[TheForge] Getting started

[Bob Ehrenberger]

Message: 7
---Original message---
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:20:14 +0000 (UTC)
From: mazrim at comcast.net
To: TheForge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [TheForge] Crowdsourcing Question
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<970998057.582409.1372080014225.JavaMail.root at sz0018a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>

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Hello,
I do not know who to ask this question of so figured I would ask here. I am 
trying to use crowdsourcing to fund my first backyard smithy, and would like 
to know if it would be alright to post a link to it on here? I have been 
taking classes and doing vast amounts of reading, and would like to be able 
to continue learning more often than an open forge in a studio would allow 
me since there are none very close to me. Thank you for your time.


Lloyd W. Giddinge
mazrim at comcast.net

---Reply---
Loyd,

You can put together a forge pretty cheep.  My first forge had a break drum 
fire pot which worked pretty good for several years.  The cast iron one I 
replaced it with works better but cost a lot more.

An old vacume cleaner makes a pretty good blower (a little loud), or even a 
hair dryer.

Any chunk of steel will work for an anvil, a chunk of RR track is pretty 
good. I have some pictures of a home made anvil in the March/April 2013 BAM 
newsletter. You can get the PDF at www.BAMsite.org.

A large ball pien hammer will work until you find a cross pien hammer at a 
flea market or a blacksmith meeting tail gate. You could also use a drill 
hammer in a pinch.

If you can't find a pair of good used tongs, you could modify a pair of 
nips. Making tongs is pretty easy, the main obstical is mental.  Ask someone 
to show you how at an open forge.

Once you know what you are looking for, the stuff shows up at flea markets 
and in junk stores.
 If you are patient you can get what you need pretty cheep.  Make sure you 
tell your friends and relitives what you are looking for, I know several 
blacksmiths that ended up with grandpa's anvil once they put the word out.

I'm not sure what crowdsourcing is, but with a little work you can put 
together a shop pretty cheep. If you aren't willing to do the work, you 
don't want it bad enough.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net
573-633-2010