just curious about some stuff. right now ive just started off. ive got a forge made from a garage blower, a car wheel, and a decapitated stool frame, my anvil is a two foot piece of railroad track. hammers are a 3 pound cross peen, 1 pound ball peen, and a four pound maul. also ive got a shabby set of homemade tongs, a pair of channel lock pliers, and a restored vise i found in the woods. is this enough gear to to do much with, or am i missing something key?

Many people have done much with less
The main thing is to start
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the FIRST step.

Mike Tanner

mike hit the nail on the haed
thats more than what i started with

what are you going to ues for fuel coal or charcoal if your going to use charcoal dont get the briquets they are mostly limestone filler get lump charcoal
slack tub a 5gal bucket works ok and is chaep
as for the anvil it works as is but i may recomend this site to fancy it up a bit

you have more than i satrted with have fun and be safe

Heck, you're set! Fire up and start poundin'. When ya start thinking of what else you need, either make it or go alookin'.

Sounds like more than I started with, although I've just started working on some tongs I most still use channel locks or vice grips, and my "vice" is old small champion bench vice mounted to a telephone pole scrap. My first forge was a propane torch. Dont be afraid to upgrade or change your tooling, and at the same time dont feel like you HAVE to change something that works for you just because it doesnt seem like a traditional blacksmithing technique, unless of course that is your goal(aka to smith in a style of a particulair time period) or maybe you'll find you would rather create mixed media works of art/sculpture, or whatever floats your boat thats the greatest thing about "blacksmithing" it can be whatever gets your juices flowing, dont pigeon hole yerself, If you're concerned about not having enough tooling check out tzonoqu 's website about 'smithing in India.

I started with a brick fire pit, a rock, and a construction hammer. You're doing great.

The Kidsmith,
Dave Custer
WELCOME TO CUSTER FAMILY FARM!

get it hot hit it hard!! you got the basics now make stuff ! ya might make a bick so ya can do round stuff easyer ... you can clamp it in the vice cause ya ant got a harty hole... have fun!

Stand the rr track on end. Use the 1 pound hammer more than anything else till you can locate a 2 pound hammer. A 3 pound hammer is a little heavy for most folks.

It is not the tools, but what you can do with them. When people look at what you have made, they don't ask if it was made from mild steel or 1060, or if you used a piece of rr steel or a 500 pound London pattern anvil. They ask about the price. And if the check clears the bank, you did a good job.

I started forging in a wood stove with hedge fire. Piece of track for anvil. Looks like you have a good start and Yesteryear has said what needs to be said. Get 'er dun.

I've done pattern welded steel, what many folks call damascus or folded steel, with a chunk of RR rail and a claw hammer, a home built firepot and charcoal seived out of bonfire remains...

Experience is usually more important than tools and how do you get experience?

if you can heat the steel to pound it into the shape you want...you're good to go...everything else is window dressing

I started with a brick fire pit, a rock, and a construction hammer. You're doing great.

nice to see that someone has started out the same way that i did except in a campfire and a gold pan for for an air blast the hammer was the least tireing thing

I spent quite a few years banging found steel heating with a camp fire using whatever heavy hunk of iron was handy. After a few years I welded up a rail anvil and packed a pair of tongs with.

It's the smith that counts, not the tools.

Frosty

all you need now is a box of matches to light the forge, and off you go.. i started of with an ald stove a bbq blower and an old sledge for anvil.. so your way ahead alreddy ;-)