Hi All,
My name is Bob.

I'm here in Moneta VA just south of Bedford VA

I have been a hobby welder for years.   I have only made a few blades in my time and I have been using the stock removal process and then heating with a torch(s)

I am finding it very hard to get some of my bigger blades up to temp so I just ordered a 2 burner forge from Devil forge.

I have only used a makeshift forge a couple times a long time ago and really did not know what I was doing so this is new to me.  I plan to do as much research as I can.

It will be a few weeks at least before I get up and running, I accidentally chopped off one of my toes so I'm not walking the greatest right now. Going to  take a while to heal.

 

Anyway hope to be talking with you all soon.

Bob

PS. one thing you will figure out about me soon is I cant spell  --  Sorry
off site links removed

 

Welcome aboard. Safety is first. Hope your toe heals quickly. You'll find there's all the info you need here. If there's something you don't know and can't find it after typing what you're looking for on Google don't hesitate to ask. Just type in what you are looking for followed by iforgeiron and you should find it. The search engine here isn't very good that's why we recommend using Google or Bing. 

Are you only interested in bladesmithing? I initially wanted to make knives but the more I learned about blacksmithing the lower on the list knife making became. Not really a lot of anvil time when making blades. Anyway good luck and remember it's supposed to be fun and keep us posted.

Pnut

Cool stuff! 

As you make the transition from stock-removal knives to forged, take some time to learn the basics of moving metal first. For example, making nails and S-hooks is a great way to learn tapers, which will serve you well making your blade preforms.

Welcome!  Using that forge  myself, just be sure to make sure you keep the propane line well out of the line of fire.  Too easy for it to get hot if the line is allowed to run unsupported from the forge to the tank.