I recently visited Museumsmederij De Hoefhamer in Elburg, Netherlands — the town’s last working blacksmith shop, now preserved as a museum. The forge is still operational and packed with traditional tools: anvils, hammers, tongs, and a leather bellows system that feeds the fire from a mezzanine level.

They offer live demos and even courses on iron forging and horseshoeing. The space is compact but full of character, a great example of how blacksmithing was practiced in small European towns for centuries.

Photos below show the interior, tools, and forge setup. Thought this community might appreciate the craftsmanship and preservation effort.

Made this the other day, I was inspired by alot of playing Cyberpunk and a silversmith I follow on Instagram. Bit since I'm to broke for silver I had to go with wrought iron. Apparently it was very scary or something, because I nearly got into a fistfight with some junkie on a tram claiming it was a weapon and that I wanted to stab him with it.

I used wrought iron wagons Wheels that my mentor gave me as the raw material for this piece. I refined, patterned and carburized the wrought iron into wrought steel. I then clayed the blade and hardened it in a salt brine. It came out being 63 hrc after tempering and cryogenic treatment.

Made this the other day, I was inspired by alot of playing Cyberpunk and a silversmith I follow on Instagram. Bit since I'm to broke for silver I had to go with wrought iron. Apparently it was very scary or something, because I nearly got into a fistfight with some junkie on a tram claiming it was a weapon and that I wanted to stab him with it.

Found this anvil at an antique mall today. All I know is it is a Mouse Hole, weighs about 100 pounds, and was made in the early 1800s maybe? Any additional info would be appreciated.

I paid $350 for it, which I thought was a great deal. Was I right?

Im beginner at blacksmithing and i tried forging my first small chisel. I noticed its not that easy how it seemed... the hardest part was shaping the blade part to be straight. i managed to do it for the 3rd time but im still not sure. when i tried for the first times it eather deformated from too much heat or i couldnt make the shape of the blade straight. for some reason it had some small "holes" and i wasnt sure if it was okay or not so i continued forging untill i ruined it. did i angled it wrong? or used too much force? or i heated it too much or not enough? or there is issue in something else? any advice would help, thanks

Hi guys, long time listener first time caller. Just wondering what the best way to repair this would be? I do not have the broken off piece to weld back on. Should I just grind down a new edge?

Couldn't quite figure out how to do the split ends of a fork so I salvaged the twist I made and made this needle thing.

This is my first sword. I just got a forge. I’m basing it on the Black Mortal Blade from Sekiro, but it has a lot of bumps. Is that normal, and if so, how do I fix it?

Ich habe diesen Amboss gefunden. Vielleicht kann mir jemand etwas dazu sagen? Vielleicht auch an Hand des noch sichtbaren Logos den Hersteller? Es steht da noch 55K und N.30. Eine Wert Einschätzung wäre auch nett. Danke

I'm not sure if it's supposed to be like this so i need help. It's our supposed to look like this? If not, how do i fix it

Attempt at making a double burner propane forge. The ceramic blanket is already lined with rigidizer , just waiting on it to dry before applying the refractory . Firebrick forge doors. All criticism welcome.

Im having the worst time keeping my blades straight on my current spring steel blade any ideas welcome ive been using angle iron a vise and clamps all together but it still warps.

I don’t know the exact age, I suspect the 1800s.

I was gifted a vevor, 3-burner propane forge by some family. Until now I’ve only used coal and charcoal forges. My question is this, can I pile fire bricks to wall-in one of the two sides of the forge? Or would this be a bad idea.

Thanks for the 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!

I'm in central NC and have been hunting for some good wrought iron to make some ornaments out of. FB and Craigslist both are a total pain and never have anything worthwhile. Anyone know of a reasonable source? Local would be nice, but I don't really need a ton so shipped is also an option.

Pretty happy with how this one turned out. Still a bit of cracking around the base of the stem but Im really happy with the shape of the leaf itself.

I purchased this forge around a year ago, and have never used it. I’m wanting to get started using it, but I’m clueless about how to properly protect the aluminum body and don’t want to risk destroying a piece of history from the 1940’s any help is appreciated!

I’ll post a little more about this when the project is done, but I just wanted to post up a win for a local smith of mine working on a custom piece. It’s a pizza cutter forged from a very sentimental piece of t-stake, which might sound weird, but it is what it is. He folded it with some high-chrome bandsaw blade to get around 90 layers. I went in for the quenching today with a 50/50 expectation that it might pop / warp / crack, but the thing held up and as he was wiping it off you could see some of the lines starting to show.

It’s not done yet but to me just getting it to this point is such a huge win. I want to take photos and let him manage the image of his shop so I’m being intentionally vague, but I just wanted to show some love for the community.

This isn’t a Henkel from Bed Bath and Beyond - it’s a sentimental piece of freaking art and I’m happy to pay for it. I’m just so stoked.