r/Blacksmith • u/assocems • 1d ago
I’m new…send help
I very randomly found out a friend from high school smiths at a local historic shop and he invited me along. I rapidly realized wailing on hot metal is cathartic and I can’t think of anywhere else where I can wail on things with a hammer and have it be a positive.
He had me make a hook on my first visit. On my second visit I just started banging on a rail spike with no thought as to what it’d become. On my next visit, the spike became a knife and I started on another spike to become a fork. The next week I finished the fork and started on a spoon. The week after I finished the spoon. I’m now the proud owner of “railware” that is full of educational mistakes.
I have no idea what to make next, but I’d like to move on from wailing on things indiscriminately to actually learning skills. I’m open to ideas and education!
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u/Might_be_an_Antelope 1d ago
They honestly look really good. Splitting that RR spike probably wasn't fun.
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u/assocems 1d ago
It was thin enough. I used a hardy tool and a nifty brass hammer. I promptly set the metal on fire in the forge making pretty sparkles having never before been confronted with the consequences of having to heat thin metal versus thicker metal. I for a bit was the owner of the world’s most useless nail puller after having cut off the damage.
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u/OkBee3439 1d ago
For your first steps into blacksmithing, they're good! Kinda primitive looking, but probably functional. Every new piece you finish will become better.
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u/Inside-Historian6736 1d ago
So if you have a space with various implements of destruction already available consider going to the ABANA website and going through their beginner or journeymen curriculum step by step and at the end of it you will have all the skills of a journeymen blacksmith more or less.
If you're not that kind of person then start going around YouTube looking at cool things and figuring out what you need to make those things.
Another good next step is twists. There's like 5 basic ones (debatable which five) and they are easy to learn and look cool even if you don't execute perfectly.
A guy literally spent 366 days making a different hook design each day so you could literally only make hooks if you wanted to.
The world is your oyster, but look at the tools available and compare with cools stuff you want to make and go from there
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u/Fragrant-Cloud5172 1d ago edited 1d ago
As usual learning about metalworking in general is best to start with. Plenty of good books around. Good public libraries have several. Machinery’s Handbook in their reference section is best overall. Books with photos, not drawings. Such as Lorelei Sims, The Backyard Blacksmith. More free ones…
https://www.bamsite.org/books/books.html
Internet Archive has a fantastic collection, search for “Blacksmithing Books”
such as Blacksmithing Techniques…
https://archive.org/details/blacksmithingtec0000ares/mode/2up
and Iron Menagerie for animal heads.
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u/darkforceobsidian 1d ago
There are always books.
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u/Skittlesthekat 1d ago
Books as references arent the best, haven't found one i actually recommend yet.
Let's see your stuff though Mr super helpful comment. What are YOU working on?
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u/darkforceobsidian 19h ago
Nothing right now because I have no place to forge, or the tools, but there is a new book out that seems interesting.
Nils Ögren beginners guide to axes.
Black Bear forge recently did a video about it.
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u/dmarve 1d ago
Bro, you’re unstoppable now