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Blacksmith Forum

For discussion on all things about being a blacksmith

From the lens Blacksmith Tools For Sale.

Any tips, tricks, suggestions, or comments about the art of blacksmithing, and the tools involved will be greatly appreciated. Resources and other sites you've found to be helpful are welcome as well. Just leave your comments in the box below.

  • Pam Feb 7, 2012 @ 12:34 am | delete
    I have an antique wooden blacksmiths box with a iron handle and even some tools and I am curious as to the value of this piece. Does anyone know where I could get some info on this ?
  • Thomas Dickenson Feb 3, 2012 @ 4:26 am | delete
    Hi I just found a forge in my late fathers shed, it has a large bellows under the fire tray with a handle on front to work bellows also underneath stamped in the timber of bellows is 1-7-1896. would anybody have any information, Kind regards Tom
  • Bob Jan 11, 2012 @ 5:52 pm | delete
    My sister found a board in in old blacksmith shop that we're not sure what it was used for.
    The board is about 6 feet long and 4 inches wide it has a series of holes it every 10 inches or so. The holes are about 2 1/2 inches wide. In between each hole is a raised area made out of a harder wood and raised area slants down toward the holes on each side of it. Any ideas about what is was used for.
  • Laura Oct 11, 2011 @ 11:07 am | delete
    I have four stone vessels that I was told were old pots to carry the melted iron for blacksmithing. Does anyone have any ideas on this. I have searched the internet and cannot find anything.
  • shrike254 Oct 30, 2011 @ 12:16 pm | delete
    Hi there, as a blacksmith myself, I can tell you that I very much doubt that's what your pots were/are for. I doubt they're for that purpose because when you heat metal enough (usually by accident when you forget you have metal in the fire) it tends to burn rather than melt (it will only melt when there's no oxygen around for the metal to burn with), and make the piece pretty much useless, although that said, if the burn isn't too severe you can work the metal until it's a dull cherry red, and that should restore the metals strength. Anyway, I very much doubt those pots were used by any blacksmith, because that use would be part of the casting industry, and cast iron is horrible stuff, it's way to brittle to do anything worthwhile with in a forge. Also, going back into my apprenticeship, I've never met or heard of anyone having some old casting pots, I suggest you hold on to them. Hope this helped :)
  • Phyllis Sep 30, 2011 @ 9:38 pm | delete
    I have huge bellows of the type that used to be suspended above a forge in a blacksmith shop. I am trying to establish it's value. Anyone know what it might be worth?
  • shrike254 Oct 30, 2011 @ 12:21 pm | delete
    Hi Phyllis, those bellows you have are supposed to be stood behind the forge wall, under the chimney if possible, rigged up to the tuyere. I was recently had some made for me in my forge, and they cost me somewhere around £2000, although they were made for me by a friend, and I built the frame for them to stand on myself. If they're double action and in working order, I would estimate you could get between £1500 and £2500 (depending on their size and how well they work). I hope this helped you.
  • KSara Sep 15, 2011 @ 2:05 am | delete
    I came across this site: http://www.dawnapproaches.com/blacksmithing.html and they carry a collection of 115 vintage how to blacksmithing books on a dvd-rom. I ordered one and got it in a few days and it has been one of the best blacksmithing tools I have invested in. Highly recommend it!
  • Brad Sep 15, 2011 @ 1:54 am | delete
    I came across this site: http://www.dawnapproaches.com/blacksmithing.html and they carry a collection of 115 vintage how to blacksmithing books on a dvd-rom. I ordered one and got it in a few days and it has been one of the best blacksmithing tools I have invested in. Highly recommend it!
  • Debra Gerber Sep 9, 2011 @ 8:05 pm | delete
    I have been trying to find an older coal forge as a gift, many I have looked at need a new belt, but I have not found anywhere that lists replacement belts. Can anyone point me in the right direction or tell me if they are called by something else or come in different sizes?
    Take you for your time and kindness~ Debra
  • Geno Jan 9, 2012 @ 6:56 pm | delete
    a belt was usually made of leather and can easily be fabricated again with a strip of leather.
  • Tom H Aug 22, 2011 @ 1:12 am | delete
    a friend has a tool he thinks might be a blacksmith tool of some sort it resimbles a set of tongs and on the working end one side is ball shaped and the other side has a ring the ball fits into. on the side is the word Giant. I have pictures
  • shrike254 Oct 30, 2011 @ 12:27 pm | delete
    What you described in your comment sounds a lot like a suage and its matching fuller, I would guess they were made by someone for a specific use they intended to repeat (you spend a day on the tool, and ten minutes on the job, lol), If I could see a picture of the tool I might be able to get a better idea of what they might be. Hopefully this helped :)
  • Amanda May 5, 2011 @ 1:24 pm | delete
    We have some Blacksmith tool that fit in the Anvil I think are 3/4 maybe 1/2 in not for sure but would like to seel them and are wanting to know where the best place would be they were Grandpa's and we don't want to scrape them just for the metal when someone could get good use out of them, if any one would know we live in Indiana..
  • steven May 30, 2011 @ 10:33 am | delete
    hi amanda, steven here i live in edinburgh indiana, do you have pics. of tools you have for sale?? and do you by chance still have your grandpa"s anvil or any of his hammers?? thank you for your time.you can also reach me at mosscustomarrows@hotmail.com
  • William Feb 17, 2011 @ 1:38 pm | delete
    For those of you that like the nostalgia and performance of a coal forge, but don't want the health issues with coal, or the expense of gas, there is another way. Charcoal! In the old days miners would gather Douglas Fir and burn it in a charcoal kiln. They would take the product and use it to fire their smelters to extract the metals from the ore. Some traditional blacksmiths today are finding this fuel works great to fire a forge to welding temperatures. I've been using gas for about 11 years now and will continue to do so, but am also learning about setting up a charcoal burning forge for my traditional work. If anyone is interested in this style of forging contact me through my website: 21stcenturyforge.com Put "charcoal" in the beginning of the message so I'll know your human!
  • paul toland Jan 4, 2011 @ 1:13 pm | delete
    im looking for a multi starter fan for a coal farriers furnace thats over 50 years old, its a british alcosa f20m its got 2004m on one side and 2005m on the other.
  • scottd Aug 30, 2009 @ 2:18 pm | delete
    I'm looking for a sawyers anvil (square or rectangle) stand or not. If you have one or know someone who does, I'd like to buy one. No cast iron crap. I'm new but not stupid. email me at: scott@bigransomprintshop.com
  • Glen Aug 23, 2009 @ 1:26 am | delete
    I use 90weight in my Champion, which is similar to your Canady. The oil is commonly used in differentials on rear axles for vehicles. Lighter oils, (40 wt.) which worked, made more of a mess (leaking through the bearings) and needed more constant maintenance. since I switched to 90 wt. I have a smoother operation and less noise. [in reply to Jim]
  • Jim Aug 17, 2009 @ 11:07 am | delete
    Acquiredf a Canedy Otto western Chief blower. What weight oil should I be using in the gear box?
  • T L Moore Aug 11, 2009 @ 3:24 pm | delete
    have a..quierd forge,heavy anvil,triphammer,flatbelt drillpresses. L.ate 1800 s. need to know a site to advertise such equipment ford6453@yahoo.com
  • MusicMadness Mar 31, 2009 @ 8:38 am | delete
    Hi Hiram,

