blacksmithing
 

cool web page, they do viking handsmithing, knives, hardware, you name it; classes too

http://www.whitehartforge.com/

Re: blacksmithing
 

Go out and get a GOOD anvil. Go out and get several 5 lb sledges. Make sure you have both a regular charcoal furnace AND one of the new gas furnaces that are small and VERY useful.

I've made a knife from a leaf spring. Leaf springs off of old cars or trucks is IDEAL steel for blades being made from.

Just remember that you are swinging a 5 lb sledge FOREVER. In a few days my right are started getting larger than my left just from swinging that damn sledge.

But I do have a nice, hard double edged blade from it.

Re: blacksmithing
 

I want to get a forge and anvil set up here but it will probably be a while. I scanned all the local antique stores and couldn't find an anvil in good enough shape to use but I did scare up a hand cranked blower. I have some metalworking skill and can swing a hammer but I'll probably set up a trip hammer just to make life easier. Truth be told it isn't too hard to construct a bessemer converter, either. The way I see it there is plenty of iron ore to be had in any settled area, for free.

Anyway, you can't hardly buy quality even if you're willing to pay these days, not when it comes to a lot of things. I can't even get a good manure or pitch fork to help me turn over my soil, just some cheesey untempered welded together Mexican POS. With a good shop I could make most of the things I need.

Re: blacksmithing
 

Real anvils are hard to find and very sought after.

I like metal sand casting better...molten metal can be poured much easier into a much broader range of forms.

Easy to get into - just need a small gas furnace, casting sand...and some basic accessories.

A step up is a gas furnace, burn-out oven for lost-wax casting and a centifugal casting machine...all can be had for $1500 or so total.

Re: blacksmithing
 

amish make their own tools by hand and sell them too, if you are looking for quality hand tools they got em.

Re: blacksmithing
 

I live pretty far from Amish country but I'll have to check the web and see what I can turn up. I have heard that Amish products are kind of a niche thing that people resell. I suppose I have a similar ethic to the Amish when it comes to farming and I doubt very much they'd settle for a fork that bends every which way every time you hit a little bit of clay or a fist sized stone. I really wish I had some of my great grandfather's tools.

Re: blacksmithing
 

There are some "English" as they call outsiders, who sell their stuff. Believe it or not I'll bet you could find stuff over the internet.

Also I dont know how close you are to Mex, and where the Mennonite communities are down there, how far south of the border, but they might have good hand-tool sources of their own as well.

Re: blacksmithing
 

rev here is an example, look around. I never bought from this vendor but got it off goog.

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?item...77&iSubCat=677

Re: blacksmithing
 

Of course they use Swedish steel....

Re: blacksmithing
 

Played with a forge for a while. Made a couple of knives. Old saw blades have excellent steel in them, as well as leaf springs. Made one blade from a piece of 1" stranded steel cable. Probably the best one I turned out. Welded one end, left the handle stranded, and hammered the strands together and shaped a blade. Turned out pretty and holds a good edge too.

Re: blacksmithing
 

I think Heidi could probably kick my ass. :wink:
Might be fun though.

http://www.whitehartforge.com/images/Main/HeidiMain.jpg

Re: blacksmithing
 

You beat me to it, TLM!

I have read in several sources that a short length of rail (the choo-choo type) makes a pretty decent anvil.