this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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Learning to blacksmith was disappointing.
I couldn't really handle anything more than like a 3' .125"x.125", i melted the heat safe gloves I had (which, according to the instructor, meant they worked, I got my hand away before I lost it) and anything sharp was just hours at a grinding wheel.
And making a plate or anything thin? Fuck that. Welding? Fuck that too. Get your piece so hot it is just below melting point, sprinkle borax on it, and keep it at temperature while you smash the shit out of it and sparks are flying everywhere and then you have an axe head
It's not for everyone.
I use a leather welding glove for whatever hand is getting closest to the forge, no glove for the hammer hand since it dulls the feeling I get while forging.
And honestly, I hate forging. I try to do as little as possible. Unfortunately 5 minutes with a hammer can save a hour of grinding.
As I've gotten older I do more stock removal. Start with a piece of steel that's just barely bigger than your desired knife, then cut/grind off anything that isn't the knife. It's still a lot of grinding, but takes less work and less chance to burn your face off.
I had a friend get super into it, and started buying all kinds of shit to do stuff at home, and I warned him he needs to watch more uncut smiting videos (not the montage style popular on some YouTube channels) and try for himself if he can since he didn't live near me to try with mine.
He ended up hating it because he couldn't keep up with the constant forearm workouts, and refused to start small to build up strength. Tried to dive right in to making a katana. He ended up selling most of his big tools for a profit though.
Hundreds of years ago, material was expensive and labor was cheap. Forging was necessary to make the most out of a finite processed material. Now a days a million cheap blanks for a dollar, it's cheaper and easier to just grind off excess than take the time to forge the metal.