Beginning Again
Hello and thanks for reading.
In all honesty this is not the first blog post I've had on here. The first one was over a year ago and was kind of boring because I hadn't really done much but slap together a brake drum forge and put a cheap EBay anvil on a stump. Since then I have improved on my coal forge and recently purchased a propane forge. I have also acquired and made a few tools to help in my forging practice.
Unfortunately, life has been on the fast track for the last year and I forgot about updating this site. I've practiced my smithing and upgraded my equipment but haven't spent any time on here. I am going to change that starting today. The image gallery has been updated and I have an idea of what I will write about even if I don't get any smithing done in the week. Some days I will have plenty of smithing to banter about, other days I can wax philosophical, and even other days I might vent about life in general. Any which way, I am going to have something to talk about even if I am the only person who ever reads it. This week I will start with some hopes.
For the last year I have been trying to practice the craft of blacksmithing on the weekends when I have time. Some weeks work out great but others have been quite disappointing. One issue is that my forge was run on anthracite coal. This has been due to my inability to find a cost effective source of bituminous coal anywhere near me. The anthracite works, but is a pain to get and keep lit, so I need a good amount of time to work with it. I have managed but frankly I am tired of missing out when I have an hour or so to practice but not if the coal decides to be a pain that day.
Thankfully, I was able to purchase a reasonably priced propane forge. So far, being able to light and have it up to a working and continual heat within a few minutes has given me the ability to work in tighter time-frames. Also, not having to maintain the fire gives me more time to actually swing hammer rather than dig for that one pesky clinker that's messing with my heat. It was an early birthday present from my wife and I am thanking God for her and her willingness to encourage me in this venture.
That's all I have for right now. Will be back with more by next week.
Keep swinging!
