Greetings from Sweden

[SmedjaSlitvarg]

Hello!

I'm a guy from Sweden whose interest in blacksmithing awoke when I learned that my great grandfather was a master blacksmith. At the time I had no means to pursue it though, I was living in an apartment at the time. A couple of years ago I moved out to a house on the countryside though, and then the search started. It wasn't easy though when trying to keep a decent budget.

But one day last spring it happened, I went to an estate auction and there were not that many there. I went home with a car full of items.

I got an anvil, a forge and some tools.

So I set up a small shop in an old shed.

Since then I have kept going and the shop now looks like

I'm slowly learning, but still very much a beginner.

I must give a big thanks to John of Black Bear Forge, his videos is what has given me the most. I've joined here now after noticing that every time I google something this is where I end up, so felt right to join in.

Also, as a side note: My other hobby is as a hobby mechanic and I collect mechanic tools. See more of that on https://www.instagram.com/handtools/

 

 

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome to IFI...

The shop looks good to me, great haul on the equipment too. Love your anvil and the blower arrangement looks interesting. If you keep finding great stuff like that you are going to need a bigger vehicle.

[ThomasPowers]

And a bigger shed!

re: apartment:  I've had a student who started blacksmithing while he lived in a dorm room at the University. (He seemed to have trouble keeping a roommate though...couldn't have been the couple of hundred pounds of scrap metal under the bed, the desk switched out for a workbench with postvise and the propane forge disguised as a gas grill out back of the building...)

[Frosty]

7 hours ago, SmedjaSlitvarg said:

Hello!

I'm a guy from Sweden

Welcome aboard Smedja or do we call you Slitvarg? What do folks call you?

I like your coal forge, I haven't seen a treadle powered one but I like the idea. Good score all round, I don't see anything I couldn't make room for and put to work. 

Looks like you have a nice working set up so far. What do you like to  make?

Frosty The Lucky.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Welcome from the desert outside of Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada.

[pnut]

Tjenamars, glad to have you. You'll find plenty of info and helpful folks who like to see beginners succeed and progress in smithing. I would still be groping Along if I hadn't found IFI. 

Anything you need to know is probably answered somewhere here. After looking if you still can't find what you need to know don't hesitate to ask.Good luck and don't get frustrated or discouraged, remember it's supposed to be fun.

Pnut

[SmedjaSlitvarg]

21 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

Welcome to IFI...

The shop looks good to me, great haul on the equipment too. Love your anvil and the blower arrangement looks interesting. If you keep finding great stuff like that you are going to need a bigger vehicle.

Thank you! The chance that I come across another deal like that in a lifetime is so low I think I'll manage with my current vehicle.

9 hours ago, pnut said:

Tjenamars, glad to have you. You'll find plenty of info and helpful folks who like to see beginners succeed and progress in smithing. I would still be groping Along if I hadn't found IFI. 

Anything you need to know is probably answered somewhere here. After looking if you still can't find what you need to know don't hesitate to ask.Good luck and don't get frustrated or discouraged, remember it's supposed to be fun.

Pnut

Thanks! Yeah, I'm a strong believer in learning from others mistakes so to have this much information gathered is a valuable resource.

16 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Welcome from the desert outside of Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada.

Thank you! 

19 hours ago, Frosty said:

Welcome aboard Smedja or do we call you Slitvarg? What do folks call you?

I like your coal forge, I haven't seen a treadle powered one but I like the idea. Good score all round, I don't see anything I couldn't make room for and put to work. 

Looks like you have a nice working set up so far. What do you like to  make?

Frosty The Lucky.

I guess it would be Slitvarg. Smedja is the Swedish equalient to the word Forge, so it's like "Forge Slitvarg".

The treadle design is actually quite common here, they can still be bought new even. The gas forge (Devil Forge) was a welcome addition when I bought that though, the foot crank gets tiresome.

It truly was a great score, a car full of tools for under $400. Some things are unused though, like some massive fullers I can't imagine using without a power hammer.

I'm mostly doing simple things now; hooks and such. I have bought my first piece of real tool steel though, so the next big project is trying to do a froe.

20 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

And a bigger shed!

re: apartment:  I've had a student who started blacksmithing while he lived in a dorm room at the University. (He seemed to have trouble keeping a roommate though...couldn't have been the couple of hundred pounds of scrap metal under the bed, the desk switched out for a workbench with postvise and the propane forge disguised as a gas grill out back of the building...)

Hah, that's some dedication! I wasn't as determined, but I got going at last.