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BlacksmithingforBeginners

EverythingyouNeedtoKnowtoMakeaForgeandStartHammeringMetal

Tableofcontent

Introduction

Chapter1.BeginnersTechniquesInBlacksmithing

Chapter2.SomeBasicBlacksmithingTools

Chapter3.TipsandSuggestionstoMakeBlacksmithingEasier

Conclusion

IntroductionTo start with I would like to thank you and congratulate you on downloading“Blacksmithing forBeginners: AllYouNeed toKnow toMakeaForgeandStartHammeringMeta.”Blacksmithinghasbeenaroundformanycenturies,itisnotonlyatrade,itisafunhobby,andagreatskilltohavetocreatemetalartwork.Manypeopleinaroundtheworldhavechosentobeblacksmiths,manyofwhichearntheirlivingfromthistrade. Blacksmiths aremakingwonderful items that can be used in all different areaswhetheratwork,inandaroundyourhomeetc. Whenyouareapersonthatworkswithsteelorwroughtironpeoplewillrefertoyouasablacksmith.

Theword‘blacksmith’wasthoughttooriginatefromthewords‘black’whichcomesfromthefirescale.Thisisalayerofoxidesthatareusuallyblackthatareformedonthemetalsurfacewhen itbecomesheated. While thesecondword‘smith’ itsorigin isstillunderdebate.Mostpeoplebelieveitmeans‘tostrike.’

Youwill learnwhat thedifferentkindsof toolsarethatablacksmithusesinperformingbasicblacksmithingtechniques.Manypeoplewilltakethesebasicskillstogoforwardtocreatethingssuchaslovelygrills,doors,windows,furniture,tools,railings,etc.Theskiesare the limitwhen it comes towhatyoucancreateusingblacksmithing techniques thatyouwilllearnfromthisbook.

Somepeople enjoymaking household itemsusing these skills such as decorative itemsandknives,andswords.Earlyintimewhenblacksmithingwasfindingitsfootingintheworld,severalcenturiesago,therewasveryfewpeoplethatpossessedtheknowledgeonhowtoblacksmith.Astimeprogressedsohavethetoolsthatblacksmithsnowuse,thereareadvancedmachinesthatarewidelyusedbyblacksmithstodaythatofferbetterresultscomparedtosomeofthetraditionaltools.Butasabeginneritisagoodideatostartbylearninghowtoworkwiththebasictoolsofthetrade.

Chapter1.BeginnersTechniquesInBlacksmithingTo startwith as a beginner you need to learn the basic techniques that are used in theblacksmithing process. It is crucial to grasp the comprehensive knowledge about thetechnique.Wewilltakealookatsomebasictechniquesinblacksmithinginthischapterthatshouldhelpyoutogetstarted.Youneedtokeepinmindthatjustreadingaboutthetechnique is not enough, you will have to try it hands on. When you understand thedifferenttechniquesitwillmakeiteasierforyoutoworkonblacksmithingprojectsinthefuture.Themaintechniquesaredividedintosubtechniques.Letushavealookatthembelow:

Technique01:Forging

The technique of forging is further divided into drawing, bending, upsetting, punching,andshrinking.

Techniqueo2:Welding

Thetechniqueofweldingisfurtherdividedintocleaning,heating,holding,andforging.

Technique03:HeatTreatment

Theheattreatmenttechniqueisfurtherdividedintohardening,annealing,tempering,andcasehardening.

Nowletustrytolearnthesetechniqueandsub-techniquesinmoredetail.

