Beginners Information post *please read*
Hello everybody, The reason I'm posting this is to address the concerns of some of our members. Lately there has been a flood of new members (which is great!). This has lead to an overwhelming amount of posts asking for advise on a variety of things including but not limited to, What is the best anvil? Gas or coal forge? Hopefully this post will help answer some of the most commonly asked questions and provide some useful information. Links will be provided when relevant. This will be broken into sections. If anyone has any suggestions on things they would like me to add or improve on just let me know in the comments. I'm positive I'll have missed something but I hope this helps someone regardless. Thanks for reading.
PPE And Safety
To begin, We will start with personal protective equipment (PPE for short). This is a very important aspect of being in the shop. This will be further sub divided into categories. It is ultimately up to you to decide what you want to wear and how many risks you want to take. These are just something to consider.
Forge: When working hot metal in the forge there are several things to consider. these include what you are doing, and what risks your willing to take. For general forging safety glasses should be worn at all times. Your eyes are important. Hearing protection should be worn most times, the shop is louder than you think. Your clothing should be made of cotton or other natural materials. Synthetic materials melt to your skin. Pants are important, you never know when some hot metal will go flying. A leather apron is also handy to prevent scale from burning you. When forge welding an apron is vital due to the increased temperatures and molten flux. Gloves should be avoided when possible. If you must wear them be sure of a few things, They should be leather (again synthetic melts to your skin). and they should be loose on your hands, gloves will shrink when they get hot and if your gloves are tight they will shrink and burn you. Leather/ steel toed boots are not a bad idea.
Also everything is hot, its good practice to have a separate metal table to set recently worked on pieces. This table is used so you know what not to grab with your hands, does not solve the problem every time but it helps.
Power Tools: Power tools are fun and an incredible way to increase productivity, however they are dangerous. Safety glasses should always be worn and at times face shields should also be worn. A respirator should be worn whenever there is airborne particles. These can be from things such as grinders and belt sanders. gloves should never be used around anything that spins as they can catch and suck your hands into the machine. Clothing should be cotton as well. Leather/ steel toed boots are not a bad idea.
Use common sense.
Tools: there are several things to know about forging tools. Here they are.
Anvils: An anvil can be several things. In essence an anvil is a chunk of solid metal to forge iron on. an anvil substitute is not an ASO. ASO (anvil shaped object) refers to a cast iron object that looks like an anvil but functions poorly as one. a good anvil will be hardened steel. They can be cast steel or forged. for a strict budget you can do something as simple as a sledge hammer or thick metal bar sunk into a stump. if you have a medium budget vevor sells cheap cast steel anvils that are fantastic for the cost. if you have a substantial budget Holland anvil sells premium cast steel anvils. Id recommend the vevor anvil for any beginner. Bad anvil substitutes include cast iron aso, h beam, and the anvil on a vise.
anvil alternatives https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/52308-a-collection-of-improvised-anvils/
vevor steel anvils https://www.vevor.com/collections/cast-steel-anvil?gclid=CjwKCAjw6fCCBhBNEiwAem5SO5gjAKNNtYeR76yZrL6J3kWST0T5kbv_OxzLz9sxNDWYzpi5-SM37BoCxbgQAvD_BwE
Holland anvil https://www.hollandanvil.com/shop
Swage blocks: Swage blocks are used as a tool for forming steel. They often contain holes which can be used to upset stock to make hardy tools or other objects in. They can also be used for drifting and punching through. Some blocks contain dishes or molds for forging things such as spoons, bowls, shovels, ect. The edges have half swages for forging certain shapes such as round bars, squares, hexagon, or triangular bars for example .
Holland anvil also sells swage blocks https://www.hollandanvil.com/shop
Tongs: tongs are a very important aspect of blacksmithing. Without them its hard to hold the stock and with improper tongs stock can go flying. There is a different type of tongs for nearly anything you could want to make. For example, Common tongs include flat jaw tongs, bolt jaw, wolf jaw, and pickup tongs. There are many others not listed. Flat are your bog standard general use tongs. bolt jaw and v bit allow you you to grab round and square stock more securely. Bolt jaw allows you to grip around odd shapes in the end of the bar. Wolf jaw are similar to others except they allow a slight difference in stock sizes you can hold. Pickup tongs are used for short sections of thick stock.
I recommend you get a set of kens custom iron tong blanks to start. They will help you learn how to make tongs, and provide with some cheap nearly done tongs. I will also include a link for making tongs without tongs.
blanks https://kensironstore.com/collections/quick-tongs
making your first pair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHrgefJ7NvI
Hammers: There are several types of hammers used in blacksmithing, this section will go over the basic types and their uses. The first hammer is the cross peen hammer. This hammer has a flat face for general forging and a peen for spreading material in a specific direction. There are also diagonal and straight peen hammers which do the same thing just with different directions. Next up is the ball peen hammer. This hammer spreads metal in all directions. This hammer is great for texturing and forming dishes. Finally the rounding hammer, traditionally a farrier hammer but lately popular for blacksmithing due to Brian Brazeal. The rounding side on this hammer allows you to draw out material faster and gives you several different radius to use. The shape is best described as a squashed ball
hammers https://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/products/hammers.html
Harbor freight hammers are cheap and great for starting out.
Punches and drifts
Punches: punches are used for making holes in hot iron. To punch a hole you should hammer the punch 2/3 to 3/4 the way through the stock than flip over the bar and hammer it all the rest of the way through. This should push a slug out and form a nice hole in the metal. Punches can be handled or held by hand. Punches should be forged from a quality hardenable steel. The struck end should be left soft and lightly rounded.
Drifts: drifts are used to enlarge the hole or shape the punched hole. They taper until the desired shape is achieved. They should be made out of a medium carbon steel but left soft.
