How can I get started blacksmithing?

[BugNugg3t]

See title. I want to use old metal to create farming tools, but I don't know much about anything related to the subject of blacksmithing. All I know in terms of useful information is that a mixture of salt and water can be used to quench a workpiece. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Start by reading everything here that interests you. Then try and find someone, in wherever you live, to act as a mentor. Find a blacksmith club near and join, ours the BOA, always welcomes new folks and have Demos and the experienced smith's will help folks learn. Also if there are any Blacksmith classes near you, take as many as you can afford Or stop by my shop or Thomas's shop for some pointers.

A quench medium of salt and water is called super quench. It depends upon the steel whether, it will help or ruin the work piece.

[Daswulf]

Best way to start here on the forum is to "Read this first". 

Welcome aboard and if you have more specific questions feel free to ask.  

 

[JHCC]

12 minutes ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

A quench medium of salt and water is called super quench.

Correction: salt and water is called brine. Brine quenches are useful in some circumstances, but not all (indeed, there is NO one-size-fits-all quench that works for every steel and every usage). 

“Super Quench” is a brine improved with the addition of other ingredients; see

 

That said, the best tip I can offer at this stage is to learn the basics of fire maintenance, hammer control, etc. That will get you moving in the direction you want to go. 

[ThomasPowers]

Brine is a great quench for certain alloys and will destroy others. One of the major issues with using scrounged, upcycled, recycled, scrapyard metal is not knowing *what* alloy it is.  This makes it important to test each piece *BEFORE* you put in a lot of effort only to have it shatter in the quench.  You need to test the carbon content first!  This can be done by touching it to a grinder and watching the sparks, or by forging a section down to 1/4 to 1/8" thick and heating it above the point where it becomes nonmagnetic and quenching it and then trying to break it with a hammer over the step of an anvil or in a postvise WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!  (Major quenchants are: super quench, brine, water, oil and air + the commercial quenches that work for "fussy" alloys.)

If you are in the USA check for a local ABANA affiliate as many of them will know where you can go locally for blacksmithing lessons and even folks who have been smithing for decades, (4+ for me), go to their meetings to lean different ways and means.  The UK has BABA and I'm not too familiar with the groups in other countries.

If you are in central Ohio, I can commend a friend that teaches there and if you are in central New Mexico, please feel free to stop by my shop near Socorro.

Also if you are in the USA, go to your local public library and ILL some blacksmithing books.  I started pre-internet with "The Modern Blacksmith" by Alexander Weygers.  It has been reprinted as an omnibus edition with his other two books and is pretty cheap to buy; but by ILL'ing a copy first you can see if his teaching style works with your learning style.  There is a book section on IFI that describes other smithing books you can try too.

[George N. M.]

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.  Please put your location in your profile so that we can tailor responses to your location.  This is a world wide forum and we don't know if you are in Tasmania or Lapland.

I agree with others about getting books for basic instruction.  There are also good videos on You Tube (and some really bad ones too).  Videos from Black Bear Forge, JPL Services (done by our own Jennifer), and Torbjorn Ahman are all very good.  While it is better to learn while being taught by a more experienced smith many of us are self taught.  You eventually develop the same skills but probably make more mistakes on your own on the way there.

Brine is just one of many quenches and works for some steels but not others.  You need to do some research to learn what is happening to the metal when hardened and the tempered.  Then you can better tell what quench is best for the steel with which you are working.

Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.  We LOVE pictures.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."  

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Howdy from eastern Oklahoma and welcome to the forum! 

Like everyone else has already said, there’s tons of information to be had here and there’s members everywhere so I’d say read through the forums and learn your way around here, then find a member close by you an learn some more in person!

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

6 hours ago, JHCC said:

“Super Quench” is a brine improved with the addition of other ingredients

Yes, I knew that but posted the way I did hoping, it would pique his interest, to do some research into a term he was familiar with. I should have said water & salt were the main ingredients in super quench. And to be honest I couldn't remember the others, since I haven't made any in a couple of decade's  or so.

[George N. M.]

Actually, I use super quench fairly often.  If I make RR spike knives I find it hardens them to a point where a file barely bites on them after quenching.  IMO that is surprisingly hard for as low carbon steel as RR spikes.  People still like them even when told the steel isn't that great.

That brought up a memory that I hadn't thought about for awhile.  In Viet Nam I carried a small file for sharpening the platoon's bayonets (which were pretty much used as utility knives).  I had a sharpening stone that came with the Randall knife I carried which I used on that and to dress up the edges after using the file.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[BillyBones]

They must have carried much better bayonets than when i was in. When i was in Iraq i had my web gear on and jumped up on the front slope of the tank for a sit down. Well i sat down on my bayonet and broke it in half. When i pulled it out i remember looking at it thinking it was cast iron. Now i realize that it was actually just huge grain structure. 

[George N. M.]

Manufactured by the lowest bidder.

GNM

[anvil]

in china

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Buggs, glad to have you. Normally I admonish new folks to put their general location in the header for all the reasons already covered. It makes a difference, honest.

Until you learn the basics to a level of proficiency I HIGHLY recommend you keep quenchants out of your shop. In a normal week at the anvil I maybe use water to cool the end of a long piece of stock enough to hold it without getting burned. When a pair of tongs gets too hot I toss it on the floor under the forge to cool. I have a shelf under the forge made of expanded steel sheet to let pieces I'm working on cool.

A bucket of water is a high carbon steel magnet, If a piece you've been working on for hours slips from your tongs it WILL land in the water. The hotter it is the more certain this is. Ask Colonel Murphy.

Getting hooked up with a local smith will accelerate your learning process many fold. Just having someone around to tell you when you're doing something wrong WILL save you the time and effort of making the mistake plus the cost of material and fuel. 

I also routinely recommend to new folks they learn the basics BEFORE attempting a blade. There is so much MORE to forging blades than just beating steel into a close shape it's not funny. 

For now how about just building a fire and having a good time at the anvil. There are a LOT of good basic projects with a high success rate to learn from. There is a good subsection of such on the forum.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Chad J.]

S hooks.  S hooks are great skill builders.   They teach you hammer control and use of the anvil.   Repetition is a good thing.   Look into the swing of the hammer as well, there are ways to do it to help prevent repetitive stress injuries.   Get a good weight hammer for you.   Some of us swing 2 pounds hammers, some swing 4.  I'm sure many of us even have small 1 pound out less hammers.  It all depends on what you can control comfortably.  Maybe start with a 2 pound drilling hammer with a short handle.  

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I forgot to mention one thread that will help when getting started is this one.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/60825-common-basic-mistakes-that-beginners-should-avoid/

And to get the best out of IFI this one.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/53873-read-this-first/

 

[anvil]

Lest we get confused, my 5 gal oil quench bucket lived under my layout table, out of the way of my forge. However, I always keep a 5 gal bucket of plane ole water by my forge to cool my tool handles, hand held irons in the fire, and most importantly, to manage my fire. 

[smokey07]

George N.M.   saw your post about carrying a Randall knife. thats a name that i havent heard in many many years. bought my Randall in 1962 when i was in the Navy, still have it and its butchered many a deer and a few elk.  i wonder if there is any of the Randall clan still making those. i have never found any other knife that can stand up to a Randall.  Smokey.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Randall made knives is still in business, even have a web site.

[George N. M.]

I still use my Randall for similar uses.  A couple years ago my son did something nice for a friend and the friend gifted him with a new Randall as a thank you.  That was an impressive thank you to me.  I suppose my Randall, with its historical associations, is worth a fair amount but it will never leave my family.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."