Forging

Blacksmiths use the forging process in order to help them to shape the metal using ahammer.Ifthistechniqueisnotusedtheblacksmithingprocesscannotbecompleted.Itisavitalstepintheprocess.Therearefivebasictechniquesthatareinvolvedinforgingthesearediscussedinthefollowinglines:

Drawing:Whenablacksmithusesthisforgingtechniqueitisgoingtocausetheheatedmetaltoeithergetlongerorwider.Oncethemetalhadbecomeheatedtoapointwhereitis turningbright red then theblacksmithwillplace iton theanvilandhammer it in theoppositedirection.Thishammeringofthemetalwhileitisredhotwillcauseittobecomethinandgowiderorlonger.Whenyouheatthemetalheattheoneendofitthenhammertheheatedendtomakeitflat.Youcanalsousetheblacksmithtooloftongstohelpwiththis.Ifyoufindthatthemetalistoolongtheotherendofitmaybetoocool.Strikethe

metalmakingsuretousetheflatendofthehammerwhilestrikingthehotmetal.

Youcancontinue to repeat thisprocessuntilyouare satisfied that thepieceofmetal isflattenedasyouwantit,oritgetstothedesiredflatnessyouaretryingtoachieve.Youdonotwantthemetaltobecometoocoolwhenyouarestrikingit,thisisnotgood.Ifyoustrikethemetalwhenithasbecometoocoolitcancausethemetaltobreakandyouwillnotgetthedesiredresultsthatyouwereseeking.Theworkthatyouhavedoneuptothatpointwill havebeen awaste, youwill have tobegin again. Whenyou realize that themetalhaslostallofitsheatthenyouneedtoreheatitinordertocontinuehammeringatthemetal. Thiscanbea timeconsumingprocess,but ifyouapproachitanddoit rightyoucansavetime.Trytofigureouthowmuchtimeyouwillspendworkingonitforeachheat.Onceyouhaveheatedthemetalthenhammeritatonce.Keepnoteofthetimeanddon’twasteit.

Ifyoumaketheextraeffortandplanyourheatingtimesthenitsnottoodifficulttogetthedesiredresultsinlesstime.Onceyouhavedonethisprocessrepeatedlyyouwillbecomebetter inperfectingyour techniquesandyouwilleventuallyaccomplishmaximumworkwithfewerheats.Youcancontrolthedirectionofflowinseveralways.

Thefirst thingtokeepinmindis thatyoushouldonlyheat theareaofmetal thatyouwant to flow and do not heat areas ofmetal that you do not want to flow.Doingthiswillgiveyoutheoneflowdirection.

Onceyouhaveheatedyourmetalplaceyourmetalontheanvilandstriketheareathathaslargerspread. Withthismethodithelpsmakepoints,squares,androundshapeswithmetal.

Use thepeen faceofyourhammer ifyouwish tocreatedents in thedirectionofflow.Afteryouhavedonethisusetheflatfaceofhammertoflattenthemout.

Bending:Youaregoingtoheatthemetalatoneendwhenyouusethistechnique.Whiletheotherend iskeptcool. Whileyouheat theoneendyouwill rotate it from thecoldend.Thereissomanydifferentwaysthatblacksmithsusetobendthemetal.But,heatingfromone side and then twisting it from the other is a very common technique usedbymostblacksmiths. Anothermethodmay includeusingawrench,avise, tongs,bendingforketc.Strikingthemetalisanothermethodthatcanalsobeused.

If a blacksmithwants tounbend themetal the aboveprocedurewill beused for this aswell.Youmaynotgetthesameresultsthatyougotearlierwhenyouunbendthemetal.Butyouwillbeabletounbendit.

Upsetting:Thisforgingtechniqueisthereverseofthedrawingtechnique.Youlearned

thatwhenusingthedrawingtechniqueyouheatuponeendofthemetaltoflatthemetal.Withthistechniquetechniqueyoualsoheatthemetalatoneendbutinsteadofflatteningthemetalyouwanttomakeitthicker,narrow,andshorter.Thereareseveraltypesofrodsthat need to be thickened from one side. So using this process is very useful inblacksmithing.Holdthecoolsidefirmlyandheattheotherside.Strikeonesidehardsothat theother sidewillbecome thicker. There is alsoother thingsbesides rods suchasmetalfurnitureinwhichyouneedtoshortenandthickenthemetal.

