Had my first forging lesson Sunday!

CTaylorJr

Well-Known Member
Funny, at 44 years of age, not much really excites me anymore. Yesterday I got excited and I'm still a bit pumped.

Yesterday morning I went over to Bob Warner's place for a forging lesson and am now hooked on the idea! Hooked because I actually made something and REALLY hooked because I saw some of the things that can be made by forging! The damascus RR spike below is really something to behold!

When I was last playing with knives my idea of "forging" was to heat a bent piece of metal with the torch, bang the hack out of it on the ASO (anvil shaped object) dad had in the shop and then go to work making it into a knife looking object with the tools we had on hand back then.

Until years later I had no idea just how much shaping and detailing one could do with a hot piece of metal, an anvil, and a hammer!

Prior to the training session beginning Bob took the time to go over the "dos and don'ts" of working with hot steel and was patient enough to answer all of my questions.

After the formalities and metallurgy discussion were over it was time to fire up the forge! Since it was my first time to really do something like this, it was agreed that the first go around would be for me to hammer the steel on top of the welding table. The tabletop is made of 1.5" steel plate with a 1/4" skin over the top that can be replaced as needed. I wasn't really interested in dinging up the top of someones anvil due to my miscalculated hammer swing! :eek: The 1/4" plate suffered a bit to say the least!

Here are a few pics of my first adventure into losing one's eyebrows, arm hair, and skin from the hands (BIG blister, forges are hotter in person than they look on the web)! :D

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I'm now pondering just exactly how I want to finish the blade I forged over the weekend...

If you get the opportunity to book a session or 3 with Bob, jump on it! I'm looking forward to the next one as soon as I can swing it!

Charlie
 
It's addictive!!! When I realized I screwed up my current project, I called my idol and asked where I screwed up. I think I may have to take a long drive to Mountain View, Ar. next weekend for a lesson myself. I need to learn ALOT. I wish I were closer to Jim's shop so I could visit more often.
 
Yep I had a sesion with Bob it really got me going I had been trying to do it on my on for a while I would like to do another soon. That Table just amazes me it is awesome isnt it you just have to see it to understand.
Anthony
 
Yep Murph I got to spend a couple of days with Jim at a seminar he is a great guy also. I learned a lot about forging in that seminar
 
Just keep hammering. As you progress the steel will take a different shape and just go with the flow.
 
That's the biggest Anvil I've ever seen!! :)

Makes me want to Light up my forge and get Poundin
 
Charlie,

Glad you had a good time here.

I guess the welding table proves that you don't HAVE TO HAVE a perfect anvil. Use what you can and get an anvil later. You could forge knives on this table forever.

It is fun to see the light bulbs come on when you explain something to someone and I saw it many times during Charlie's visit.

I like having people come over and learn something they did not understand previously.

Got to go, have things to do.

Bob
 
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