[TheForge] Opinions & advice

[Jeffrey Polaski]

If you can't find a smith near you, you can still learn. As far as
resources, there are lots of helpful people on this list, as well as the
internet and books. If you're willing to dive in and just start
swinging, you can pick up quite a bit. Also, while it's not exactly
blacksmithing, learning to mig/tig/arc/oa weld is a very useful skill,
and you can take classes at a local junior college for fairly cheap.

If you have the basics (a forge, hammer, tongs, anvil), and some 1/4"
stock you can start by making some s-hooks or skewers.

Here's a few blacksmithing sites, to start:

	http://anvilfire.com/
	http://groups.google.com/group/alt.crafts.blacksmithing
	"The junkyard" is good, too, but no longer up. You can still get
to the pages, though:
	
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.keenjunk.com/junkyard.htm



Jeff Polaski
Research and Graduate Studies Webmaster
University of California, Irvine
http://www.rgs.uci.edu/
949.824.6363
-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 5:46 AM
To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Opinions & advice

Jesse,
As anyone on this list would tell you, the FIRST thing you should do is
to log onto ABANA.org and wend your way to the info on the local
"affiliates" (formerly called chapters).  Find the one nearest you and
contact them.  Participate as much as you can.  
Good luck,
Bruce
NJ

>>> jsguardian at hotmail.com 6/23/2006 6:30:58 PM >>>
Are there any smiths near Billings, MT?  I want to learn the art. 
Howerver, 
I have no one to lear from and not sure where to begin.  Any advice
would be 
greatly appreciated.  At this point, I am stuck in Billings and unable
to 
travel much and was hoping to find a smith nearby that I could learn
from.  
Thank you.

~Jesse


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