Punching: With this technique the metal is heated to make holes and patterns.Blacksmithsoftenuse this techniquewhen theyarecreatingdecorative itemsaswellasmanyotherthings.Thereismanyotherthingsthatcanbedonethroughpunchingsuchasslitting,cutting,anddrifting.

Whenyouareattempting tomakeholesyoumustpunchsharply. Lineyourmetaloverhardyhole and then strike the endof the punch sharply tomake a hole in yourmetal.Moreovermake sure thatyouarenot thatyouarenothitting thepunchwith theanvil.Youneedtodecidewhattypeofshapeyouwantyourholetobe.Youcanalsouseahardytool todraw theshapeofyourhole. Forpunchingyoucanuseholddown tools. Withpunchingyouneedtobeabletoalignyourwithupwithdifferentitems.

Shrinking: This process of blacksmithing is very similar to upsetting but is stillsomewhatdifferent.Whenusingthis techniquethemetal lengthisreducedor isslightlythickened. For example if you want to make a bowl from the flat metal then it willdevelopcertainwavesorripples.Thesearedevelopedwhentheextralengthofthemetalisbeingforcedintoasmallerradius.Thiscausesthelengthstoreduceandthematerialsbecomethickenedbycompressingthewavesbetweentheflatoftheanvilandtheflatofthehammer.

Welding:Thesedaysweldingisaverypopulartechniquethatmanyblacksmithmakeuseof. Therearealsomanyblacksmithsthatavoiditduetoseveralreasons. Butonceyoulearnthiswonderfultechniqueyouwillbeabletocreatesomeveryimpressivethingssuchas grills, gates, decorative items and so on. There are two types of welding thatblacksmithscommonlyuse.Thefirstoneisgasweldingwhiletheotheroneiscalledarcwelding. Both of these welding techniques are very efficient and convenient but dorequire a lot more material and equipment. The four steps in welding are mentionedbelow:

Cleaning: Beforeweldingbegins it is important to cleanusinga file,grinderorwirebrush.Youofcoursemayuseacombinationoftheseitems.Youwillgetyourmatingsurfaceniceandcleananditwillmakeiteasierforyoutoworkon.

Heating:Thenextstepinweldingaftercleaningisheating.Youneedtobecarefulduring this process, stay focused and alert. You can use propane, coke, cleanburningfuelorcharcoalforheatingpurposes.Whileyouarecoatingthemetalwith

layeroffluxitwillkeepthesurfaceneatandclean.Weldingheatiswhitehot.Sodon’toverdo thingsoryouwill ruinyourwork. Ifyoudonothaveenoughheatyourweld isgoing tobeweak. It could look findbut it could still endupbeingweak. The best way to prevent weak welds is to perfect your welding heatingtechniquessoyoucanproducestrongwelds.

Holding:Thenextstepinweldingisholding.Usuallyinthisstepoftheweldingprocessdifferentpartsofworkarejoinedtogether.Therearedifferentstrategiesinholdingthatyouwillneedtolearn.

Thefirststrategyis toweldasinglepieceofmetalbackto itself. For instanceifyou should want to make a loop or a shape like and eye then you can use thisstrategy.

Theotherstrategyistorivetthepiecestogethertemporarily.

Thethirdstrategyistouseaviseclamptoholdtheonepiece.

Forging: The final step inwelding is forging. At thispointyouneed tohit themetalquick, hard and straight. While you are doing this process there is likely going to bemolten metal, flux and slag coming spraying outwards that has the potential to causeharm.Sotohelpprotectyourselfyouneedtoweartheproperweldinggear. Suchasaweldinghelmet,weldinggloves,workshoes,andapairofweldingcoveralls. Youmayneedtoreheatyourworkagainandagaininordertosuccessfullyfinishyourwork.

