c/blacksmiths

Visited the old forge museum in Pittsburgh and saw a hand-cranked blower from 1892 still working!

PSA: My brand new 3-pound cross peen hammer flew off its handle on the first swing in my garage shop yesterday.

I was working on a simple leaf project for a garden gate, and the head shot right past my anvil, bounced off the concrete floor, and put a huge dent in my shop vac, which is just the kind of Monday I needed.

A farrier in Boise told me my hammer control looked like I was fighting the steel, not guiding it.

I switched to a 2.5 pound rounding hammer and focused on letting the tool's weight do more work, which cut my arm fatigue in half after a full day at the forge, so what's one piece of direct feedback that changed your hammer technique?

My old coal forge finally gave out on me last Tuesday

The firepot cracked right down the middle after about fifteen years of steady use. I had to finish a set of fireplace tools with a borrowed propane rig, which just doesn't get the same heat. What's your go-to fix for a cracked firepot, or is it just time to build a new one?

A kid at the county fair asked me something that made me rethink my whole setup

I was doing a live demo at the Clark County Fair last summer, making simple leaf keychains. This boy, maybe ten years old, was watching me work the coal forge for a good twenty minutes. When I took a break, he pointed right at my anvil and asked, 'Why is the horn so shiny but the face is all beat up?' I had to stop and think. I told him the horn gets polished from drawing out metal, but the face takes the real hits. He just nodded and said, 'So the pretty part does the easy work.' It hit me that I'd let my main anvil face get too pitted from years of missed hammer blows on big projects. That one question from a kid made me finally take a weekend to properly dress the face back to a smoother surface. Has anyone else had a simple question make you fix something you'd been putting off for way too long?

Heads up on using a new flux blend

I tried a different flux mix on some high-carbon steel last week and it actually seemed to etch the metal surface, leaving a weird, dull finish. I think the borax ratio was off, maybe too acidic. Has anyone else run into this with a homemade flux?

Warning: My hammer grip was ruining my control

Honestly, I was getting a lot of shaky hits and my arm would ache after just an hour. A guy at the Seattle guild meetup pointed out I was holding the handle way too close to the head. Has anyone else had to totally relearn their swing?

Serious question, do you still use a traditional coal forge or have you switched to a propane one?

I used my coal setup for 15 years, but after moving to a place with strict air quality rules in Portland, I switched to a propane Majestic forge last year. Is the control and cleanliness worth losing that classic heat and feel?

Watching my kid build a Lego tower made me see my hammer work differently

Last week, my 5-year-old was trying to make a tall tower and kept hitting the bricks too hard, making them fly apart. I told him to tap them gently, just enough to lock them in place. The next morning at my forge in the garage, I was shaping a leaf and realized I was hammering the same way, using too much force on thin sections. I started using lighter, faster taps and the metal moved so much better without thinning out. Has anyone else had a simple moment like that change your hammer control?

I was totally wrong about those cheap tong blanks

Bought a 10-pack of pre-cut tong blanks online for like 80 bucks thinking it would save me a ton of forge time. The steel was absolute garbage, softer than butter. I ruined three of them just trying to draw out the reins before I gave up and tossed the whole lot. Ended up wasting a whole Saturday and the cash. Just forging my own from known stock is way faster in the long run. Anyone have a go-to source for decent mild steel bar that won't break the bank?

Appreciation post: That $400 hydraulic press I bought on a whim just saved my whole weekend project

So I was working on a big custom gate hinge, trying to drift a 1-inch hole in a 3/4-inch thick bar. My arm was about to fall off after an hour with the hammer and punch, and the hole was still not straight. I remembered this old hydraulic press I picked up for $400 from a guy in Tacoma who was closing his auto shop. I figured it was a silly buy for a hobbyist, but I wheeled it over. Five minutes later, that hole was perfect and dead center. I felt like a genius and an idiot at the same time for almost not using it. It's one of those tools you don't need often, but when you do, it's a total lifesaver. Anyone else have a tool they bought on a maybe that ended up being a hero?

Just read that a medieval anvil could weigh over 500 pounds

Found it in a footnote of a book on old tools from the library. Makes you appreciate how they moved that stuff without forklifts. How do you guys handle moving your big anvils?

I used to think my old coal forge was fine, but switching to a propane burner from Diamondback Ironworks changed my whole shop setup

Serious question, I had to pick between a new propane forge or a bigger anvil for my shop.

