Hi, so there is a Dale pocket cutter near me listed on marketplace for fairly cheap the person selling it says they do not know what tonnage it presses at but by the looks at it it looks to be fairly sturdy with a large cylinder so I would think that it would be strong enough to become a forge press I just don’t know and I wanted more opinions on it. I’ll see if I can’t get a picture to work

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DUY0zsnlDRdf1tfjoQ3n8trkU_bkBEQyEOhg5Am6d4Y/edit

https://ibb.co/NrPcB6G

Welcome aboard Zeke. Are you looking at the one on Jacksonville Ala. Facebook? If so, no it's for cutting slits in cloth to sew in pockets. And from what I've seen in my brief web search they are as useless for blacksmithing as an oar.

A bit of old fart "wisdom" there are very few tools that can help you perform a craft until YOU learn to DO the basics of the craft. Some tools, especially power tools can injure or even kill you if you don't know how to use them. 

I suggest you take a look at the section on this forum that lists smithing clubs, find the closest and attend a meeting, pick up some hands on experience and THEN start building your shop tools and equipment.

Frosty The Lucky.

On 12/19/2024 at 9:15 AM, Zeke25 said:

I’ll see if I can’t get a picture to work

Welcome from the Ozark mountains.

How about telling some of your experience and current tools. The Read This First thread tells how to add pictures (we love pictures) and a lot of other info to get the best out of the forum. It's hard to give advice, when we don't know where in the world you cast a shadow.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus

Hey guys thanks for the info and as to my experience I am still new to forging I only have a several months of experience but a ton of YouTube videos and f&f thanks

Stick around Zeke, we'll help you along. Nobody is born knowing this stuff, we all started near zero on the learning curve. 

I STRONGLY recommend you be very skeptical of what you see on Youtube or other online videos. A large majority of the people making them have little more than a video camera and internet connection for experience. The video list on Iforge is pretty well vetted by guys with decades experience and often gets hashed out by use on the forum before getting an okay. So to speak.

The thing to bear in mind watching Youtube and others is what they're doing is often very dangerous in addition to not working well or at all. 

There's nothing wrong with being self taught though it doesn't convey some "SPECIAL" cache to a person's smithing skills. I know that for a fact, I am largely self taught, I read and beat steel for years before the internet went public. Once I started talking to smiths and other metal heads I really started learning. I still learn new things about the craft almost daily. 

I strongly suggest you try HARD to forget what you watched on the internet until you have enough experience to sort the good info from the less than amateur B.S.

Frosty The Lucky. 

Zeke, there are some very good videos on You Tube and some bad enough to be dangerous.  Good channels that I like include Black Bear Forge, Torbjorn Ahman (from Sweden), and Christ Centered Ironworks.  Some folk like Alec Steele but I find his presentation style to be kind of annoying.

Also, will someone please jog my memory for the title of Jennifer's channel.  I am having a brain block.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

JLP Services Inc

On 12/24/2024 at 3:54 PM, Zeke25 said:

but a ton of YouTube videos and f&f thanks

Here are the links to YouTube videos we recommend plus a lot of other good info for ya.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/174-reference-materials/

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus

Another thing to think about is to join a club and attend meetings. Nothing better than in person contact. You might try this.

https://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/100-alabama-forge-council/