Hello from Woodbridge, VA

[MaxRV]

Hello all,  My name is Max and i am from Woodbridge, Virginia.  I am very interested in learning blacksmithing as a hobby.  Like many others i am just getting started,,,,I actually don't even have a forge or a hammer yet (LOL), so I am open to any and all advice and guidance.  I am interested to meeting any other metal workers in the are of Woodbridge, Va.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome to the insanity.

The best advice is to read all of the stickies in the sub forums that interest you.

[Jon Kerr]

Hello! Welcome to IF..... I'm very new here (and to blacksmithing) too, but I thought I would respond and perhaps be able to help with what I've learned from the good guys here so far.....!

If you haven't read this yet, please do: Read this first

Regarding your forge, you'll learn a huge amount from reading this thread about the JABOD Mk1, and also this one about the MkIII. The JABOD (Just a Box of Dirt) forge is a cheap (free?) and easy to build side blast forge, suitable for charcoal, which lots of people have had success with. Be aware of the major forge safety issues- heat, fire, carbon monoxide, etc.

See the Improvised Anvils thread for inspiration and ideas. "Real" anvils are expensive but you can do a lot with improvised alternatives.

Hammers you can pick up from car boot sales, yard sales, etc. Look for a mini sledge/drilling hammer, or a ball pein, or a cross pein, or all three.

Scrap yards are a good source of steel. Be wary of any metals which might be plated, galvanised etc- they're dangerous to heat up due to fumes. If it's left outside and not rusty, don't trust it. Alternatively- find a nearby steel merchant and buy some steel 6mm round or 6mm square lengths to get started with.

PPE (personal protective equipment) is vitally important. Eye protection for a start. Appropriate clothing.. etc.

I'd warn against spending too much money before you know you enjoy it!

Doing a course with an experienced smith is worth its weight in gold... best way to learn.

My own thread in this Intro section has a lot of great advice from the guys here, perhaps have a read through and look at all the links etc?

Hope that helps,

Jon

[ThomasPowers]

I believe that the Blacksmith's Guild of the Potomac is the ABANA affiliate closest to you.  They have a very busy June Schedule so you can probably find a time or two to go visit with them. Like Tonight! Tomorrow! etc... And of course the ABANA Conference is in Richmond VA this year; costly but close!  Definitely look into the other guilds in the area; folks generally are not picky which one(s) you join and some may be a better fit than others!

(The ABANA Affiliate page has gotten so fancy I can barely make it work on my non-windows computer; perhaps someone can suggest to them that "less is more"!)

Being in suburbia (I used to live in McLean in the 60's so I'm guessing WB is suburbia---isn't that where the big mall was?) I'd go with a smokeless (charcoal, coke or propane<=======) forge and as quiet an anvil as possible: Fisher, Vulcan if possible.

[MaxRV]

Thank you for all the great advice. I used to be a machinist, so I do love metal work; however I do plan to start out small with a coffee can. I figure I will take some time to learn some basic skills (like making bottle openers and stuff) before deciding how how far to take this. Being retired military, I need to start a new life....or at least something to create a small business tax break. If I like this, maybe it will eventually get me there.