I saved up $800 and went with the NC Whisper Daddy propane forge because my old coal setup was getting too smoky for my garage space. It heats up fast and is cleaner, but I miss the fine control I had with coal for detailed scrollwork. Do you think I made the right call, or should I have gotten that 150 lb Peter Wright anvil instead?

I was reading about old forges and found out something about the water wheel at the Saugus Iron Works

I mean, I knew it was the first big ironworks in the US, but I just read that its main water wheel was 22 feet across. That's huge, and it powered the whole hammer and bellows setup. It really makes you think about the scale of work they were doing back in the 1640s. Has anyone else visited a historical site that gave you a new idea for your own shop setup?

Bought a $1200 power hammer sight unseen from a guy in Nebraska

It was a gamble, but my old arm just couldn't keep up with the big stock anymore. The thing showed up with a cracked anvil block and the motor sounded like a coffee grinder. I spent another $400 and a solid week of evenings getting it running right. Now I can't imagine the shop without it. Anyone else have a tool that was a headache at first but became essential?

A talk with a farrier about his anvil stand made me check mine

He said his old stand had a hidden crack for months, and the whole thing nearly came down on his foot. I checked my own setup and found a loose bolt I'd missed. How often do you guys do a full safety check on your gear?

Rant: Had to choose between a 2 pound cross peen and a 3 pound rounding hammer for a big scroll project.

I was working on a heavy gate scroll in my Tacoma shop and needed more force. I went with the heavier one, but my wrist was killing me after two hours. What's your go-to hammer weight for thick stock like 1/2 inch square?

Took a trip to the old ironworks museum in Scranton and spotted something in the forge room

They had a display of 19th century tongs, and one pair had a really unique twist in the reins I've never seen before. It looked like it was made to lock onto a specific size of square stock, maybe for repetitive work. Has anyone run across a design like that or know what that style is called?

A guy at the county fair said my hammer control looked stiff, and it made me rethink my whole swing.

I was demoing some basic scroll work at the local fair in Springfield last fall. An older smith watched for a bit, then came over and said, 'Your wrist is locked, you're all arm. Let the hammer do the work.' I went home and practiced for a week just hitting a piece of scrap steel, focusing on a loose grip and a flick from the wrist. It felt wrong at first, but my hits got way more consistent. Has anyone else had a simple piece of form advice totally change their forging?

My hammer control was a mess until I switched to a 3 pound cross peen

For about two weeks, I was trying to draw out a simple leaf keychain with my old 2.5 pound rounding hammer. The metal just would not move right, and my arm got tired fast. My mentor in Boise told me to try his 3 pound cross peen, and the difference was instant. The extra weight and the peen's shape let me move the metal way easier, and I finished the piece in one afternoon instead of three days. Has anyone else had a tool change make that big of a speed difference? I'm curious about other hammer weights for drawing out small projects.

Just hit 1000 heats on my first homemade forge and it's still holding strong

Built it from an old propane tank and some kaowool about six months ago. I was sure I'd be patching cracks or rebuilding it by now, but I just marked the tally on the side and it crossed into four digits. For a first try, that feels like a real win. Anyone else get surprised by how long a piece of gear held up when you were sure it was a temporary fix?

Trying to forge a leaf keychain for my niece and the stem keeps cracking

Been using 1/8 inch mild steel and quenching in water after a normalizing cycle, but it snaps every time at the thin part. Should I be using oil or just letting it air cool?

Switched from a basic forge to a proper two-burner setup and my steel color reading got way better

For the first year I was just using a single burner brick forge I built from a kit, and my heat control was all guesswork. I'd pull steel at what I thought was a bright orange, but my hardening results were super inconsistent. After saving up, I got a two-burner Mr. Volcano last fall. The difference in even heat and being able to actually see the subtle color shifts is night and day. My last batch of leaf springs came out with a perfect, even temper line every single time. Anyone else find their skill jumped a ton just from upgrading their basic heat source?

Just read that a lot of old blacksmith shops used to be built over a spring

Found it in a book about 19th century trade buildings at my local library. It said they did it to have a steady water supply for quenching and to help fight fires, which makes total sense. The book mentioned a specific shop in Vermont that was built right over a small creek. Has anyone ever worked in or seen a forge set up like that?