Anyone into a bit of blacksmithing as a hobby?

[Coletti]

Having made a couple of knives I fancied making a proper gas forge and an anvil and having a go at a bit of blacksmithing. My first and current project is a rose and heart picture frame for the Mrs as a present. Just wondered if anyone else has forged anything? Would be nice to see picks of other people's work

[mikeh]

No, not done any but have always wanted to. Would love to build a medieval forge to do it too.

[Coletti]

Well I shall certainly keep posting up when I've done something. For me a gas forge was more ideal though as I can fire it up whenever, a traditional forge would be nice but not really practical for me as a hobby, too much faf lighting a fire, getting to temp then waiting for it to cool etc. Think my next project will be a fire place set

[roys]

Did a bit of forge work in the first year of my apprenticeship, loved it, also enjoyed stick welding and turning. Remember it so well and it was 30 odd years ago!!

[Sawchip]

Iv done a yr or two of blacksmithing…doing very little now as there isn't the work so iv diversified over the yrs into servicing/repairs or saws,mowers,ect...plus some firewooding.

[cornish wood burner]

50 years ago I used swing the blower handle for a blacksmith. He used to make the horse shoes rather than buy them as is normally done now. Graduated to making the shoes and many other things for him. When he retired we took over his forge and used it as part of the workshop equipment. Over the years we used it to make many things and for a heat source to straighten many heavy pieces of steel when the oxy acetylene wasn't up to the job. It's amazing to see a big a piece of steel come out of a big coal fire glowing white hot.

Over the years in my engineering career I have used welders lathes,mills grinders etc etc but none compare to the satisfaction of using the old coal forge. It seems to have a character that is missing with gas. If you ever get the chance to buy or build one imo it's well worth the extra bit of time to light it.

Edited December 6, 2015 by cornish wood burner

[Mike Dempsey]

Gas forges seem to be reasonably easy to get hold of as a lot of schools had them and no longer use them. I was offered one a few months ago but turned it down as I dont have enough room in the workshop. Thats not to say I wouldnt fancy having a go as I did welding at night school for a year and have done milling, turning and grinding at day release classes for a year. I enjoy working with meatal as its so different to the cabinet making I do for a living.

[NFG]

Yes, there is something very satisfying about blacksmithing work in a forge, I made a large plant holder, with nice scrolls along the sides when I was at school many years ago. My mother used to work at Bewdley museum where there was a forge around the back - nothing like a fried egg sandwich done on the shovel.

 

N

[Coletti]

So here's what I made the Mrs for Christmas and I'm pleased to say she was over the moon with it . It's always a worry making something as a surprise for someone incase they don't like it as much as you had hoped, thankfully she liked it more than I had hoped

[ErnieB]

On 04/12/2015 at 23:29, Coletti said:

Having made a couple of knives I fancied making a proper gas forge and an anvil and having a go at a bit of blacksmithing. My first and current project is a rose and heart picture frame for the Mrs as a present. Just wondered if anyone else has forged anything? Would be nice to see picks of other people's work

I'm starting in a new direction with artistic ability, I'm in my seventies now, so it's time to start blacksmithing to keep me fit, I've been making stage props, for the Film and TV productions, then I started doing work for the Asian Wedding planners, a growing business, in the UK. I've made steel decorative Mandaps of all sizes, upto 8m w x 7m d and 3m high, for those of you that don't have a clue what a Mandap is, it a stage prop that they get married underneath, all singing and dancing, with lights and highly detailed, they like to try and out do each other, so they become more complex to produce, but them days are over. Now it time for myself, so I made myself a Airforced Gas Forge, got myself a nice Anvil, that had been in store for over twenty years, it was old when they got it, they redleaded it, before being stored,  very little used, got it at a very good price, theres no makers name on it or to how heavy it is, but it very heavy. I've tried to see if I can find it on the internet, the shape is very unusual, could'nt find anything like it, every thing it there, hardy hole and prix hole, horn at one end, but the other flat horn is very short, it does'nt look like it been shortened, if someone did, they did a very good job, as you cannot see any cut marks, just sand casting surface.

So the new year beings in a hour or so, so my new venture beings.

I'll post some photo's of the gas forge and the anvil, also some of the things I've made in my past, when I've worked out to how to up load them on this forum.