VoluntaryBryce Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Hi everyone! Been interested in blacksmithing for a few months now, and the more I read, the more interested I become. I've been reading quite a bit on this forum and have decided that I'm going to jump in. First of all, thanks to all you veteran blacksmiths for your great advice and knowledge! As I start on this journey, I'm hoping to get some advice from the get-go. I'm fortunate enough to have a blacksmithing school about 15 minutes away from me. I plan on taking a couple classes there ASAP. Hopefully that will equip me with some basic skills that I can grow into a craft. The area where I need advice is my personal forge. I honestly don't know where to begin. I will have roughly a thousand to spend initially. Will this be enough to get me a rudimentary set-up? Also, I want to mostly forge knives and swords. Would a propane or coal forge be most beneficial? Where are the best places to buy supplies, like steel and tools? Locally or online? Thanks in advance! I look forward to engaging with everyone on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Welcome aboard! Nice to meet a voluntary Bryce -- all the Bryces I've known so far have been involuntary, even compelled. If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST. It sounds like you're in a great starting place, between the availability of classes and a decent starting budget. I personally would recommend taking the classes first, and then using that experience to guide you with your initial purchases. Please remember that it is VERY easy to spend money in this craft, but it's also possible to get a lot accomplished on very little money. My STRONG recommendation is that you hang onto your cash as long as you can, so that you'll have it available when the deal of a lifetime comes up (and it will). Please keep in mind that you do NOT need to purchase a stereotypical London-pattern anvil to blacksmith; we have members doing incredible work on all manner of plain ol' lumps of steel. Check out this thread: You can set up a solid-fuel forge for practically nothing; check out the JABOD (Just A Box Of Dirt) and 55 forge threads for more info. I made my own JABOD for about five bucks, and that was because I decided to spring for some drywall screws rather than using salvaged nails. Gas forges have their advantages (especially for blademaking), but are more expensive to set up. If you are interested in blades, please read the pinned threads in that section of the forum. Lots of people want to jump right into making knives and swords, but you will do yourself a BIG favor by learning basic techniques and proper hammer control before you start thinking about making things that cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 How can we answer some of your questions when we don't even *know* what Country you are in of the 150 that participate here? I like the NJ Steel Baron for blade steel; but that probably won't work as well if you are in Australia; I often see him in person at Quad-State... Please note that swordsmithing is analogous to Formula 1 Racing and you are asking us how to turn the car on... Starting out; a propane forge will destroy fewer projects. Remember even in swordmaking, (actually, *especially* in swordmaking), you only want to heat the length of metal you can work in one go---so a forge with a 6-8" hot zone and pass through capabilities will do fine. Also do remember that everything in a blacksmith shop ends up being a consumable. Don't expect your first forge to be your last! I even once dug a trench forge in my back yard in the city when I needed a 3' long hot zone to do some box folding of 3/8" plate for a historical reproduction of a shipboard fire holder for a Santa Maria reproduction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 11 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Starting out; a propane forge will destroy fewer projects. On the flip side, a lot of starter projects deserve to be destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoluntaryBryce Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 3 hours ago, JHCC said: Welcome aboard! Thank you for your response and the great advice. I'll be sure to follow it. I'll check out the threads you referenced. As far as bladesmithing, I should have been a little more specific in my original post. I fully understand that bladesmithing takes years of experience. I SHOULD have stated that knives and blades are what I want to eventually learn, not start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Okay, first specific piece of advice: do NOT quote an entire comment. If there's something specific you'd like to respond to, highlight it and click the little "quote this" popup that will appear. Unnecessarily lengthy quotes take up a lot of bandwidth and make things harder for our members and visitors who still use dial-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoluntaryBryce Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Hi Thomas, thanks for responding! I'm located in SE Ohio (Sorry, should have included that). And I should have been more specific in my original post. Bladesmithing is my long-term goal. I fully understand that it takes YEARS of experience. I'm doing more research each day and looking for some advice from experienced blacksmiths with where to start. What are some more simple projects to start with to learn some basic fundamentals? Thanks again, I really appreciate the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 hours ago, VoluntaryBryce said: I fully understand that bladesmithing takes years of experience. I SHOULD have stated that knives and blades are what I want to eventually learn, not start with. Ah, good. 2 hours ago, VoluntaryBryce said: I'm located in SE Ohio (Sorry, should have included that). Put this in your profile settings. No-one who hasn't seen this thread will know it, and those who have will have forgotten it five minutes from now. That said, get in touch with Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil (SOFA) ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoluntaryBryce Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 10 minutes ago, JHCC said: click the little "quote this" popup that will appear. My apologies! That's a nice feature and I'll be sure to use it in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Ditto SOFA! I used to carpool to attend meetings from Columbus OH and I built both of my first 2 propane forges at workshops they put on. There used to be a knifemaking supply company on the east side of Columbus where I bought my Bader; but it's been 15-20 years so I don't know if it's still there...I'd ask local smiths where to find local supplies.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VoluntaryBryce Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 37 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: I'd ask local smiths where to find local supplies.. When I take some classes in the next couple months, I plan on picking the instructors' brains the best I can. My goal is to learn absolutely as much as I possibly can, even if I'm the only person with a notebook writing things down frantically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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