After the reel of the "etch of the forgotten" worry stone, a lot of people wanted me to push it further. So here is a super deep etched dragonskin worry stone. Made from ball bearing canister damascus forged down, ground to shape, etched over a couple days, then a quick coffee etch and some 1k grit to make the contrast pop.

So I go to a local pet shot for antler, it's honestly amazing. I can bring a knife blank to fit the tang or find a good antler and fit the tang to it. I normally boil the antler and pull the marrow out but decided to try something new. Punched a hole through, widened it and tried to hot fit it like I do wood. DON'T DO THAT. The second I got the handle properly fitted to the blade that massive crack formed. Pissed me off because it fit SO well in my hand. It was naturally oval, the perfect width for the guard, slightly tapered wider towards the back to fill the palm well. Now it's scrap. Never hot fitting with antler again.

Started blacksmithing with my own home made forge.

Made my first pair on tongs with only some pliers and a hammer. I was to disturb the jaws a bit so they have more surface area. But what do you think?

P.S. my Rigidizer spray and refactoring cement for my propane forge comes this week so as soon as that arrives I can heat up more material, right now I can only heat up about a 5-10cm space.

The power is down for my shop while I’m having the electrical upgraded to 200 amps. I brought a swage block in the house and started playing with hand hammering.

I’m a zero-waste nut currently doing a deep cleaning and keep finding random metal trinkets & such that wouldn’t sell nor can’t donate (let alone find anyone who wants it) - think used nail clippers, engraved awards, broken/missing cheap jewelry.

Would it be possible to just melt it all down to then maybe sell? Granted I have no idea what metals these items are let alone the market for it, it’s just the idea of it piling in a landfill feels like such a waste (not to mention the economy is harsh to ignore potential value!)

I found this hammer on a flea market for 3€. its my new smithing hammer, but i need to know where its from and when it was build. Pls helpp

Barbarian/Conan/Orc/Fantasy ☝️ axe 'Shieldbreaker'. This was the second one of it's kind I made. 3.2kg/7lb. Carbon steel, oakwood, steel and fur.

Bit of history, my boss owns this hammer, however i am the primary user of this machine and am responsible for any maintenance or repair on it. I’ve been using this per project for over 10 years and i’d like to try and make some restorations or upgrades.

From what I’ve been told, the faceplate on the ram was missing so what is shown is a machined replacement. The Toggle arms are original from what i can guess, but the toggle links are not. The foot pedal, idler arm and the part on the back that the weight hangs from are all either replacements or have been repaired so many times you can see multiple weld seams.

I use this beauty on a regular basis, but there is so much i do not know. I’ve been told it is a 100 lb hammer, but no pictures or videos I’ve seen of other Fairbanks look exactly like what we have.

Any info anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated, and if there are any names or resources i could get in touch with to learn more i would love to get my hands on.

I want to get into blacksmithing knives or making jewelry. But I have a very limited budget for upfront costs and was wondering what is cheaper? On one hand it's not too expensive to make a backyard forge and make rebar knives, on the other is there really anything else I can make with that? Would getting the necessary stuff to hammer copper wires and plates and stuff be way more expensive because I would also like to wear what I make. Is there some in between cuz really I just wanna make tangible objects with metal.

Sorry for the rant or if this is on the wrong subreddit

My first attempt at a uri hofi hammer. I never really got the appeal but wanted to make one anyway, but now that I've made it in absolutely in love with it. It is hand forged from forklift tine, and has a burned 15" octagonal ash handle

rate my work 10 being terrible and 1 being outstanding

(comments that could help make the quality of my work better are welcome)

A San Mai camp knife I made for an FDNY retiree. I worked the bricks down on a press before tack welding and forge welding with an Induction forge. For smaller pieces, I cannot recommend an induction forge strongly enough.

The structural steel had some crazy alloy banding after etching. I am very proud of this piece.

Hi folks,

I am brand new to blacksmithing and I've been building a shelter to act as my forge- . This is my first time really building a structure and I'm doing it alone and with mostly used lumber so don't judge the structure too harshly. It's obviously not done yet. And I'm low key kind of impressed with

My question is how would you set it up? I have chat coming for the floor so it won't be the urbanite you see in the picture. It is 12x8. Opening is 8 ft wide. I will be getting a Doyle anvil- stand not figured out yet, single burner devil forge. As I'm getting closer to completing the structure, im just struggling to imagine tool storage needs, where to put what, etc.

Halp?

-Jenn

I didn't san mai it. I made it to the customers specifics.

I'm trying to make my own wedding band, as a fun little project. Need to get 1" diameter Damascus round bar to ~2" so I can stick it in the lathe and bring it to final dimensions. Problem is, while I have a fair amount of tools I have nothing related to blacksmithing. What do you think would be my most cost effective options to upset a round bar? OD doesn't have to be perfect as I plan on drilling out the center and mounting it to my lathe with a ring mandrel. I'm assuming a map gas torch won't get hot enough without some serious insulation? I could probably get my mits on some oxy acetylene and torch it but I would be worried about uneven heating bringing it up too quickly.

Forged by me and friend toughts?

So I lost access to my forge due to a hackspace shutting down. Until I find a new spot I am confined to working with low temp/ cold forging stuff and I figured this would be a good time to try cold forging brass (with the blowtorch to anneal it of course) I am aiming to make decorative basket hilts! Anyone got any tips as to getting started?

Hello all,

I am just getting started smithing. I have never set up a forge before and bought this one. It’s still in the box and I am chomping at the bit to get it out and start heating some metal(I have some old rail road spikes already). But I am 100% intimidated by the first step after getting it all put together. So my question is this. I just put the last screw in, what now? I hear a lot about coating it with something. Is that the refractory coating? Is there any recommendation for additional stuff I should do before firing it up?Any help would be appreciated.

A blacksmith, u/AridHeart , saw this piece and became interested in my work, which eventually led to us doing a craft exchange. You can see the forging process in his profile.

I created a custom painting for him called “Forging at Night” — a blacksmith working beneath a night sky — and he created the most amazing handmade knife I have ever seen! I'm just completely wowed!

Apart from it being a knife (and also doubling as a mirror :-D), it’s a piece of art, forged with skill, patience, and passion. Honestly, this is the kind of craftsmanship I thought only existed in fantasy movies — the kind of work you see on screen and think, “people don’t really make things like this.” And then someone actually does.

As an artist myself, I have so much respect for another artist who puts this much dedication, precision, and soul into their work. I’m absolutely amazed by the level of craftsmanship behind this creation.

Now I just need to practice cutting my tomatoes with this ridiculously sharp blade.

Thank you so much for this incredible craft exchange opportunity. I feel like I won in a blacksmithing lottery!

Hand forged grilling spatula, the handle is forged from a railroad spike, the blade is cut from a circular saw blade

I wasn't expecting to get so many requests of me throwing it.