Greeting from Portland, OR, USA

[WilCo]

My initial interest in blacksmithing was to be able to make my own (hand) tools for (mostly greenish) woodworking & carving, although now that I have started, my interest in producing decorative and useful items and other tools is also growing.

I also dabble in leatherworking, mostly sheaths or covers for tools.

I started learning blacksmithing last fall (December 2019), with a 1-day introductory course at Trackers Portland, under the tutelage of the great Rashell. I was finally able to begin taking advantage of the weekly 2-hour open forge that Trackers offers in February and had done so a few times before everything fell apart.

I had been considering a small home setup even before everything was shutdown (2 hours/wk isn't much time), so I am working on that now. I recently noticed that Trackers open forge time is going again, so I am hoping to be back there soon, although I have a bit of tendonitis at the moment.

I have no background in metalworking, welding, etc.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome aboard, not having a background can be a good thing. No bad habits to overcome. I'm reasonably sure this shutdown will come to an end, just don't know when.

[WilCo]

Thanks!

[ThomasPowers]

You may want to read up on blacksmith's elbow AKA tendonitis and how to modify your tools and work habits to avoid it.  I went through a spell 30 years ago where my arm got so bad I had to forge Titanium as the CP 1&2 grades are butter soft at working temps and I could use a very small hammer to forge it.

(Too heavy a hammer, too large a hammer handle (diameter), wearing a glove on your hammer hand, placing your thumb on the handle instead of around it are all MAJOR tendonitis causes.)

[JHCC]

See if your health insurance covers acupuncture. My wife (a professional violist) almost had her career ended by tendonitis in the shoulder, but a few sessions with a good acupuncturist took care of it, and it never came back.

[WilCo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely keep those in mind. I have had ongoing issues with RSIs for the last couple of decades (most of my adult working life), due in no small part to marathon sessions at a computer keyboard. I am much less fascinated with computers than I used to be, but I have replaced that with activities that still stress my hands, forearms & upper back. I often joke about taking up singing or soccer... In this case, though, it was caused mostly by using a <1/2 lb wooden mallet & chisels. I don't expect this to bother me for more than a week, if I can give it rest. (Resting is not easy though, because the rainy season is starting, and need to stand up both my smithy shanty and bodger's hovel before it really gets impossible to work outside without shelter.)

Developing good hammer technique is one of my top priorities with my home setup. I had my wife compare my movements with diagrams of good and bad techniques from one of Alexander Weygers's books and she thought I looked OK, but I know such things require a good deal of conscientious practice before they can become automatic.