Dressing tools: Hammers should be dressed before use. This involves rounding the edge of the face and smoothing any rough marks. This can be done using files or a flap disk on an angle grinder. Any varnish or coating on the handle should be sanded and than the handle should get oiled. For dressing struck tools grind the struck end into a slightly rounded end and remove any mushrooming.
dressing hammers https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/51879-first-hammer-dressing/
Forge: You can't heat metal without one, the question is gas or coal? here are the pros and cons of each along with some links.
Gas Forges: gas forges burn propane in order to heat the stock. they must be coated with an insulative material such as k26 soft fire brick or kao wool. Ceramic ? kao wool must be coated with refractory to prevent silicosis. matrikote 90 ac or itc 100 can be used as a coating to increase fuel efficiency and heat. There are two types of burner venturi and forced air. forced air can give more rven heats in the form of ribbon burners. they are more efficient using lower psi ( but higher volume), but they cost more and need power. The more common burner is the venturi burner, these tend to be a bit less efficient and need higher psi to run but are more commonly used. they do not need power to run.
Gas forges are popular as they are clean and good for use in neighborhoods, and fuel is easily obtained. However they tend to be a bit more expensive and limiting in what you can heat due to the enclosed nature of gas forges
some forges http://devil-forge.com/
refractory https://www.hightemptools.com/refractorycoatings.html
matrikote https://www.budgetfoundrysupply.com/matrikote-90ac
Coal and other solid fuels: solid fuel forges are popular among people who make artistic pieces and need a more open forge and among people who enjoy historical smithing. coal forges are open so you can heat just about anything in one of them. They also tend to be cheaper to make than gas. they can be simple like a jabod forge or more complex like a brake drum forge, or a standard forge with a firepot and table. Coal can be hard to find for some people though. Hardwood lump charcoal is another great source of fuel but stay away from briquettes
jabod forge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-R6iY-mY-Y
brake drum forge http://www.blacksmithingforbeginners.com/building-a-brake-drum-forge/
Here are some commercially produced coal forges
I am not affiliated with any link here, it is purely personal preference and opinions, or things that helped me.
Conclusion: That's all for now. Revisions, changes, and additions will be made over time. Feel free to make suggestions or ask questions in the comments. Hopefully this isn't too hard to read.
I hope this helps someone. Thanks for your time.
Posted Mar 26, 2021, 3:27 AM UTC · edited
This posting needs to be "stickied" to the top of this forum, if that be possible. We really ARE getting the same question over and over, and it gets old. I've attempted to remedy this in my own way by using my own website (which is overdue for updating):
https://sites.google.com/view/grasshopperhammer-spinoff/reddit-answers-blacksmithing
NOTE: If you ask 10 blacksmiths the same question, expect at least a dozen contradictory answers. This reply is just another take on some of the questions addressed by GuardedDig2, with whose comments, BTW, I mostly concur.
I seldom wear a leather apron and seldom get burned. When I do get burned, it's usually due to an error an apron would not have protected me from. Proper technique minimizes weld splatter or directs it away from the smith.
Traditionally, hot metal is tossed under the forge table to cool. Putting it ON a table strikes me as a bad idea as it may actually encourage a 3rd person to pick it up. If you're alone in your shop, you decide.
There are two basic kinds of respirator: "dust masks" (which may or may not be N-95) are for particles. Cartridge-type respirators have any of various types of filter cartridges, typically to capture fumes of toxic substances to prevent your inhaling them. Both must be fit to the face for full efficacy. Since many of us have beards, that may not be feasible. Do your own research and make your own decisions.
Swage blocks may not be a worthwhile investment before you have an identifiable need for one. For sinking, use the end grain of a log. That will generate wood smoke, so ventilation is needed.
If you can weld, tongs can be fabricated cheaply and easily. Visit r/NJBA for my instructions for basic fabricated tongs. Then use your imagination to fabricate the kind you want.
Hammers or hammer heads can be purchased so cheaply at flea markets and garage sales that they can be considered as stock -- starting material -- for making other handled tools. Don't spend big bucks on a hammer until you really know what you're doing and know what you need.
I recommend buying one or more sets of cheap "pin punches" for punching holes. Drifts can be shop-made, and even mild steel will do, though you'll have to reforge them from time to time.
I’ve pinned the post so it will always show up first unless you brows with specific settings such as new posts or top posts. But generally this will be one of the first posts you see entering the sub. And yes I fully agree with you. Everyone has their own opinions and they often contradict each other.
I also recommend aprons for beginners due to the fact they often have issues holding stock. And aprons “usually” stop it from hitting the center of your body. But they can also be somewhat restrictive so again. Personal opinion on if they need to be worn.
When I write a section on top tools I’ll be sure to include the reforged hammer thing.
Thanks for the input I will add it to the list of changes. So far it’s far from perfect but it’s getting there!
I just figure those scars from flying hot metal are like German university dueling scars. Real blacksmiths wear their scars proudly! /s
Seriously, most actual burns are either from flying flux or scale -- and relatively minor -- or from stupidly picking up black metal that happens to be 900F. Even setting your clothes on fire is usually no big deal -- if they're cotton or wool, not if their synthetics.
However, everybody should use whatever protection he feels comfortable with, providing he understands contrary reasons -- like why we recommend not wearing gloves most of the time.
Yes well said, knowing why you wear some ppe can be more effective at keeping you safe than wearing it but not understanding why. Because when you know the purpose you can understand what to avoid doing to keep yourself safe and mitigate risk
In addition to a pinned post, might I recommend we fill in our wiki page? Especially if the amount of info grows beyond what a post can reasonably hold, the pinned post could become a set of links to wiki sections.
It's something I'd absolutely volunteer to help with if I wasn't so busy for the next couple months :(