Ralh3 Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Well hello good sirs (and 'not so good' sirs), I just felt it was time for me to post a bit of an introduction as I have been lurking here for months reading and researching about the craft. My name is Jacob and I've been in southwest Minnesota for most of my life, I've been interested in blacksmithing as far back as I can remember , when I was like 8 i used to put metal stakes into the coals of our grove burning bonfires and pretend I could beat em into Spears with a claw hammer. So fast forward 25 years I got married did a decade in the craziest sugar mill this side of the rockys, got divorced and then eventually remarried (this one might like me a bit more lol) and now after a huge batch of issues we are moving out of town to her childhood farmplace. In the next coming weeks I hope to be able to start actually building my "area". My current plans are to build a coal burning side blast clay/brick forge, I've sourced a coal supplier of proper type in WI that has 2000 lb supersacs for about 225bucks each which seems like the best price I'll find around here. Hopefully I can use the groves around the place and start making my own charcoal based on some threads. My first project is gonna have to be a 100lb wootz broadsword that can chop an anvil in half...or maybe since TPPAAT hasnt worked for me yet ill pass on anvil slicers and try a hook/chisel/nails/bracket (don't know that I'd ever actually make a sword although a spear/arrowheads might be there 3-5 years into the future and a monster sledge/maul hammer is a certainty) Currently waiting on my first hammer to show up, ordered the fiskers 4lb hand sledge that was posted up recently and will be looking into trimming it down maybe a pound or so. The anvil hunt has been a little rougher, people online have gone nuts thinking 6-9 dollars a pound is proper and in my local areas everyone so far that knew of any says they got melted down for scrap in years prior. Currently putting out a finders fee for a successful trade but I'm thinking I will just end up with with a large chunk of tool steel as that hunt isn' working well either. Recycling center here won't sell I guess, salvage yards don't have non autos (I even asked about forklift forks/excavator teeth they just stare blankly) On the brighter side a place I thought was a scrap place is now gonna be my new steel supplier for standard stock. Sorry for the long winded post I' just super excited to be finally starting after so long Ps. Anyone else in southern mn around anymore? I joined the guild of metal smith's and hope to go to some stuff this spring/summer but I don't know anyone as of yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Welcome aboard Jacob, glad to have you. Any smooth faced hammer makes a decent forging hammer. I recommend a 32 oz. Drill hammer. They're heavy enough to move metal well but light enough not to make your multitude of mistakes permanent immediately or tire you too quickly. Fatigue leads to injuries as well as mistakes. Lastly the shorter handle makes them more accurate to swing. I have one that's one of my "go to" hammers for close work and finishing. YOU need to develop hammer skills before you start using a big honking heavy hammer, 4 lbs. is way too much to start with. Fiskars makes a 3 lb. Club that isn't too terribly heavy to start with. Charles Stevens posts about side blast forges is an excellent source for the hows and whys of side blast forges. His posts about end mounted RR rail anvils are VERY good reads as well. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralh3 Posted April 15, 2018 Author Share Posted April 15, 2018 Thanks for the reply Frosty, I shall scramble off to research drill hammers a bit shortly.In addition to ordering the fiskers 4lb, I currently have been pounding on clay and driving tons of nails with the one hammer I have been carrying around for years I'm not 100% sure on the weight but I'd say its somewhere in the mid 30 oz, see if I can post a picture of it. Will definitely not be swinging a 4lb chunk around, the plan is to hopefully bring the fiskers one down to about 2.5-2.75ish. I will go check out some drill hammers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Drilling hammers tend to have soft faces and short handles , 32 oz ball peins are great (a set of 3, with a bit of reforming of the pein on two will get you off to a great start) tractor supply caries mustad 2# rounding hammers for $50 or so. Of course coming from the farrier. Side of things I like the longer handles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 It's obvious the issue you are having: 10 hours ago, Ralh3 said: TPPAAT hasnt worked for me yet Try the TPAAAT instead! One of my Wife's great Uncles used to work in a sugar refinery near Kansas City; he's told me about using the refinery's blacksmith's forge to make tools to clean the walls... Welcome and remember some of us are really really cheap...and will be happy to suggest a hole in the ground and a nice mafic or ultramafic rock rock for hammer/anvil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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