My Other Inexpensive Addiction: Blacksmithing

**kjev** · #1 01-12-2016, 10:04 AM

For me, paper modeling is almost a seasonal thing. When it's cold, I'd rather be inside, and I HAVE to do something with my hands. It's a habit, obsession, whatever you want to call it.

My other main hobby is traditional blacksmithing (with a forge, hammer, and anvil). Specifically, knives and swords, but I've also tried my hand at bows, atlatls (to the best of my knowledge, I'm the world's first mounted atlatlist), chain mail, and the occasional odd fireplace poker or wall hook. Blacksmithing in an Idaho winter is more like...stripped to a T-shirt from the waist up, while wearing insulated coveralls and snow boots to keep your feet and legs from freezing.

If you're interested, you can see some of the things I've made here:

https://www.facebook.com/stormsforge?_rdr=p

When I'm not firing up the forge, I usually make bokken, wooden training weapons, for friends or fellow members of my karate dojo.

I'm just an amateur, but it's fun, and honestly, sometimes it's rather therapeutic to take a large hammer and beat the bat snot out of something. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

**Dabeer** · #2 01-12-2016, 10:20 AM

Very cool! I've always thought that would be a fun hobby to explore.

**whulsey** · #3 01-12-2016, 02:32 PM

Excellent, one of the many things that I'd like to try but go 'you don't have enough time to do the things you're already mixed up in'. So when I go to a antique tractor show settle with wandering by the blacksmithing group's display and hang out a bit.

**kjev** · #4 01-13-2016, 10:38 AM

I'll try not to go off too much in my enthusiasm here.

I've been fascinated by swords and knives for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, I helped my grandmother move, and she told me I could take anything I wanted.

I pointed to her barbeque grill, made from an old boiler lid. When I got home, I turned it into a forge.

Blacksmithing is actually a very inexpensive hobby to get into. And one that my wife approves of, because it's useful. My first anvil was a piece of railroad track on a tree stump. My first hammer was a "broken" one from my job. Cost me 6.00 for the railroad track and the hammer head, and 2.00 for the handle.

I still use the same tools I started with.

If you want to get into it, a great place to go is bladesmithsforum.com. Especially check out the Beginner's forum. There are a lot of world-class blademsiths that post there, with lots of experience. I post there as Buck Hedges (they do prefer you use your real name there).

And of course, freel free to PM me your email address, and I can help answer any questions you might have.