# If I wanted to learn Blacksmithing, where do I start?



## Rhyolith

I like what little metal work I have done (a little at school and more recently a 1 week welding course). I also hope the recent purchase of a ML4 Lathe will increase my metal working capability once I get it set up in the summer.

The idea of blacksmithing really appeals, I would to know more about metals and how to manipulate them. Is basic blacksmithing something you can teach yourself? If not any places to learn it that don't cost a fortune and/or take mouths? Bare in mind I know nothing about this and maybe massively underestimating how hard blacksmithing is. 

Any other areas of metalworking that are good/better for the home dabbler? (I do plan to get some welding kit at some point...).


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## Normancb

If you fancy a weekend away, West Dean College near Chichester does one day taster and longer short courses. Nice place to visit too.


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## NazNomad

Fransham Forge in Dereham do a blacksmithing course.

Ferric Fusion in Carmarthen also do a blacksmithing course.

Both on one of your doorsteps. :-D


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## blackrodd

I also find blacksmithing fascinating, here's some courses prices and venue's
HTH Regards Rodders

http://www.craftcourses.com/categories/ ... cksmithing


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## bugbear

Blacksmithing is fun, as long as you're using mild steel, and making shapes. Bit like moulding plasticine, only with a hammer. Aslong as you don't melt your unfinished piece into a puddle...

When you get into bladesmithing, and high carbon steel, it gets tricky.

BugBear (made lots of stuff on the rather nice forge the school had)


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## Cheshirechappie

Camden Miniature Steam Services ( http://www.camdenmin.co.uk ) have a huge range of books on all sorts of modelmaking and 'craft' metalwork, including foundry practice and forge work. Well worth a rummage around their website.

(Edit to add - Curses! Just checked the website, and under 'Blacksmithing' they have 'No products currently available' - for the first time in about twenty years! The other categories are worth a glance, though - especially with the ML4 in mind.)


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## adidat

YouTube!


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## woodpig

I did a 2 1/2 day course a few years back, it cost £275. It was one of the best weekends I've had and was really good fun. There were 8 of us on the course and we all came away with the three items we made over the weekend, plant hanger, rat tail poker and rams head toasting fork.


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## NazNomad

woodpig":1ungvbgs said:


> ... and rams head toasting fork.



I've never had toasted ram's head, what's it like? :-D


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## Phil Pascoe

Goes down quite well while you're poking rat's tails ...


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## mind_the_goat

A local (to me) agricultural college does blacksmithing and offers evening or 1 day courses. Maybe something similar in your area? I do think it's worth getting at least a few hours tuition to learn the basics, much easier to have someone show you and could save hours of frustration and disappointment trying to figure it out on your own, even with youtube.
It should be quite possible to rig up a small forge if you can weld.
If you can;t find a course them maybe you ask a local blacksmith to spend a few hours with you?


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## Wildman

seek out a local blacksmith and go swing for him, hee hee hammer that is. I was lucky we had a well equipped forge and a brazing hearth at school and got hours of decent tuition. The are plenty of you tube videos.
Funnily enough I have a mobile forge that will be refurbished this year as soon as I can get across my sea of mud.



new bellows wanted






The whole thing needs a good wirebrush and coat of heatproof paint, as well as the treadle and bellows sorted and a new Tue. Then my existing brazing hearth does not need converting. It is a grand hobby that allows you to make many of your own tools depending on your skill level. 
After that I really need to get my casting furness refurbished and back into operation. I have a campsite in Devon, anyone who comes down during the summer is welcome to come and have a play at your own risk!


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## Rhyolith

Thanks for the info everyone! I think I might try out one of these short courses in the summer. I will actually be back in Norfolk then so that Dereham one is looking good  

Is Carmarthen (Fenric Fusion) the nearest to Aberystwyth? Anything near Machynlleth as well would be handy too. 

I terms of having a Forge at home, what is needed? I am keen to avoid anything powered by gas if possible (or practical).


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## NazNomad

The Centre for Alternative Technology in Mac used to do a blacksmithing course, worth giving them a ring.

01654 704952 - email: [email protected]


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## Rhyolith

NazNomad":1lxxf953 said:


> The Centre for Alternative Technology in Mac used to do a blacksmithing course, worth giving them a ring.
> 
> 01654 704952 - email: [email protected]


Thanks, but I Volunteer there already. Not blacksmiths (at the moment).


