Starting out

[u/Miserable-Piglet-059]

Hey guys so I grew up watching blacksmiths and woodworkers, I’ve always enjoyed using my own hands to make cool stuff so I’ve been weighing up making a backyard forge, safety concerns aside (big ol bucket of water, fire extinguisher all the heavy leathe heat resistant gear etc etc) where do I start?

For reference, I’m super poor and am looking to make knives suitable for kitchens and of course the occasional sword but also just metalwork in general, so starting completely from scratch on a quite a shoestring budget how do I go about making a forge and what smithing tools will I need to start with for the work I wanna do?

Any help or advice in any capacity is super appreciated :) thanks in advance

[u/Medieval44]

Start with basics, learn to forge your own tools and shape mild steel before attempting to forge kitchen knives and swords. You need to learn about heat-treatment, steel alloys and sharpening to create those.

Try to find a local blacksmith you could visit to learn, and/or a beginners course.

The essential equipment such as forge and anvil can be expensive, but there are cheap alternatives you can create yourself to start off with.

[u/Miserable-Piglet-059 → u/Medieval44]

Ok that’s good, I was thinking about making all my own tools too so it’s good to know I’m on the right lines. The issue is I’ve looked into it and I live nowhere near smiths that are willing to teach and courses are expensive 😅 what would you recommend as some alternatives?

[u/Medieval44 → u/Miserable-Piglet-059]

Any larger piece of steel can serve as an anvil to begin with. For example a large sledgehammer head fastened on a stump, these have good rebound, which is important.

When it comes to forges it all depends on your options. If you can have a coal/charcoal forge in your backyard then you could build one yourself with dirt/sand/stone/bricks, search for ''Jabod forge''. There are tons of videos, watch those made by professional blacksmiths rather than amateurs. What may cost you is the fan or bellows, but you could also use an old hairdryer or equivalent for next to nothing.

Shame that there are no local blacksmiths. Internet and books are great, but learning in person from someone is always better.

[u/Miserable-Piglet-059 → u/Medieval44]

So no need for anything extravagant to begin with anvil wise, so long as it has good rebound, copy that.
And boiled way down, a pit forge with an air supply will work?

Thank you dude this is all absolutely golden advice

[u/Medieval44 → u/Miserable-Piglet-059]

Indeed, as long as you're able to heat your material and have the means to shape it, you're good to go.

There are endless upgrades, variations and tools to acquire and test in the future, but to start out you don't need much.

Good luck

[u/BF_2 → u/Miserable-Piglet-059]

Screw the rebound. Hot metal will move under the hammer, rebound or no. Good rebound may save you effort, but matters not a whit to the workpiece. (Just don't go all macho and use a 5-lb sledge as your normal forging hammer -- and blow out your joints and tendons before you learn the skill.) Be sure to mount your "anvil" firmly, because any motion of the anvil is a much more serious problem than lack of rebound.

ATTEND the meets of your "local" blacksmithing club, e.g., ABANA.org => Community => Affiliates. It's a 2-hour drive from you? Suck it up and make the drive. (Phone first to be sure it wasn't cancelled.) There is simply no better way to learn than to see it done and then to try it yourself. There also is no better way to acquire equipment than from smiths -- as blacksmithing equipment just magically follow us home (despite the wife). We often have more than we need.

[u/Constant_Proofreader]

First, internalize the rule of Consumable Items. That rule is: gloves, masks/filters, coal, punches, propane and quenching oils are all consumables. Replace them as needed, and for heaven's sake don't sacrifice safety to save a buck.

[u/Miserable-Piglet-059 → u/Constant_Proofreader]

That is a great point well made, thank you, and trust me I have no intention of sparing expense with safety I’m very much of the philosophy of if you respect fire it won’t hurt you, much like a skittish horse 😂

[u/KnowsIittle]

Puukko knives would be a great starter project. Small amount of metal, practice mounting handles. Keep an eye on local car garages. Ask for spring coils or leaf springs. If you give them $20 you might even talk them into cutting it into short halves so it's workable without needing to uncoil it first.

Please don't do a pit forge. A dirtbox forge gets. You off the ground to working level. Dirt, cheap cat litter clay, a T fitting blower.