New to the community, fairly new to forging.

[John Leroy Brown]

Hey all, thank you for taking the time to read this. Before starting out I wanted take the time to give thanks to those that have stepped up to create this forum and share their knowledge. I’ve lurked on here for quite awhile now and just wanted to say that it’s refreshing to see a trade/community where the experienced guys are so willing to assist and lend their experience to us that are still a bit green.

So, my quick and dirty background/intro.

I live just outside of Portland, Oregon and I’ve been forging as a hobby for about two years. I have experience doing ag/farming metalwork and welding my whole life, but honestly that just means I just know how to clean up with a grinder. I got into forging after taking a few college art classes and learned how to cast (lost wax/pla). I’m an OIF USMC vet, and am lucky enough that my disability is enough that I really don’t need to work. I would love to be able to get good enough to provide a supplemental income to my home through my forging/metal working, but to be completely honest I enjoy this mostly as a means of therapy (ptsd) and enjoy the challenges and artistic opportunities of it. 

As far as my shop/smithy/supplies go I do most of my work in my garage (I keep the forge just outside the open garage door while working until I can come up with a hood/vent fixture). My starter forge was a tiny little Mr. Volcano Hero and if I just wanted to do bladesmithing and tiny projects it would have been fine, but those things are horrible about holding heat (to little insulation). I was able to make a nice Damascus billet, but after getting it set I couldn’t really get it hot enough to move it. Part of the reason for me starting an account here is because I’ve just gathered enough materials to make a bigger and better insulated forge and I’m sure I’ll have questions while I’m building it (If someone wanted to point me to any of the formulas to pay attention to while designing and building a forge, calculating work area, insulation/refractory thickness formulas/rules, ribbon burner and blower formulas/rules… it would be greatly appreciated). 
 

I just got done building my first 2x72 grinder (HouseMade) and still need to finish the wiring and tracking/tuning on it. As far as anything else… using a vector knock off Amazon special 66lb anvil, 60lb fuel tank, 2lb Nordic rounding hammer, pair of old engineer and cross peen (3.5 I think) and a few random others. I made my first set of flat jaws and haven’t finished the others yet (got one done, all you need right?) but it’s one of the quick/rapid blanks from Amazon. I think that’s the important stuff. Anyways, I look forward to sharing more stuff and appreciate any/all feedback!

 

Test etching plate and first piece of Damascus for your time. Damascus is 1095 and unknown high carbon steel taken from old handsaw blade, plate is just sheet aluminum.

 

[Shainarue]

Welcome to the active side John! (ie: not the lurker side, lol) 

I love that etching. Was it freehand?

[John Leroy Brown]

We used a Cricut and a semipermanent vinyl for the resist. Then a tiny bit of ferric chloride in a container and let it sit.

I’ve been working on an ax and wanted to do an etching on it so this was my test.

[George N. M.]

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.  Also, glad to have another veteran.  There seems to be a higher percentage of vets among blacksmiths than the general population.  I have no idea why that might be but there might be a PhD dissertation in that fact.  I have noticed that crafts, including and maybe particularly, hitting hot iron with a hammer seems to be good therapy for PTSD and whatever else ails you.

I suggest that you look up your local affiliate of the Artist Blacksmith Association of NOrth America and join and participate.  There is nothing like loearning from more experienced folks.  Blacksmiths are pretty non-judgemental and can be good folk to be around if you have issues with social interaction.

George M.

LTC(R), US Army

late of 1C1/12 Cav 1 Cav Div (Airmobile), Republic of Viet Nam, 1970-71

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Howdy from eastern Oklahoma and welcome to the forum! Enjoy the madness!

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains and a Vietnam era Vet USCG Semper Paratus. Also a 29 year retired LEO and I have found in 30+ years of hammering hot steel on an anvil it does help with driving the demon's away.

Semper Fi Marine

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning John,

Welcome!!

You are in the heart of North West Blacksmith Association. Their Shop is at the Fairgrounds at Longview, Wash. Just up the street and around the corner. There are Bladesmith's and Blacksmith's as well as every other thing you can and can't imagine. They have monthly get togethers as well as the Spring Conference in May. Yes, i also am a member. Check out www.blacksmith.org

I hope to see you in May.

Neil

 

[John Leroy Brown]

Wow, I have to say I’m fairly surprised by the response/activity of this group. I figured I’d be waiting awhile before hearing a response, much less hearing from other vets or people in my area!

George, both my wife (she’s army as well so there’s a fair amount of trash talk and poking fun in our home) and I have a fair amount of time working with the veteran community. I have to say I whole heartedly agree with you about art/crafting as a good release for vets. I think for forging it has to do specifically with the fact that you kinda have no other choice but blocking everything else out. Also, much respect to cavs. I spent my time in CAAT before switching to a training command.