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## woodpig

Rhyolith":3969xyei said:


> In terms of having a Forge at home, what is needed? I am keen to avoid anything powered by gas if possible (or practical).



I think most traditional blacksmiths still use Coke beans in their forges these days. Farriers on the other hand may favour gas. Charcoal is another option but it is consumed quite quickly. I did see a Blacksmith at a craft show who used a mixture of Coke and charcoal in his forge.


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## Rhyolith

i know Coke is something to do with coal, but where do it get it?


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## blackrodd

I googled forge coke, You probably need Smithy Breeze, apparently, 20kg bags.

http://www.stromsholm.co.uk/smithy-bree ... -350-p.asp

This (above) is in Milton Keynes, I suggest you google for a coal merchant whom stocks it near you're forge
HTH Rodders


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## Rhyolith

Ok, what about the Forge itself (Actual structure), I am assuming there is more to it then a hole with fire in


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## blackrodd

Rhyolith":2cenazw2 said:


> Ok, what about the Forge itself (Actual structure), I am assuming there is more to it then a hole with fire in



I hope you're sitting! :shock: 

http://anvils.co.uk/products/list/19

Or a steel drum and cut the end off !


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## Dee J

I do small scale blacksmithing with english lumpwood charcoal in a homemade forge with a handcranked blower.
My first forging experience was a day class with the Artist Blacksmith Melissa Cole in Wiltshire. Later backed up by some evening classes at Plymouth College of art. Plymouth college no longer offer classes, but http://www.flameworks.org/#!courses/cf8v now cover that. Also remember forums like http://www.iforgeiron.com/ and the resources of http://www.baba.org.uk/
Lots of resources out there. Your biggest expense will be an anvil (Mine was a birthday present - Thanks Anita). Just about anything else can be found or made at relatively low cost. My forge is the end off a 50 gallon drum, on metal legs and lined with clay/sand. The blower was £25 in a junk shop.
Don't get hung up on fancy forge designs - some fuel and some air and it will get hot!
Good luck and Enjoy
Dee

PS. Fuel choices... charcoal works ok with a hand cranked blower or bellows ie it stays alight without the blower running. Coke or coal forges tend to like a continuous draught - so are better suited to an electric blower. I've heard that anthracite beans (used in auto-feed stoves) are a useful smithing fuel. Cheap electric blower... the exhaust fan from a scrap gas boiler works ok on a small forge.


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## woodpig

Rhyolith":hs0gjdoa said:


> Ok, what about the Forge itself (Actual structure), I am assuming there is more to it then a hole with fire in



Some reading for you.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/64-solid-fuel-forges/

They don't need to be anything fancy, how about a wooden box lined with fire bricks sealed with clay:


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## dynax

Hi Rhyolith, did you get a forge built, as it is something i'm looking at doing myself, primarilry for making cutters for a plough plane, was thinking of using a ss sink and piping the air from the drain to my blower on the shop vac, would be interesting to hear of your progress,cheers,


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## Phil Pascoe

My loved one wants a brick built barbie - and I have to go ahead for a dual purpose barbie/forge. I have a decent compressor with a twenty metre hose, so the thing can stay in the shed and still supply the forge.


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## dynax

nice one Phil, will you be doing a wip on it,

might go for a kettle bbq instead of the sink, got more depth for lining with sand, would mean more work for the air though but should be simple enough,


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## Brian18741

I made a forge the other day from an old wheel off a Ford Transit lined with refactory cement. Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet but think (hope) it should work OK! Will hopefully find out tomorrow! 






Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk


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## Rhyolith

I have not got round to making my own forge, though I did go on a short blacksmkthing course. Too many projects! 

One thing I will say: Coke forges are fun!


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## focusonwood

A good blacksmithing YouTube channel is Alec Steele.

His latest are all about making various things out of Damascus steel, but he has a lot of videos where he makes hammers and other blacksmithing tools.

He's based on Norwich too...he used to do classes but he focuses just on making youtube videos now.