HeatTreatment:Thisisanothertechniquethatblacksmithsuse.Thesub-techniquesofitarelistedbelow:

Hardening: Whenyou are using this technique youwill firstwant to heat yourmetaltocherryredheat.Thendropitintowater(keepwaterinabucketintheareayouhavedesignatedasyourforgearea).Swirlthemetalaroundabituntilitstopssteaming.Whenyouareplungingmakesurethatyouaddthepartofmetalfirstthatneedstobehard.

Makesuretoplungeitstraightintothewater,thiswillhelptominimizedistortionlevels.

While you are doing this process make sure that you are wearing a welder’s helmet,weldinggloves,usingtongs.Thesethingswillhelpkeepyouprotectedwhileyoudothisprocess. During this technique there is going to be steam coming out of bucket, yourprotectivegearwillhelpprotectyoufromthehotsteam.

Incaseyouareexperiencingbrittlenessordistortionproblemsyoucangoforsomeotheralternatives such as the use of oil for quenching. Salt water can also be used for thispurpose.Thesetwothingshavehigherboilingpoints.Youcouldalsoswitchtoalowercarbonalloy.Thelastoptionwouldbetotemperthepieceofmetal.

Annealing:Whenusingthistechniqueyouneedtoheatthemetaltoacherryredheatandthencoolitslowly.Blacksmithswilloftenputtheworkdownnexttotheforge and this is also good enough. Youmay also choose to fill a bucket withperliteorashestoslowtheannealing.Toslowdownthisprocessyoupreheattheashbucket.Thiswillhelpslowdownthecoolingprocess.

Tempering:Inusingthetemperingprocessyouareabletogetanicehardshapeedge. Todothisyoumusthardenapiececompletely. Thenyoupolishtheface.Usingemerycloththepiecewilleventuallyshine.Nexttoityouthenheatuptheportionthatneedstobesoftened.Heatandgraduallymovetowardsthehardedgeofthepiece.Youwillnoticethatthecolorswillchangeontheshinysurfacewhenyoumovetheheattowardsit.Itwillatfirstappeartobelikethecolorofstrawthenitwill turn to a darker brownand itwill finally turn to a bluish color. It is alsoreferredtoas‘peacockcolour.’Whenyouseethatbluishcolourappearget to theedgethenquenchtheentiretool.Youcanrepeatthisprocessagainandagainuntilyougetsoftpartssoftandhardpartshard.

CaseHardening:Duringthisprocessthecarboncontentofthenearsurfacepartofa low carbon alloy is increased. This happens when the piece is packed inpowderedcharcoal ina tightlyclosedandheatproofcontainer. This isheated tocherryredheatandtheniskeptfortentotwentyfourhoursincontainer.Afterthatitcoolsdown.Thenitisreadytounpack.Nowyouareinabettersituationtogiveitanyshapethatyouwantbeforeitbeginstohardenagain.

Thesearesomeofthevarioustechniquesthatareusedbyblacksmithsaroundtheworld.As a beginner it is vital that you gain the proper knowledge of the techniques, andeventually you will become an expert in the use of a few. It takes a lot of time andpracticetobecomeanexpertinthesetechniquessoyoucanlearnabouteachofthesebuttheonesthatyoufavoryouwillpracticemuchmoreandbecomeanexpertinusingthem.

Chapter2.SomeBasicBlacksmithingToolsForthemostpartthereisatleastseveraltoolsthattheaverageblacksmithwilluse.Butasabeginneritisnotrecommendedthatyoustartusingallofthetoolsofthetrade.Keepitsimpleandconcentrateonlearningacoupleof the toolsandhowtouse themproperly.Youdonotwanttooverwhelmyourselfwhenyouarejuststartingout.Youneedtogetagrip on what the basic tools in blacksmithing are. After you have got a basicunderstandingofthetoolsofthetradethenyoucanmoveforwardinyourlearningprocessofblacksmithing.