Irondragon, I spent half my life growing up in the foothills of the Ozarks, and one of the coolest, most hard core, and down to earth guys I ever had the opportunity to meet and work with was USCG. People tend to forget if you aren’t assigned to baywatch, that coastlines get to do some cool stuff. That all said, forging does give you a certain atmosphere that tends to block everything else away.

Swede, thank you for the info, I hope to see you there as well!

[Goods]

John, first welcome aboard.
 

Second, don’t give up on the forge yet! They are getting surprisingly good reviews here. Truthfully, if it got that billet up to forge welding heat, it will definitely reach normal forging temperatures. I’m not a gas’s forge guy, but if it’s giving you fits, there are several experts here that can help you get it tuned up. Just ask.

Keep it fun,

David

[George N. M.]

John, this is about the best and most unique online forum I have ever encountered.  You may have an idea of that if you have been lurking for awhile.  There are folk from their early teens to their 80s.  Education from drop outs to advanced degrees.  Blacksmithing experience from green as grass newbies to masters.  And life experiences of just about every kind.  Just avoid politics, religion, and sex and keep your language suitable for a little girl and you will do fine as part of the community.

IMO you won't find a better group of folk either on line or in person than blacksmiths.  There are some with odd quirks but nothing toxic.  The toxic, angry, confrontational ones don't stick around long.

Here on IFI you will probably find someone to help and give relevant advice whether it is blacksmthing or life related.

I know that blacksmithing has helped get me through tough times in the last 44 years and have made the good times better.  And it is a hobby that can pay for inself which is something few other activities can do.

I bet that you will really like the NW Blacksmiths Association.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[BillyBones]

Semper in hostes. (motto of the 66th armor, "always into the enemy")

Army vet, tanker. Back a few years ago my therapist at the VA said i needed a hobby. That was about the same time that knife making show came on and i have always been intrigued by smithing since i was a teen ager, well one thing led to another and here i am. 

Glad to have ya and give the wife a HOORAH for me. 

[Indish Ironworks]

Wow that etching is super cool! Brand new myself, but welcome!

[Scott NC]

  Welcome from North Carolina.  I used to live in Gresham and just over the river in Vancouver.  Great place.  I too love "The Moon".  

[ThomasPowers]

Howdy; I'm from NW Arkansas, USA, originally; now in the "moderately high and dry", Central NM USA; as in we will start worrying about sea level rise in about another 4000'...Blacksmithing is good for "Constipation of the Soul" according to my wife.

Where were you from in the Ozarks?

[Shainarue]

You got me so excited to go etching stuff, I spent my down time at work looking for old car battery chargers until I happened upon an Instructible where someone used an old computer power source. My dad has a pile of old computers and said he'd give me one to play with. I also have a friend with a cricut and she said she'd print a few sheets for me if I sent her the file. So I'll be tinkering with that over winter! 

[John Leroy Brown]

Trying to answer in the correct order here…

Goods, it’s not nearly as much about it not holding the temp enough to get that billet heated, as it is that I know I want to do larger work (my first axe was a pain) and that little guy is stretching it.

George, sounds like the perfect type of community to easily fit into, though my own little girl has two OIF vets as parents and sometimes she makes us blush… kids these days. 
 

Billy, 1st Mardiv “No better friend”, 1/7 weapons, CAAT (anti armor), small world. The knife show is what got me thinking that it wouldn’t be that hard to get into. Casting and diving are what drove me the most to pursue it. There’s something about having to hyper fixate that drives everything else and brings some peace and quiet and sleep at the end of the day. Btw, the wife raised her glass to ya.

Scott, we basically live in downtown/old Gresham, just a few blocks from the park/splash-pad! I wish the metro area felt more like it did when I was a kid though, so remember playing street hockey just off the side streets of 82nd in SE… nowadays i worry about letting my kid walk the 4 blocks to/from school without something happening. How’s that humidity treating ya?

Thomas, “constipation of the soul” ha! I love it. When I was 10 someone in the family decided it was a good idea to move to Elk County, Kansas… about 30/45 minutes from both the Oklahoma and Missouri border. The wee foothills of the start of the ozarks.

Shainarue, get yourself a power supply and you should be good to go! Just make sure your work area is properly ventilated and you’re wearing good PPE! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

[John Leroy Brown]

For anyone wanting good updates, working on my anvil/vice stand (small anvil and only a machinist vice for now) currently and have some good progress photos.

My shop is small so being able to move stuff is currently a high priority to keep things clear. That being said, I already know I either need to weld some more supports on it cause it tends to sag a bit under heavy load or hitting the smallest debris on the shop floor.

Photos show gluelam (liquid nails caulk) process of bonding 4x4 (Home Depot so closer to 3.5). Router leveling and cut out for anvil (dropped some silicone in there and it’s so much quieter). Char sealing (oil to come later) and strapping and embellishment process (rigging points will be set in multiple points on the strapping).

I plan on wire brushing and oiling the wood, and finishing the strapping in some type of brassy/bronze and black. Any and all questions/criticisms are welcome!