    Thanks for the question. As far as forges go, I would recommend a gas forge with a clamshell design for a beginner blacksmith. The gas is much easier to work with, and the clamshell design is flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of metal shapes and sizes. Like this one Be sure to read this article as well.

    As far as tools, well that's a pretty big question. Apart from a forge, an anvil, a good hammer, and some basic hold downs, there's all kinds of tools you could get. One of the nice things about being a blacksmith, is that you can make a lot of your own tools. It's always good practice for a beginner as well, if your trying to keep your budget down. You could try this link http://www.fholder.com/Blacksmithing/article3.htm as well.
  • Hiram Hoag Mar 30, 2009 @ 1:51 pm | delete
    hello chis, I recently got out of the army, and my father, brother, and i would like to start black smithing more as a hoby but also to fix stuff on our farm what type of forge should we get and the rest of the tools we would need thanks
  • LaraineRose Sep 16, 2008 @ 11:18 pm | delete
    Hi Chris, This is an interesting lens for me as my grandpa was a blacksmith. I don't remember too much about him but he was a BIG man and he invented a lot of things. Thanks for making this lens. 5 stars, favorite, fan and lensrolled.

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MusicMadness

Hi, I'm Chris. I'm a husband, a dad, a brother, a son, a nephew, an uncle, a sailor, a pretty good squash player, a programmer, an internet marketer, a... more »

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