Thereareseveraltoolsthatarepopularwiththeblacksmithsoftheworld.Butherewearementioning just fourof the important tools forabeginner. Theseare tools thatwillgetyou started and be able to ease into the work with a feeling of comfort. The basicblacksmithingtoolshavebeenusedsincethebeginningoftime,allofusarefamiliarwiththesetools.Letusnowtakeacloserlookatthebasictoolsoftheblacksmithtrade.

TheForge

Theforgeisanareathatproducesafirewhereyouareabletoheatandworkwithyourmetals.Thereisseveralstagesusuallywheretheblacksmithwillneedtoheatthemetal.Youwill need a forge if you are planning to change the shapeof yourmetal. Withouthavinga sourceofheat thatwillbeyour forgeyouarenotgoing tobeable toperformmanyoftheprocessesinblacksmithing.Sothefirstthingyouneedtoacquiresothatyoucan perform yourmetalworks is a forge. The forge is a place that yourmetal can beheatedproperly.Ifyouareunabletoacquireaforgethenyoucanusesomethingelsethatyouareabletoheatyourmetalin.Themainpurposeisyouneedsomethingthatyoucanheatyourmetalin.Becarefulofdamageorharmthatotheroptionsotherthanaforgecancause.Youcanalsolookintobuildingyourownforgeoutofmaterialsyoumayalreadyhavejustlyingaround.

TheAnvil

Theanvil isanothergreat tool inblacksmithing thatyoumusthave ifyouwant to startworkingwithmetalsinablacksmithingcapacity.Theanvilislikeablockthatisstrongenoughtostandwhenyoustrikeitwithahammer.Usuallytheflatsurfaceoftheanviliswhatblacksmithsusetoflattenoutapieceofmetal. Asabeginneryoucanworkusingtheflatsurface.Thefrontpartoftheanvilisusedforotherpurposeslikewhendrawingtheholesonyourmetal.Beginbydoingaprojectwhereyouareusingtheflatpieceoftheanvil to flatten out a piece of metal, just to help give you the feel of the wholeblacksmithingprocess. Thenonceyouarecomfortablewith thisprocessyoucanmoveforwardontomorechallengingprojects.Theanvilisusedwhenyouarelookingtogiveshapetoyourmetal.Withoutananvilyouwillnotbeabletoaccomplishyourbasicmetalwork,soitisanimportanttooltohave.Withoutananvilyouwillnotbeabletogetthe

thick,thin,wideornarrowpieceofmetalthatyouwouldliketoshape.Theanvilisatoolthatcompletesmostoftheblacksmithingprocesses.

TheHammer

Ifyouhaveananvilthenyoualsoneedahammertogowithitoritispointlesshavingtheanvilwithoutahammer. Withthehammeryoucanstrikeontotheanvil. Ifyoudonothaveahammeryouwillnotbeabletostriketheanvil.Hammerscomeindifferentshapesand sizes, so finding the right hammer for you as a beginner is crucial. Inmost homeprojects claw hammers are the types of hammers that are used themost. Butwhen itcomes to blacksmithing you need to get cross pein or small ball pein hammer. Avoidusingclawhammersforblacksmithingbecausetheyaresoftandwillcrackveryeasily.

TheTongs

Youneedapairoftongstoholdyourmetal/work.Obviouslyyoucannotholdthepieceofmetalyouareworkingonwithyourhandswhen it is roastinghot. Ifyouaregoing tostrikethemetalwiththehammerthenyouneedtoholdittightlywiththetongssoitdoesnotslipoutofplace. Whenyouusetongstheycangripthemetalandmakeyourworkeasier.Thesearemadefrommaterialsthatdonotcatchonfire.Theyarealsoverystronganddon’tbreakveryeasily.Youcanholdhotmetalwiththesetongsandtheywillnotgethotquickly.Theyarealsomadeofmetal.Tongsalsolikethehammerscomeindifferentsizessuchassmall,mediumandlarge.Ifyouarebuyingyourselfblacksmithingtoolsitissuggestedthatyougeteitheramediumorlargepairoftongs.Thesecanalsobeusedtoholdsmallthingsaswell.

