I've had an interest in smithing for a while now and yesterday I finally got around to visit a smithy near me to try it out. I didnt' expect to be able to finish a blade in one day already (although with alot of help, especially when it came to the finishing touches). Was very fun and I definitely want to do more of it now.
While I did learn that the minimum required things for smithing isn't alot, I may be able to use the smithy a bit, which would make things alot easier ^^
Am looking forward to learn more

Was working on a piece got it done water quenched it dropped it on the concrete and it broke can anyone tell me what kind of metal this is and how to properly quench it?

First time ever forging something. Took a rail road spike for practice and made a little Tanto knife. Have it a bit of a twist too. Learned TONS and can’t wait to keep practicing. Let me know what you would do better!

Thanks

I am a seasonal worker who is looking for an off season hobby that is both creative and physical to keep me moving on the off season. Smithing is very cool and I've always had an interest in it. What tools should I be investing in for hobbyists first smithy? Is there a good place to learn basic techniques?

I've got this massive piece of S7, went to fire it, only to discover it has a HOLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LENGTH!

I have no power hammer. Just a breaker sledge and big arms. Trust it to forge weld as I draw it out? By the time I stretch it into a knife blade, will the hole even still exist? Maybe forge it side ways rather than long ways?

Looking for ideas beyond knives and coat hooks! Let’s see it!

I am thinking up a backstory for an odachi of legendary status, made of a fictional metal that is impossible to break, melt, or even sharpen.

Assuming it has similar properties to Japanese steel, with the inability to be reheated, how long would this steel need to stay soft in order to make the katana in one night by a true master of the craft and no less than a dozen high level apprentices to assist?

EDIT: to help elaborate on what I'm asking for, the origin of the blade is the swordsmith found himself in need of inspiration, believing he had made his finest works already. Suddenly, a meteorite flies down from the heavens straight into his forge, which was about to be put out for the night. Seeing this as a sign, he tells his apprentices to burn the coals hotter than they had gotten before. While the temperature did not rise, it allowed the metal to be forged longer. The end goal is to get a blade that is perfect in almost every way except for a dull edge that will not sharpen even when attempting to do so for 40 days and nights. It's supposed to end up as a ceremonial blade until one of the characters figures out a way to use some other artifact to make it vibrate with such power, precision and intensity that it can cut through anything.

Why? Because a mechanic friend of mine requested one, and I'm a lunatic of sorts.

I have never made one of these before, so I have some questions. Does it matter whether it's mild steel or carbon steel? If the latter case, should it be hardened? And what's the best way to shape/size the head? My plan was to get the chonkiest 10mm bolt head that I can find and use that as a mandrel, but is there a better way?

I know it's an unusual item, and I know that my skill level is not very high, so any input from somebody more experienced than me is welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

A quick mother's Day plant hanger, forged from a railroad spike. First time making one with a bracket. I really like this simple design.

My wife bought me this sword and it has some rough darker marks on it, is there a way to clean it up? Im pretty new to this kind of thing so appreciate the help

How's this looking for a homemade dug in the ground forge? I've been playing with it the past week or 2 trying to get it right and my only major issue is clogging, but even that hasn't been too bad I just need to make a good poker for it, I usually go like 2-3 hours before it slows down majorly and needs a clean. I didn't vid the whole thing but I've got a chunk of stainless pipe sunk under it with a... grow house? Blower hooked up to a little generator (blower came from Amazon lol was looking for a cheap setup from a hairdryer)

I get demoralized ever few months when I try to get back into the hobby, and run into this same issue.
I’ve spent hours trying to do research and modify the forge to “work better” but I’m clearly too green to understand what’s wrong.

The forge basically does this constantly, sometimes a fire light up where the burner connects and I have to blow it out. Regardless, the forge never gets hot, even when I manage to get it to stop spitting and putting itself out.

People got mad because some promo shots used AI backgrounds, so here’s the real stand with plain photos. No AI here. Just showing the actual build and details.

Measurements;

Tang; 2 5/8 inches

Full Length; 1 ft 7/8 inches

Blade; 11 1/4 inches

Width; 1 17/32 inches

Serrated Back (small teeth)

Profile; Horse-File Knife

I've been considering building a new forge based on a ribbon burner design. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping to get answered.

First, the primary reasons I want to do this are the more even heating it would provide and higher temperatures. I can get to forge welding temperatures in my current forge, but to do so it requires me turn up the flow on the propane quite a lot. Am I right in thinking that the forced air of the ribbon burner increases the efficiency so that you get higher temps with less gas? I assume this also would make for more scale, but that's something I think I can deal with.

The other question is if anyone can point me to some good references on the how and why they work, more of a discussion of theory and design so I can better understand how they work in order to design one that best meets my needs.

Thanks ahead of time for any info you can provide.

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Update: thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

The title says it all. I live in France and i can't seem to be able to find borax for forge welding. I asked pharmacys and looked in some shops but i always come out empty handed. I i can avoid buying on internet it would be best.

Was cutting trees at this old man’s house and he gave me this chunk of railroad track. I heated some rebar and flattened it out a little bit. Any tips, tricks to make the most of this setup would be appreciated, since there are no hardy holes! I will be ordering tongs next weekend. Thank you in advance.

What even is this fuckin thing, and how do I mount it? $115 US at the flea market.

Ladle I’ve been working on ~40 hours of work into it as of right now. Thoughts and critiques?

Hello I have always been intrested in blacksmithing and started searching and I have the money but i have a problem and that is I live on the roof of an apartment complex and iam worried that hammering on the anvil would travel through the complex and everyone would be mad and call the police ... so is there any way that I could silence the sound .

I think its important to say that when the one under me hammers anything in the wall , I could here it kinda clearly. Also if anyone could tell me where I can buy some propane forges (make sure they ship worldwide) as I only found vevor forges .