Blacksmithing for Beginners

The Goal of this Book

The goal of this book is to get you started in doing some blacksmithing even though you currently have nothing. You have no forge, no anvil, and no tools. I will give you an exact gameplan for how to get going cheaply and quickly; what you need to get and how to get it.

This isn’t a big book on the art of blacksmithing. This is a fast and easy guide to get you started with a basic understanding of what it is, how to do it, and what you need. Whether you want to be a working blacksmith or just pursue it as a hobby doesn’t matter. I lay out in this book a good plan for how to get started. I will help you overcome any doubts.

In this ebook I will tell you exactly what to get and how to get it; or how to make it. This includes a forge and even fuel for your forge.

Thanks for buying my ebook. Along with this book you get email support from me. Please feel free to send me an email if you have blacksmithing questions!

My email is: [email protected]

Note: I have a support webpage for all these materials. It includes links and more information about all these supplies and tools:

http://www.stormthecastle.com/blacksmithing/blacksmithing-ebook-support-page.htm

And if you like videos:

I currently have a youtube playlist with 61 blacksmithing videos that cover many aspects of the craft. And I add videos to this playlist on a regular basis. You can find that complete list here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCCD55E4C74BB2C88

Introduction

Ten years ago I posted my first blacksmithing video to youtube. Back then it was a rather specialized thing and blacksmithing wasn’t in the public eye. It was considered an old art that almost nobody practiced anymore.

And that is true. Ten years ago there wasn’t a whole lot of interest in the art and craft of blacksmithing. The industrial revolution almost killed it. Factories could now do all the work of a blacksmith at a much faster pace and and a much lower cost. The skills that blacksmiths developed over centuries were no longer needed – and almost lost.

But this whole situation turned around in the past decade. Video games, Renaissance faires, youtube, and the internet have all given rebirth to the beautiful art and craft of hammering steel into shape.

Ten years ago you couldn’t give away an anvil. Nobody wanted them. Today they are very much sought after and often command a premium price. And this is all quite wonderful.

And this renewed interest in blacksmithing has taken a new shape. The demand isn’t so much for the shoeing of horses and the repair of farming tools. Blacksmithing now has taken on an amazingly creative form. It has moved from a functional craft to a very creative and artistic craft.

Every working blacksmith is inundated for requests of hand-made objects like knives, swords, bottle openers, hand-made axes and adzes and so much more. And this is on top of the renewed growth of wrought iron work for fencing, gating, doors and more.

Part of this new allure is the rejection and rebellion