New from NE Texas

[HeimAhrkTu]

Howdy, y'all! I recently bought my self an ASO, a plumber's torch, and a couple of hammers:

The torch isn't quite hot enough to get the metal to glow, but it was still good enough to make my first piece: a marshmallow roasting stick!

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning, Heim

Welcome to this world wynn. The important part is, you are starting!! The Anvil is way better than no Anvil, but it will get marked up quite easily. Maybe add some Silicone (bathtub sealer) to the underside, to stop it from bouncing around. The deck screws won't do an adequate job by themselves. I started out (60 years ago), playing in our furnace for the home, I didn't have a Forge either. You can make a wood fired Forge, too. I made one like the Whitlox, using an old BBQ stand, a piece of pipe, a hair dryer (using a rheostat) and some fire brick. It works very well. Some people say you can't use wood for fuel, but it works. A campfire works well, too, but you have to fan the flames.

Look for a Blacksmith group in your area and join them. The best way to learn is from a Mentor.

Greetings from the continent of Vancouver Island, Canada. The continent closest to the Date-Line. LOL

Neil

[HeimAhrkTu]

Thanks for the advice, swedefiddle! I'm thinking of using an old chiminea, but I'm not sure how I'm going to cut the hole for the "bellows" (hair dryer). As for groups in my area, the closest ones that I can find are in Dallas, but my family is planning on going to a renascence fair at the end of the month, so I may be able to talk to someone there. But until then, I suppose the internet shall be my best resource.

[George N. M.]

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

I've got a couple of brothers-in-law in your area in Lindale, near Tyler.

Look up JABOD forges (Just A Box Of Dirt).  They are easy to make and are good to start on.  If you can get it, use whole, lump charcoal rather than briquets.  The briquets are crushed charcoal held together with corn starch and disintegrate in the blast of the fire and make a lot of fire fleas swirl around your face.

You may be in a similar situation to what I was in 1978 when I started smithing.  All I had were books from the library and a lot of my own mistakes to learn from.  Print books are still a valuable resource.  Backyard Blacksmithing by Lorelie Sims, The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Wegers, and The Blacksmith's Craft by Charles McRaven are all good references.  They are all available on Amnazon and the McRaven book is available as a Kindle edition for $2.99.

There are some BAD blacksmithing videos out on You Tube.  Some of the good ones I like are Blackbear Forge, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), Torbjorn Ahman from Sweden, and Christ Centered Ironworks.  Some like Alec STeele but I find his manner of presentation a bit annoying.

I hope you come to like the craft as well as I have.  Over the last 45 years it has helped me through tough times and made the good times better.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Heim, glad to have you. Your large hammer is a stone mason's hammer for breaking rock, I have a small one that's been a great smithing hammer for several decades now. If you were to make a hole in the end of a block of wood the big one slips into and bottoms before coming to the handle it would make a fine anvil. One side a nice face, flip it over for an excellent drawing fuller. 

You soldering torch will make a fine forge for small work. You need a large Bean can or 2lb. coffee can and enough 1" 8oz, ceramic blanket refractory to make a layer around the inside, two layers is better. Lastly you'll need some Plistex 900 for the flame face and to seal the fibers so they won't become an airborne breathing hazard. A hole in the side of the can and through the refractory so you can poke the end of the torch only JUST through the bean can and you'll have a working forge that will reach welding heat without problem. Honest.

Lastly, keep your eyes open for any large lump of steel, it doesn't have to be flat or any specific shape and you have your anvil. Keep the ASO, it has a hardy hole so it's not a loss. 

It doesn't take THE tools, it's the blacksmith that does it, all the rest is just highly refined dirt. Stick with us and we'll have you doing your will to HOT steel using what ever is at hand.

Frosty The Lucky.

[BillyBones]

Welcome from the Buckeye state. 

A fine start. Along with the renaissance fair look around for period reenactments and historic villages. Most of them will have a blacksmith working. 

keep it fun but keep it safe as well. Everything in a blacksmiths shop is hot, heavy, hard, sharp and usually a combination of those.