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I Forge Iron

Mike Shelton


MIKESHELTON31

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Looking to buy my son his first forge and anvil to start trying to make knives something he's interested in for Christmas don't know how long he's going to stay interested in it but looking for something decent but it's cheap as possible for a starter didn't know if you would have any recommendations thank you. 

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Welcome aboard.

Your question really does not have a straight answer. I would start with putting in your location, not exact but general location. For example the cost of an anvil here where i live is different than what one would cost in Alaska which is different than what they would cost in Albania. There are thousands of members here from over 150 countries and many question may not seem but are relevant to location. Not to mention you are most likely not far from a member that would be more than willing to host you and your son for a day to see how he likes it. 

The forge you choose will be dependent on fuel type. The simplest cheapest way to go would be a JABOD, or a box of dirt.  See "JABOD" in the section marked "forges". If you are in the states a decent gas forge can be bought for less than $100 US. Then of course there is induction but that is not really cheap. 

As far as anvil, well what is an anvil? Just a large hunk of steel to support the work. Go to the section marked "Anvils, swage blocks, and mandrels" and read the thread on improvised anvils. 

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the forum and you will find a section called "Blacksmith groups". See if one is near you or just use the google and look up to see if one is near you. An afternoon of hands on with an experienced smith can save a lot of frustration trying to figure it out on your own. 

150 countries with thousands of members here, members range in age from early teens to us old guys and experience from just heated my first piece of steel to i am pretty sure some of these guys made nails for Noah's Ark. So my best advise is for you and your son set aside an afternoon or 3, grab a sandwich and a cold beverage and do a deep dive into the forums here. 

Have fun and stay safe. 

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Well said Billy, good job! 

Welcome aboard, glad to have you putting your general location in the header makes a big difference, especially if you're just getting started. The "Mr. Volcano" propane forge comes pretty complete for under $100. Unless inflation caught up already. They have an easy to find and navigate website.

The number ONE thing to teach the boy is SAFETY is #1 eye protection, ear protection depending on how loud the anvil is when he misses a blow. NO SYNTHETICS near a fire!!! Just a little bit of hot steel melts it and it sticks to your hide deep frying you. All natural materials, cotton, wool, leather, etc. High top shoes your pants legs go over is a good way to prevent a hot bit from falling in your shoe and burning the stuffing out of you. This is the #1 reason I keep a bucket of water in the shop. Not to cool steel or even tools, it's quick first aid you can just step into or shove your hand in. 

This is good fun, you and the boy will build memories that'll last generations.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Welcome from the Ozark mountains. One of the best things is the forum is divided into sub-forums. In each sub-forum you will notice pinned threads, they are good to browse through. The bad thing is deciding where to post something. If you post in the wrong place a moderator will usually move it for you. Sometimes you will get a warning from a moderator. It's the way they can contact you about a problem and the one's to worry about are the ones that give you points, too many and your posts will have to be moderated. Don't take it personally, just about all of us have been dinged, I think Frosty got a warning for a typo.:D

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Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

Even if your son does not stay with the craft you may develop an interest in it and continue.  A factor may be your son's age and attention span.  Typically, the younger, the shorter the attention span.  If he is 10 you will have to keep the learning and forging sessions short and interesting.  If he is 15 he may have a long attention span but be more suseptible to being distracted by other interests like video games, girls, or sports.

It is possible to get fairly good at the craft fairly quickly if you have the right instruction.  I suggest either classes or attending various smithing conferences.  Learning by yourself is optimal.  I know.  I was a lone eagle for years before I ever met another smith.  It is easier today with the internet and GOOD you tube videos.  I like Black Bear Forge, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), and Torbjorn Ahman from Sweden.  Some folk like Alec Steels's videos but I find his presentation to be kind of irritating but that may be just me.  And be aware that there are some down right dangerous videos out there.  Be skeptical if you see something that seems questionable or could be seriously dangerous if something goes wrong.  This is more true for casting something from molten metal than blacksmithing but I have seen some truely appalling ones.

One of the best things you can do is for your son and you to join your local blacksmithing group.  There is no subtitute for in person instruction or demonstrations.

BTW, if you see a demonstration live or on video do it yourself as soon as you can.  The muscle (kinesthetic) memory will stick deeper and last longer than the mental memory.  It is sort of like learning to ride a bicycle.

"By hammer and hand alla rts do stand."

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