WeldingPlants

Youhaveyourchoicebetweengettinganarcorgasweldingplant. But, ifyouarenotinterested in thewelding process of blacksmithing then don’t bother buying one. Youreallyneedpropertrainingandguidelineswhenyouareoperatingweldingplants,theyarealsocostlytorun.Ifyouarejustwantingtolearnafewbasicblacksmithingtechniquessothatyoucantinkeraroundperhapsmakingsomehomemadegardendecorationsthenyoudon’tneedtogointotheexpenseofgettingaweldingplant.

These are some basic welding tools that can get you started with the blacksmithingprocess.Thesetoolsarenotonlycheapbuttheyareveryusefulingettingyoustartedintotheworldofblacksmithing.Youcanmakethisonetimeinvestmentbutthesetoolswillseeyouthroughmanyyearsofcreatingitemsusingyournewfoundblacksmithingskills.Youmayneed tochangeyourhammernowandagain,but theother toolswillworkforyouformanyyearstocome.

Chapter 3. Tips and Suggestions to Make BlacksmithingEasierWhenstartingoutasabeginnerblacksmithyoumayfacemanydifficultiestostart.Butkeepinmindthatthisisnormalformanynewactivitiesinlifethatweembarkon.Butifyou take the time to learn the proper techniques you can certainly save yourself frommanydifficulties.

Youasabeginnermustkeepinmindseveralthingswhileyouareworking.Thereisalsosomemetalhandlingtipsofferedheretoo,aswellastoolhandlingtips,andmoresafetytips.

Thesearetipsthatoverallaregoodtolearnbeforeyoustartyourwonderfulmetalprojectthatyouhaveplanned. Whetheryourproject thatyouhaveplanned is a smallor largeone,thesetipsaregoingtocomeinhandyinanycase.Soherearesomehelpfultipsthatyoushoulduseasabeginnerinblacksmithing.

Wearglassesandgloves

Whenyouareworkingwithmetalthereisgoingtobehighchancesofsparksandflakescomingoffthemetal.Soitisimportantthatyouwearsafetyglassesthatyoucanpurchaseatmanydifferenthardwaresupplystores.Useproperweldingglovessothatyourhandsdonotgetburntwhileyouareworkingthemetal.Whileyouareforgingyouaregoingtobe checking your work again and again so it is really important that you have onprotectivegear.

Wearsafetyclothes

Whenyouareworkingaroundaforgeitisveryimportantthattheclothesyouarewearingare safety clothes, those that are made to work around forges, that will not catch fireeasily.Useweldingclothesandaweldingapronwhenyouareworkingwithhotmetals.Make sure towear long sleeved shirts and long pants. Taking these stepswill help toprotectyoufromgettinginjured.

Galvanizedsteel

Galvanizedsteelisverydangeroustoworkwith,forbeginnersitisrecommendedthatyoudo not work with this. This is a very important tip for blacksmiths. Do not placegalvanizedsteelintheforge.Youarealsonotsupposedtouseitaspartofaforge.Thereasonforthisisthatitgivesofftoxinsanddeadlygasthatcouldharmyou.Soneverusethis in or around your forge. Stay clear of it! If you are not sure whether a steel isgalvanizedornotaskanexpertblacksmith,don’tuseituntilyouknowforsurewhatkindofsteelitis.

