BlackSmithing Enquiry

[Drchocolatesauce]

Hi everyone,
My name is Hannah, I'm 17 and i live in Kent, England, and I'd like to get some information about blacksmithing, if possible.
If this is in the wrong section, i'm very sorry, please let me know and i'll move it to the correct category.
I would love to get into blacksmithing but I have no idea how. I'm especially interested in blades but i'd be happy to start anywhere. I was hoping someone could give me a good route to get into the career. I'd be happy to work for free in my free time if that would be best, but again, I have no idea - thats why I'm here,
If this is the correct way to go about getting experience, should i just go to my nearest blacksmith and ask them if they have any opportunities? Or is there a different way?
I'm very grateful for any information i can get, i'm willing to put the work in and learn this trade.
Thank you very much in advance,
Hannah

 

[Mike313]

Hi Hannah,
I know next to nothing about blacksmithing but a few years ago I was talking to a guy who said his son was studying to be a blacksmith. I think he was studying at an agricultural college. I had a bit of a dig around on google and came up with this:

http://www.plumpton.ac.uk/departmen...urse/blacksmithing-and-metalwork-level-3/1352

Maybe a college close to you might be running a similar course. The one in the link seems pretty comprehensive. Good luck with your plans.

 

[Tengu]

I dont know much either but my skint equestrian friend says Farriers make a fortune.

A metalwork course at your local college will teach you a bit of everything.

My advice would be to have a hunt round the forum; theres lots of folk who have set up their own forges.

The tricky bit, many find, is getting an anvil. But the justly famed swordsmiths of Japan used a small block, hardly bigger than an oilstone, and they turned out fine work.

(Look online for a print of Inari if you want to see this)

Many folk use a big sledgehammer head or section of railway rail.

Im sure people who know far better than me will come along in a minute.

 

[juttle]

As you're in Kent, you could do a lot worse than contact Owen Bush, he's in Kent, I believe, and used to run all sorts of blacksmith based courses. He would be my first choice for a conversation!

 

[Dogoak]

As you're in Kent, you could do a lot worse than contact Owen Bush, he's in Kent, I believe, and used to run all sorts of blacksmith based courses. He would be my first choice for a conversation!

My recomendation as well, ......... http://owenbush.co.uk

Welcome to the forum Hannah.

 

[Dave Budd]

I started forging on my own in a forge made from rubble. There's certainly nothing wrong with having a go on your own at home. That said, i am totally self taught and it would be much easier (and less frustrating) to get some tuition!

There are colleges such as kingston maurwood(sp?) and hereford, but they are for those who are committed to doing a qualification. Some smiths offer small group or private courses from their workshops too, for those check out the baba (british artist blacksmith association) or blacksmiths guild websites.

Of course if it is blades that interest you, then i suggest going to a smith who specialises in tools nkt just a general smith. Of those who run courses, there are only two that i would reccomend (either because of the quality of work, or that they already run classes). They would be Owen as mentioned and myself. ☺

Im a fair treck from kent, being the other side of exeter, but once you are here you can also camp in my woods (there are b&bs if feeling soft). Owen teaches with a fully modern set up, where he has all the toys, but i have everything from that down to a hole in the ground and whatever level of tools and tech that you want to use. So i can teach you with the tools that you might actually have or easily acquire, rather than £2k worth of kit!

Have a look around and see who or what avenue appeals, but most of all have fun and if all else fails watch a vjdeo of me at a show and copy that set up in you back garden ☺

 

[mick91]

I'm no blacksmith, but I make alot of knives! Make yourself a simple forge (I had a thread for one that was under 30 quid) and something to act as an anvil. Sledgehammer head sunk into cement or wood works great, or a lump of railway line / H bar. Any scrap yard will sell you a chunk a foot long for about a fiver. Any questions that I can help with just shoot me a pm, although there are some here far more experienced than I

 

[Drain Bamaged]

It sort of depends on what exactly you are looking for, if it is some blacksmithing skills with a view to knife making as a backyard hobby from which you ‘might’ make a living then you would probably need to find someone that has already done similar and hope they can give you some tips or even show you the tricks and skills…..Many moons ago when I was your age the ship and boiler making industry was still strong and metal trawlers lined up by the hundreds in dockyards like Grimsby and Hull. Blacksmithing was a trade taught as an apprenticeship at most graving docks around the country back then, as indeed it was taught as a separate trade in the Navy….This obviously was general all around blacksmithing but I still know several who having served their times this way then went on to set up on their own (and are still making a reasonable/good living) by specialising having branched off into chosen directions once the fishing industry came practically to a halt.
As suggested the college route may be worth looking into, but if you have stables near you it may be worth asking there if they can give you any pointers, if you have any graving docks (shipyards) near you again it’s worth enquiring and if I had the choice again, aint hindsight wonderful? rather than an apprenticeship with a privately owned company I think I would give serious thought to learning a trade through/in one of the armed forces though I have no idea if actual blacksmithing is now taught as a separate trade there.

D.B.

 

[dewi]

I've been on two blacksmithing courses... first one was general blacksmithing in Yorkshire, second was an axe making course with Dave Budd... both enjoyable, learned a lot on both courses but because they were so different, using different forges and obviously different tutors. I'm looking at another course at the moment, but to me its a hobby... something fun to do every now and then.

Might be worth having a look about for a variety of courses... try some of this, try some of that... they are relatively cheap for the experience you'll get and you can get advice about setting up your own forge... you will definitely get a good idea of the tools you'll need. Some hunting at markets and car boots, you'll find most of the tools you need at very agreeable prices.

Good luck with it... blacksmithing is very rewarding and its far from a dying trade... if anything it seems to be gaining in popularity.