how much does all this set you back?
I am a neo-blacksmith. I use 3D printing to forge AR15 lower receivers and fight back against Killary and the Clinton foundation
I am guessing that the steel itself is cheap or free. Not sure how much an anvil costs. The forge could be pretty cheap if you built your own. The only other cost would be the fuel.
Other costs would be a saw, grinder, welder maybe, and protective gear.
this is fucking sick
Iâm assembling a taig lathe. Was going to complete journeyman machining but they wanted 100% out of me not some hobbyist bullshit
My first anvil + foot petal forge + post vice + two tongs cost me 300$. Lucky findâŚ
Then I bought another anvil in better condition for another 300$
Then I sold my old forge. Built a new one with a brand new fire pot and proper fan that cost 500$ but you could make one yourself although it wouldnt be as nice.
I also built a gas forge before all of this that cost me around 300$
1 ton of coal - 400$ (VERY CHEAP import from poland)
2x72" belt grinder⌠1000$
Some old punches and swedges⌠50$
I buy steel from the scrap yard at 80 cents a kg
Can get it cheaper if you look for it but the scrapyard has construction steel, round bar square bar etc all sorted out and cut it for you which is nice.
Anvil, fuel and hammer is all you really need. You can make a forge with a hair dryer, a piper and a box of dirt that will work almost as nice as a store bought one. If you donât have access to nice coal, or any coal, then charcoal works just as fine.
Anvils have gotten stupid expensive the past few years due to TV shows and etc so people are hoarding them knowing they can make a big buck. It seems to be harder to get a hold of a used one in the US than it is here but still I had to look every day for months before I found my nice condition one. Realistically itâs worth twice than what I paid for it.
If you canât find an anvil then a big block of mild steel will work fine and tbh Iâd prefer a big hunk of steel over a railroad track which some seem to use.
You get a cross peen or âblacksmiths hammerâ at any hardware store for 20$.
The belt grinder was really a luxury item that I bought with my first salary at my new job lol. You donât need anything other than an angle grinder but, obviously, you can be a blacksmith without any electric tools what so ever.
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Iâd say you can get a nice, proper and highly functional setup for 500$ and a low investment, kind of shitty but functional setup for less than 100$.
With time you learn how to make your own tools and you never have to worry about buying swages, tongs, hammers etc ever again.
The only thing I donât have now that I really would like is a nice power hammer but thatâs gonna cost me at least 3000$ and Iâd need a proper shop (not a cuck-shed like my current one) to put it in.
The only reason Iâve sunk this much money in to this hobby is because Iâm a retard
hobby or not this is quite a ways to becoming a legitimate blacksmith. you could probably take the leap one day if you wanted to and aim for an apprenticeship or a similar âjrâ role. in fact id say you should go for it!
i was just amazed that you were able to get a ton of coal imported for personal use
idk, 1-2k isnât that much as far as hobbies go. also canât you sell some of the shit you make to earn some money, some of it looks pretty cool.
yeah wtf a literal ton of coal??
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Where did u store it
How much volume does a ton of coal take up
By ton you mean 2,000 pounds right
A ton of anything isnât that much. Thatâs 20 100 pound bags, or 40 50 pound bags for example.
Thatâs a lot dude lol
In my case it came in 25 kg bags, ie 40 bags in total. They arrived on a single euro pallet and thatâs how theyâre stored right now, behind our house. Doesnât take up that much space.
Buying this from poland I saved more than half the price than what I wouldâve paid in Sweden and for some odd reason I never got taxed for it. Youâre supposed to pay fuel and climate taxes that amount to about the same price per kg as the coal itself. If I were taxed, I wouldâve had to pay double the price.
So in reality I actually got it at around 1/4th of the price.
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I have yet to hear about any proper apprenticeships but there are a few educations - a 4 year one in northern sweden for example. I would certainly be glad to make this my profession one day but I have miles left to goâŚ
I do not think I could make a living selling hooks on etsy.