Heatandburns

It isnotuncommon forbeginnerblacksmiths tomakemistakes. Oneof thesecommonmistakes is touching the hotmetal when it is in the forge. Theymake themistake ofthinkingbecauseitisnotreditisnothot.Donotthinkthiswaybecauseitcouldcauseyou to end up getting burnt. Keep inmind that whenmetal is coming out of a forgewhetheritisredornotisstillgoingtobeveryhottothetouch.Donottouchthemetalwith your bare hands always wear welding gloves around hot metal. Don’t make themistakeofthinkingthatoneareaofthepieceofmetalisredhotbuttheotherendthatisnotredhotiscool—wrong!

Stressinjuries

At times youmay find yourself ending upwith stress injuries. These often can occurwhenabeginnergets too excitedwhen it comes tohammering. They can endupwithserious repetitive stress injuries from striking with complete force, especially in thehands.Theycanalsoinjuretheirarmsandshouldersdoingthis.Afteryouhavedoneafewstrikescheckandmakesurethatyourarmsandhandsareokay.Takesometimeandrestand thenstartagain. Sometimesgettingstress injuriesareunavoidablebutyoucantakestepstominimizethembywearingthesafetyequipmentandholdingyourhammerintherightposition.Whenholdingyourhammerdonotplaceyourthumbonthehammerbutinsteadwrapyourthumbaroundthehammer.

Heatproperly

To begin you need to make sure that you have heated the metal properly. Someblacksmithsmaysuggestthatyoutakeoutthemetalwhenithasbecomecherryred.Buttogetgoodresultsyoushouldwaitabitmore.Takeitoutwhenitisdarkorange.Ifyouareplanning togiveyourmetalacertainshape then itwill shapebetterwhen it isdarkorange.Otherwiseyoumayfindyourselfgettingveryfrustratedthatthingsaren’tgoingasyouhadanticipatedthattheywould.

Seemetalglowinthebestway

Somepeoplesuggest thatwhenchoosingaspotforyourforgeyoushouldset itup inadarkareasothatyouwillbeable toseethemetalglowingappropriately. It iscertainlytruethatyourmetalwilllookmoreglowinginadarkarea,butthisdoesn’tmeanthatyoucan’tkeepyourforgeoutside. Ifyouhaveanoutdoorforgeyouneedtomakesurethatyou are checking yourmetal glow in a properway. If your forge has sunlight shiningdownonitthencomeneartotheforgeandprovideashadowandthenyoucanseeyourmetal glow accurately. Even on a sunnydayyouwill be able to see your dark orangeglow.

Tendtofire

Whenthemetalishotthatisthetimethatyouneedtostrikeit. Ifnotthenyouarejustwastingyourtime.Whenyouarestrikingyourmetalyoumustalsopaycloseattentiontothefireinyourforge.Keepaneyeonitandtenditsothatthefiredoesn’tgooutandyouneedtorestartthefireofyourforge.

Emptyashtrap

Ifyourashtrapisfullthenthefiregoestospark.Toavoidthisyouneedtomakesurethatyouemptyyourashtrapfromtimetotime.Neverallowittoclogup.Saveyourselffromgettingunnecessary injuriesbykeepingyourash trapclear fromthebuildupofcloggedashes.

Keepashovelhandy

Youshouldkeepashovelnearbywhenyouareworkingwithmetalandaforge.Youmayhaveyourforgesetupwhereleavescanbuilduparoundit.Makesurethatyouclearawaytheleavesfromyourforgeareabeforeyoubeginworkastheleavescouldcatchfire.

Keepallthenecessarytools

Youshouldkeepallofyournecessarytoolsnearyourforge.Ifyouareworkingwithhotmetalyouwanttomakesurethatyourtoolsyouwillneedareathandsreach.Whenyouhaveyourtoolssetupandreadytogotoworkthiswillsaveyoutimeandenergytryingtolocatethem.

You need to setup a place near your forge that you can have easy access to yourblacksmithingtools. Youwillwantyouranvil,hammer,andtongsallwithinyourworkarea.Thisisagoodgameplansothatyouavoidthefrustrationofnotbeingabletofindtherighttoolwhenyouneedit.

