[TheForge] Starting up

Thu Jan 5 12:29:53 EST 2006

Andrei,

  Phlip's thoughts below are right on the mark, as usual. One book I'd mention in addition to those below is *A Blacksmithing Primer* by Randy McDaniel--he sets out variety of projects with good clear explanation that, if you master them all, will take you from beginner to expert. It's been useful for me. Like Phlip said, the explanations are often 5% of doing it, the rest is time to tune the nuances. 

  For steel to work on, I have found that steel providers (the people from whom you buy steel bar, plate, etc.) and a lot of fabrication shops will have a scrap bin out back that you can just scrounge out of. Maybe talk to the person who runs the shop, but I have found that most of the people I've asked are more than happy to forego the pennies a pound they'd get for their scrap to help out a beginner metalworker. Something about people who work with metal--they are with few exceptions the most supportive and generous folks I've had the pleasure of being associated with. Interested to know if you find the same thing.

  As Phlip mentioned, taking care of your body is paramount. If you notice your elbow or wrist hurting, let it heal and then work on finding a swing that doesn't make you hurt. Use big muscles and joints if you can, not little ones. There are plenty of old and not-so-old blacksmiths out there with worn-out hammer arms; prevention is important. Really good blacksmiths and house framers kind of "throw" the hammer with shoulder and upper arm, letting the hammer take its own path from there--if that sounds kind of mystical, don't let it put you off. You'll know when you find a good swing. Also, don't spend a lot of time looking directly into the fire, or better yet invest in a set of didumium safety glasses--the UV can cause cataracts. Safety glasses of some kind are a MUST. If you hurt yourself, the whole adventure kind of loses its shine.

  You really only need a chunk of something heavy and relatively flat to hammer on, a hammer, and a source of heat. There's wisdom in buying the Right thing--hammers, anvils, forges, etc.--the first time, because often you just have to write off whatever you spent before when you upgrade. But that wisdom only applies if you have the means to do so now, not if it means waiting for a long time to get started. If using a piece of scrap railway tie, your one hammer, a pair of pliers (only necessary for short stock), and whatever heat source you can get and get away with means you start hammering metal right away, and you're enjoying the experience of making steel move, then those are the right tools (I suppose there's a threshold where the tools make it no fun to do--but it's pretty low). I've found that if you're patient you can find the right tools at a good price--consider the recent thread about buying anvils. I have bought tools for big money because I needed them immediately, but
 some of my favorites cost me 50 cents at a flea market. Just took time.

  The last thing I'd add is, I think, the most important--avoid getting hung up on trying to make a certain thing or make it "correctly" right away. Imitation and specific projects are a valuable part of learning, but the cool thing about blacksmithing, like any art, is that the world is full of wonderful shapes. At a hammer-in a few years back I was watching a couple of female presenters and was struck by their lack of the need for immediate utility--they experimented with the metal, hitting it a certain way and that and then pulling it out of the fire, seeing what the shape made them think of, and then following that direction. They both made beautiful things that worked, like gates and so on, but some of the stuff they made was just pretty and some of with was scrap. No harm in making scrap. Blacksmithing has a utilitarian history so it's easy to think of it that way, envisioning and engineering things ahead of time and then trying to control the outcome and getting discouraged if
 it doesn't "work." The control will come. If what comes out looks cool and/or was fun to make, you're winning the ballgame. Like Phlip says, it takes a long time to be able to make that lockset or dragon or whatever. Like writing or any other art, doing what you can do now is the most important thing.

  JRF

marilyn traber 011221 <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:
  Hi, Andrei, lets see if we can help you out a bit. Having read both posts so 
far, I realize you're quite a ways away from most of us, so it would be a bit 
difficult for either us to pop over and help, or for you to drop by for a 
weekend of intensive smithing, so, let's see what we can do to help get you 
started. Some of what I'm going to tell you will seem a bit facetious, but 
it's not, really, it's just my way of explaining, while keeping things light.

