Complete Beginner - Any suggestions on where to start?

Can any one provide links to guides they found were the best for beginners?

Many Thanks.

I Forge Iron, is what helped me get started. Almost too much info here! Also there is a book review section that might be of use.

Lessons in Blacksmithing | articles

The above link is a good place to start. Lots of good basic information, there.

Welcome to Iforgeiron,WWH!

I suggest doing a search of your area for a local chapter of your state blacksmith organization. Attend as much as possible, in about a year, you will be well on your way, the groups are without a doubt, one of the best learning formats you could ever ask for, and I have never met a blacksmith I didn't like.

My uncle creates large gates for houses etc, i might pay him a visit :)

Thanks for the replies. IForge Iron website looks very usefull.

If you are starting with no tools or equipment, what are the basic tools you need to obtain to start learning this skill?

Blueprint BP0133 for a solid fuel forge, a hammer of some sort, and something to beat on with a mass of 50-100 pounds. See Lessons in Blacksmithing mentioned earlier.

Welcome aboard, glad to have you.

I think visiting your uncle is a good idea.

Frosty

Yeah, join a local organization or a nationwide one. Find a good smith, make friends with them and mooch off them for all the info you can get! I learn best by seeing somebody demonstrate it. Books are full of good intellectual knowledge, but forging is something you have to do to learn. It is a physical "feel" thing.

"If you are starting with no tools or equipment, what are the basic tools you need to obtain to start learning this skill?"

I'd recommend finding an old antque anvil or even a little farriers anvil (does not matter what kind of shape it is in to start off as long as its it cheap), a cross pein hammer(any blacksmith or machinist hammer will do) and some type of home made or store bought forge (old antique "farm" forges with crank blowers can be had on ebay pretty cheap). You will probably need a few tongs to start or a good set of "vice grip pliers" to hold stock. If you are lucky enough to get a anvil chisel or "hardy" with your anvil you can use this to cut stock or you can get a good old hacksaw. Take trip to the scrap yard and get some mild steel scrap or if you can afford it get some new bar stock (probably mostly small stuff to start out) - some 1/4" round stock, some 3/8" round or 3/8" square or even 5/16' square and start making little S-hooks or "J-hooks" simply taking stock from square to round(re-sizing). There are sources for instruciton on how to forge these all over the internet. Try to make them all uniform - this will teach you more hammer control than any book will. Thats my advice.

Edited February 19, 200917 yr by Reid Neilsen

Welcome to IFI, WWH. Great group of folks on here. ask any question and you wil get an answer that is true. These guys really enjoy helping beginners get started. Good Luck, and as Frosty said, I think that paying a visit to your uncle Would be a real good idea.

Don't forget to add some good eye protection and some solid leather gloves. Don't forge in nylon or flammable clothing. Always keep a 5 gallon bucket of water for quenching metal and errant flames. Also good for cooling off hot metal chunks that fall into your gloves or the back of your neck.

Have fun. You will find yourself grinning from ear to ear when you heat you first rod...

One great source of inspiration to me (sorry for mentioning it again) is Vaughans catalogue. If you will be in the UK soon it is particularly relevant to you as they are based in stourbridge. Vaughans (Hope Works) - For all your Blacksmith, Foundry, Farrier needs. Now available Ironworkers and Bending machines is the link. There are loads of blacksmithing tools available second hand in UK in case you are on a tight budget. You will also soon learn to make your own.

Vaughan's has a magnificent range of tools, many of which are near impossible to find new in the UK otherwise. Their quality and convenience come at a price though. Ebay UK often has anvils and leg vices going for good amounts, but transport is often a key element to getting a good deal. Having said that I have got a couple of good deals form there even without transport; a near-perfect condition early 19th-century leg-vice for

Thanks for the detailed replies. I have a lot of reading to do.

As for Health & Safety, where can i find details on what to avoid doing so that i do not get metal poisoning?

If no one has already mention it, try your library service for a few good books on the subject it only costs about .50p to order a book from your own area and they have most of the basic information you will need to get going. Remember to search for other key words like wrought iron, and forge not just blacksmith.

As for exact details, I don't know, But my rule is to never put anything galvanized into the fire or any steel that has any coating on it. A basic list of Common dangerous metals though but NO WHERE NEAR inclusive is;
Zinc (used to plate metal)
Cadmium (used in silver solder and some paints)
Chromium (if welding stainless steel)
Arsenic (used in treating wood, only applicable if you make charcoal or burn wood)
Lead (used in old paints)
Selenium (used to replace zinc in some brasses)
these are also dangerous as a dust.. so don't grind them off either without the right protection..I'm sure the above metals also have other uses.
If you do some research you should be able to come up with a good list.. anyone else got somethin to add to the list?
Good luck blacksmithin man.