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## dynax

thanks chaps, might be a week or two before i can cobble something together,


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## Sheffield Tony

My friend Simon at NT's Wimpole estate does a bit of blacksmithery. He has a Victorian forge to play with; all the forging is done with charcoal as fuel. Being the estate forester, he's usually not short of charcoal. He does courses too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YumpkSlcgWU


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## -Matt-

I used tor work in a blacksmiths so I'll be watching this thread for the ensuing fun!


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## Brian18741

Brian18741":3fllsucl said:


> I made a forge the other day from an old wheel off a Ford Transit lined with refactory cement. Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet but think (hope) it should work OK! Will hopefully find out tomorrow!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk



So today I fired up my newly built forge for the first time, with mixed success. The fire pot was a success. I have a steel wheel from an old Ford Transit, lined with about 2 inches of refactory cement, with an air hole cut in the side. The fire pot is about 7 inches deep at it's highest and tapers from about 8 inches wide at the bottom to 16 inches at the top. Loads of room to build up coals so I'm happy with that.

Air comes in from a 2 inch steel pipe entering in at the side of the pot at the bottom. Air is supplied from a shop vac, which brings me on to my first problem. The shop vac is way too powerful, the sparks were outrageous! I couldn't go anywhere within 5 feet of the forge when the blower was on without being incinerated by a million little embers. I tried putting a grill on top to catch some of the sparks but it was pointless. 






My second problem was the fuel. I'm using coal, and a lot of it. I went through nearly an entire 20kg bag in a couple of hours. The coal is also very messy and took me ages to get going to begin with. 






I've since spent some time talking to the lovely people over on Edgematters and all advised the shop vac was the problem. I switched over to a heat gun and the forge behaved exceptionally well, even continuing to use coal. It's like a different forge altogether. I can safely stand beside it while the blower is going and not get incinerated which is always good and there was no mess to clean up afterwards. It was also significantly easier to get the fire started with the heat gun and even leaving the gun blowing on it's high setting for the whole hour I was there, I used hardly any fuel compared to before.

So to conclude, a shop vac is a terrible idea for a blower, get a cheap heat gun or hairdryer instead!


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## bourbon

If anyone is near Bolsover castle over the bank holiday, The Ferrers Household will be there with our forge and other arizan crafts. Come and see how your ancestors made things!


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## dynax

thanks for the feedback Brian, i was wondering if the shop vac blower would be too powerful, so maybe have some sort of adjustable regulator on it might help, plenty to think about from a design point of view,


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## -Matt-

Was going to post that myself ^^
Was going to suggest a butterfly valve or some such to limit it.


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## Phil Pascoe

I'd think if you used a workshop vacuum/blower or something of that type you'd need to divert some of the air rather than restrict the throughput, else it would overheat.


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## -Matt-

Actual working forges (that is, not homemade ones, with a proper back bosche and electric fan etc) tend to have a butterfly valve or sliding blast gate style arrangement so that you can adjust the heat depending on needs.


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## Londoner100

Have a look at Alec Steele's youtube page, he is a 19 year old Blacksmith who does courses in Norwich.


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## adidat

So on Sunday I went to Surrey quays farm (rowing distance from canary wharf) and did a 2 hour session. Which I thoroughly enjoyed and made a half decent knife from a piece of rebar. 

The instructor Kevin was very knowledgeable and easy going. And his setup is amazing surrounded by about 500 different hammers, tongs, hardy hole tooling etc etc. 

Well worth a try for £25. And the farm was great with lots of goats, sheep, pigs and pony's. With a very nice restaurant cooking meals with ingredients all from the farm.

Will upload some pictures when I find a new way to upload them.

Adidat


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## Redkite

Wondering how you're getting on Rhyolith, I'm on a similar journey and not too far away from you I think.
I spent a very useful day with Spike, a Llanbrynmair based blacksmith, making a variety of objects, picking up basic blacksmithing skills.
Went back for a half-day of welding tuition, I can highly recommend her, check her website http://www.spiketheblacksmith.co.uk


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## thick_mike

I spent a day at Fransham Forge in Norfolk earlier in the year. Managed to get the basics and make a poker, burger flipper, leaf necklace and a dish. The bloke that runs it is a real character (  ) and has shepherds huts on site as accommodation.


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## MikeG.

Londoner100":6s54luuy said:


> Have a look at Alec Steele's youtube page, he is a 19 year old Blacksmith who does courses in Norwich.



Much too shouty for me. I've been watching him with the sound off for quite a while.


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