> 1. What tools do I need? Numbers, details...

Tools vary quite a bit from smith to smith, depending on what you're doing. 
Distilled to essentials, you need something to heat the steel with, something 
to hit it with, something to hit it against, and probably, at least for 
smaller pieces, something to hold it with.

First, for heating the steel. That's where a forge comes in. To determine 
what sort of forge you want, you need to look at what sort of fuel you have 
available. Can you get high quality coal where you are? If you use it, will 
the neighbors complain about the smell? If so, you need to choose another 
fuel. Can you get charcoal, the real thing, called "lump charcoal" here in 
the US? If so, you can use it in any forge that will handle coal, and it 
smells much better than coal. Or, can you get propane? That's easier to use 
than coal/charcoal in some respects, but requires a very different sort of 
forge. Let me know- I can give you some suggestions as to sites to look at, 
to build your forge. If you don't build, but buy, you're looking at a lot 
more expense.

As far as hand tools, pliers will generally work to hold pieces, until you 
can make or buy a pair (or 10) of tongs. Hammers come in a bunch of 
varieties, but to start, you can get by with a cross pein or a ball pein. 
Only really important thing is to make sure the edges of the face (the part 
that hits the hot metal) is rounded (radiused) so it doesn't mark the metal 
so much. From what you said about needing to get your arm in shape, plan on 
using a light hammer for most work, say 600 to 1000 g, with 800 g probably 
being ideal for a beginner. You'll want and use heavier hammers later (1500 
and up) for particular projects, but a light hammer to begin with will help 
you start learning accuracy- and that's more important that hitting hard, 
over all. And, when you swing a hammer, keep your wrist straight, and let 
your biceps do the work- if you use your wrist, you'll wear yourself out much 
faster, and quite possibly injure yourself. Something to cut your steel with 
can be anything- hack saw, band saw, edge of anvil, a hardy for an anvil, 
chisels, or a particular type of chisel, that looks like a hammer, but is set 
on the piece with the sharp edge against it, and the "face" hit by your real 
hammer.

Tools, as I said, vary from smith to smith. You don't need them all to get 
started- you can start with a minimum, and acquire tools, whether by 
purchase, or by making them as you go along. To get an idea of the selection 
available, go to www.blacksmithsdepot.com, and look around.

> 2. What type of anvil should I get?

Depends on your circumstances. Most beginners in the US start out with a 
piece of RR track, or a similar heavy, solid piece of metal, before they buy 
themselves an anvil. But, you need to decide if it's always going to be in 
one place, or if you're going to have to move it a lot. If you're going to 
have to move it, I suggest one between 45 to 70 kg- your back will thank you 
for it ;-) You need also to be concerned about what you're putting the anvil 
ON, to bring it to the proper height, your stump. When standing next to the 
anvil, with a closed fist hanging down at your side, you want the face (the 
large flat area) to meet your knuckles.

> 3. Where can I find patterns for what I am supposed to do?

Depends on what you want to do. Really, once you learn a few basics you 
shouldn't need patterns, you should know what the metal does, and combine 
techniques to make it do what you want. Sorta like learning to write. We can 
teach you to hold the pencil, and show you how the letters are shaped, and 
after that it's practice, practice, practice.

> 4. What do I need to make a forge or could I replace that with something
> else for starters?

There are a lot of options, as I mentioned above. Take a look at Zoeller's 
site, that we've been discussing the last few days, and that will give you 
some ideas.

> 5. Where can materials be bought?

We buy them from fabricating shops, steel suppliers, and scrap yards.

> 
> 6. Some books or other kind of reference about materials, treatment and
> shaping.

Tell us what you want to do, and we can be more specific, but Jack 
Andrew's "New Edge of the Anvil" and Wayne Goddard's "50 dollar knife Shop" 
will give you a start on getting your shop set up. There are lots more that 
can be a help, but I need to get into my library to give you the titles.

Ask questions, please. We'll be happy to give you answers- some of them may 
even work for you ;-)

Phlip

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