Strikeattherighttime

Itcannotbestressedenoughtheimportanceofstrikingwhenthemetalishot,rightafterithasbeenremovedfromtheforge. It is important todecidewhentherightstrikingtimeandamountforthebeginnerinblacksmithing.Whenyourmetalcoolsdownyouneedtoreheatittocontinueworkingwithitoryouarejustwastingyourtimeandstrength.

Brushfirescale

Firescaleisalayerofoxides,thiswementionedearlierinthebook.Youneedtoremovethesefromthesurfaceofthemetalbeforeyoubegintostrike. Youneedtoremovethisbecause it could end up splashing up on your face if it is not removed. This is an

important step of the blacksmithing procedure of workingwith hotmetal. Oxides aremetalliconone sidewhile they stick toyour skin thenwhenyou try to remove it fromyourskin,youwillbegintobleed.

Quenchslowly

Inordertoavoidinjuriesyoumustquenchslowly.Hotmetalinjuriestoquench.Ifyouwait too long for it to cool youwill likely not be able to shape it. Learning how thecoolingandheatingofmetalworksisanimportantstepbeforeyoubeginmetalwork.

Makingmistakesispartofblacksmithing

You must keep in mind that you are a beginner so don’t try to act like you are aprofessional blacksmith. Just keep in mind that mistakes are all part of the learningprocess that we all make when learning something new. In learning how to become ablacksmithyouwillmakemistakesbutyouwilllearnfromthem.

Thesearesomeoftheblacksmithingsafetytipsandsuggestionsthatwillgiveyousomebasicguidelinesonhowtostaysafewhenworkingaroundaforgeandhotmetals.

PicturestoGiveYouIdeasforBuildingYourOwnForge&BlacksmithingToolsAtHome

Putdownsomecementintheareawhereyouaregoingtobuildyourforge

Installabaseforforge

Buildupyourbaseusingfireproofbricksleavinglargespaceinmiddleforheatingareaofmetals.

Continuingbuildinguptheoutsideofyourforgewithsmallerouterchimneybricks.

Makesurenottoputanysmallbricksatfrontopeningofyourforgeleavethisareaopen.Addaproperchimneyventsystemtoallowsmoketobetakenoutside.

Nowyouhaveyourownhomemadeforge!

MakeyourownAnvil

Youcanmakeyourownanvilusinganoldrailwaytie.Cutitdowntosizeusingasteelcutter.

Cut the piece of railway tie by first clamping it to metal work table and shaping andcuttingit.

Remove all the rough bumps and edges off it, then using polishingmethods shine andsmoothit.

Buildanicebaseforyouranvilusingrecycledmetalparts.

Usealargewoodstumptomountyourfinishedanvilto.

Yourfinishedhomemadeanvil!

HomemadeTongs

Makepatternsforyourhomemadetongsfollowingthemeasurementsbelow:

Usetwolongpiecesofscrapmetaltomakeyourtongsoutof.

Heatonepieceoftongbarsandusinganotherbardenttheheatedbartoleaveagroove.

Hereishowitshouldbasicallylook

Usepatterntoshapeyourtongs.

YouHaveallyourbasictoolsforblacksmithing!

ConclusionIn reading thisbookonblacksmithing forbeginnersyouhavenow learnedall thebasicthings that you need to learn to get you on yourway to becoming a blacksmith. Theblacksmithingtechniquesthataresharedinthisbookwillbevitalforabeginnerwhenhestartshisfirstprojectonworkingwithmetals.Thesebasictechniqueswillbeusedallthetimewhether you are doing a small or large project, youwill need to be familiarwithworkingaroundaforge,heatingofitandyourmetalaswellasgettinganintroductionintotheweldingendofit.Ihopethatyouwillfindthisguidehelpfulinintroducingyouintothebasicsofbecomingablacksmith.Iwishyougreatsuccessinachievingyourgoalsinblacksmithing!

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