jrm@lucid.com (Joe Marshall) (11/04/90)
Well, since I just got started, I can tell you what I have.
0. SAFETY EQUIPMENT: fire extinguisher, first aid kit, goggles,
leather apron, gloves.
1. Most important, a forge. It fairly easy to make one from a
barbecue or a brake drum. I bought mine for about $170 and a bag
of refractory clay to line it cost me $40. I'm not an expert at
scrounging yet, so I think the money was well spent. The forge
came with a hand blower. It had a mouse nest in it, but it was
easy to clean up.
2. Coal. Most smiths use bituminous, but contrary to the popular
literature, anthracite will work fine (yes, I can forge weld with
it). Anthracite is easier to get than bituminous, and I could make
the argument that it is easier for a beginner to use.
3. Second most important, an anvil. You probably want to start with
one about 100 to 150 lbs. I hear that $1 a pound is a good price
for a used anvil. Since this is half of your tools, I would shop
around.
4. Hammer. A cross-peen is a good starting hammer.
5. Water barrel.
6. Tongs. I don't have any yet, I'm making some out of rebar.
7. various other tools, hardies, chisels, punches, etc
8. Metalworking vice. I don't have this yet, so I'm pretty limited in
the fancy work I can do.
9. Steel. Hardware store has expensive steel. Steel company has
cheap, but probably won't sell small lots. Scrap metal company has
it real cheap, but it will be rusty and you won't know what it is(!
do you like surprises?).
Total cost, probably a minimum of $200, maximum of $2000 (all new
equipment). I got a lot of help from some blacksmiths in the area
(great guys, these blacksmiths!). I think I've invested about $350
altogether, and I expect to pay about $200 more to really get going.
All things considered, this isn't a bad investment (I'll bet I recoup
it in a year).
I saw a knife made from an old file. The trick is that the file is
tool steel. It was embedded in some mild steel by folding the steel
over the file. The blade was shaped with a grinder.
This is an attempt at an end view, you can see the file (rectangle)
with the steel holding it.
____
__/__ \__
|_____| __)
\____/
I'm just a rank amateur, but it is a lot of fun to just go out, fire
up the forge and pound away. There are a lot of good books out there
and I can recommend a catalog from centaur forge.
Centaur Forge, ltd.
P.O. Box 340
117 N. Spring St.
Burlington, Wis. 53105
Phone (414) 763-9175
Call for a catalog, a list of used equipment on consignment, and a
list of blacksmithing groups in your area. The real trick to getting
involved in anything like this is to get involved with other people.
Seek out the smiths in your area (look in the yellow pages). I saw a
smith shop in back of a hotel near where I lived. I dropped in one
day and he gave me a catalog, loaned me a spare anvil and forge, gave
me some steel and some coal, and I was hacking blacksmithing. I
learned about New England Blacksmiths from him and attended a 3-day
meeting where I bought my forge and met a lot of great people (who
don't know UNIX, guaranteed!). I'm trying to find a local group that
meets about once a month in order to get more involved.
For those of you in the bay area, there is a blacksmithing club that
meets about once a month at the San Jose historical museum.
~JRM
p.s. This stuff is pretty easy to learn. It succumbs to common sense
and experimentation quite well. A little encouragement from a
practising smith goes a long way.