gave it to me in Jr. high. It broke my heart when schrade sold out to China. Bought my 6 yr old boy a Camillus knife blank off e-bay, for Christmas last year, (and one for me too ) and in the process of trying to figgure out how to heat treat them, found out that I had everything I needed to start forging, and beating hot metal, already collected over the years in my shed. I'm still in the process of building me an anvil, but I found the RR track one I started making 20 years ago--so my boy's useing that one, and the craft is growing on both of us. I've made a couple things, just hooks and plant hangers for my wife, which she thought were cool ( that'll buy me some more pounding time ) but the only thing I've spent any money on so far is a 50# bag of coal. The coolest thing about the hooks I made my wife , is that they were made from a small chunk of junk steel I cut off a chunk of I-beam with the torch. I havent thought too seriously about it yet, but you know, I'm gonna wind up makeing my own black powder rifle some day. It's just in my nature. :)

Edited June 10, 2009 by TimB

[Fe-Wood]

Interesting reading guys. Fun to read how people come to things in life, what takes hold and what doesn't.

Anyway, I guess I should share my first taste for Blacksmithing and why it took.

I'll try to keep it short too:)

I've been working with wood since I was a child... Been collecting hand tools ever since.

At the local JC, I took some Jewelry making classes... First hot metal experience, Loved it:D

I got into smithing in Collage. I was in advanced sculpture classes for 2 or 3 semesters having made lots of bronze castings. Being in the Collage environment, I was trying all sorts of new things.... One day in the tool crib, I saw a complete set of Hammers, Swages, Hardies, top tools, bottom tools and several VERY large anvils. This was a very well equipped art department. I asked if anyone was teaching classes on how to use this stuff, "no" was the answer...Hmmm... "Do you mind if I try it out?" "knock yourself out" came the reply. So for the rest of my time there I began working out how to use a coal forge, make hooks and the like. Being a wood worker, I've always made tools, so it was a short hop to tool making on the anvil. Soon, I was teaching seminars on chisel making from drill rod and building my first coal and gas forges. Fast forward 15 years and Blacksmithing has again become a dominant force in the work I do. Now if only I could get marketing to become a dominant force in the work that I do;)

[Sweany]

I miss read the address on the way to take music lessons. :)