Getting started blacksmithing

Getting started blacksmithing

In this post I'm going to talk a little bit about how I started blacksmithing.

About 7-8 months ago I noticed that there was a 2-year basic 

blacksmithing course with a bit of general metalworking included.

Since I have always been interested in making all kinds of

things from wood I thought it would be fun to get some 

metalwork included as well.

So next, let's get into some of the equipment I got myself 

when I started doing some forging at home.

This is what I started out with a small railway track maybe 20 cm long.

This was however not really ideal, first off the piece was too short

so it didn't have enough weight and secondly, I didn't mount it well enough.

It can be used however if you are going to you want a bigger piece that

is properly attached to a stump or similar. I would also recommend something

heavier if you can get your hands on a solid block of steel, that would be better.

I was lucky enough to quite soon get my hands on this small but really
useful anvil. A friend basically found it in the trash at work.

This was a big upgrade and it was in perfect condition.

It is barely or poorly hardened but it will do the job with a bit of cleaning every 

now and then.

Next, you will need a way to heat the metal. I bought this forge from the 

school, it is made by the students there to practice welding and then

sold for not much more than the cost of the material. If you are
only doing really small things then you cud heat the steel withjust a small propane torch, however, that will be a
really slow process.
There is plenty of guides on Youtube on how to build forges and
I personally don't know too mush about it. The main things
are that you need a "bowl" to hold the coals and a blower of
some kind to get the fire hot. Also stay away from galvanised steel
bout for building a fogre aswell as forging. Fore those who dont know
the smoke that comes of galvanized steel when it is heated is really dangerous
so if you don't know if something is galvanized ask someone or stay 

away from it.

And lastly, you will need a hammer. Choosing a hammer is something you
have to do yourself, anything that you can flatten the steel with will work
but you should also feel comfortable using it. The hammer on
top in the picture is my main hammer, it's a 1kg cross peen hammer.
When choosing a hammer I will give one advice, you want to
use a hammer that is the heaviest you can control without a
problem and you should not get too tired using it ( in the beginning you
will but you'll get used to it). So this said don't feel any shame
going with a lighter hammer if it means you can swing it for
a long time and still moving metal. Another thing that
can be a big help is to just hammer some nails before
you start forging if you have never done it before
it works in a very similar fashion and is a great
way to practice.


So that is about what I wanted to say, and the bare essentials you need
when starting out. If you actually read true it all I would like to thank you fortaking your time to do so and I hope you got something out if it.
If you have any questions, requests or recommendations just
leave a comment and I'm hoping to get out my next post by Friday,
that will be how to make a wall hook with just a hammer.