Blacksmithing has become more of a hobby or a part-time job in this era. The development is evident in how ironwork is being revolutionized and how traditional blacksmithing has been replaced with modern machine shops and welders. Regardless of what you’ve heard you can start blacksmithing without a fat budget. Read on to learn how to start blacksmithing cheap.
With all those modern mechanized tools, you’d find yourself completely lost in a blacksmith supply store. The desire and enthusiasm of kickstarting your blacksmithing career will make your dream of having it all together at once.
But there is a limitation. The enthusiasm and anxiety are not enough to get you what you need to start your blacksmithing trade. It all comes at a cost.
Everything there would be pretty expensive, especially the anvils with a hefty price tag of thousand dollars. That’s really expensive, right? But to every problem, there is always a solution.
You don’t have to go for these pricey tools. It is possible to start your journey with a limited budget. It might surprise you to know that you can start your blacksmithing journey under $50.
Under $50 budget to start blacksmithing? Crazy, isn’t it? Although you have to be very innovative, it is possible. There are many ways you can cut expenses and work with a budget below the $50 mark.
Instead of buying new items, you can go for used ones, or you might have something in your attic that can serve the purpose. Have a spare car rim? Congratulations, you have your very own forge, and at what cost? Not even a single penny.
Keep calm and read on. Here are some of the ways you can start blacksmithing on a budget:
Go for the Essentials
If do don’t know how to start blacksmithing cheap, proceed by identifying the essentials. Blacksmith use a lot of tools for various processes. In fact, the number of tools in the blacksmith shop is limitless, and they all play specific roles.
But don’t be overwhelmed by all those glossy tools in the hardware store. You don’t have to get it all before you start. All you need are some essentials to start blacksmithing.
What are those? The forge itself, anvil, hammers, and tongs. That’s it! With these tools, you can carry out all basic blacksmithing processes.
But keep in mind; you don’t need a hammer or tongs of every type. There are several types, and you only have to pick one that can work for multipurpose sake.
There are a lot of tools required to carry out the traditional blacksmithing techniques. You might have to break the bank if you intend to get all the tools ready before starting up the blacksmithing shop.
To avoid this scenario of breaking the bank, you can get the basic startup, which is an anvil, forge, hammer, and vise.
However, other materials make life in the shop more comfortable, and they are files, drill press, cutting torch, taps, welder, bench grinder, angle grinder, and dies.
Nevertheless, you can still run your shop without these other tools. Remember that you are working below $50. You can’t possibly get all the tools at a go.
Below is a basic breakdown of the essential blacksmithing tools required for a startup.
Anvil
Anvil provides you a surface where you hammer and shape materials. It is an essential metalworking tool because you cannot hammer a material to shape without it.
A professional anvil is usually forged or cast steel formed into a large block. Anvils are massive, and they have the ability to withstand high temperatures and repeated hammer blows.
You need something to put under the metal stock you’d be working on. If you don’t have money to buy one, anything that is strong and has a flat surface to work on can serve as an anvil.
A chunk of railroad track would be a perfect fit. If you have a sledgehammer that’s not being used, it can work as an anvil.
Generally, anything that can withstand heat and intensive hammering can be called an anvil. Can you use a large rock? Sure, why not. Garage or yard sales can help you find such items. Using suitable alternatives gives you more edge on how to start blacksmithing cheap. Feel free to explore!
Hammer
You cannot operate a blacksmithing shop without hammers. It is practically impossible to complete any blacksmith project without the involvement of a hammer.
Blacksmith hammer is a tool that is used to beat hot and cold materials to shape. It is useful for delivering heavy blows on metal stocks. It is also necessary for soft blows for finishing.
There are different types of hammers. Some common types include cross peen hammers, straight peen hammers, ball peen hammers, Swedish cross peen hammers, Czech hammers, chisel-peen hammers, etc.
You don’t have to get them all at once before you start. All you need is something to pound your heated metal stock.
You can start with a used cross peen or straight peen hammer. Any of these two types of hammers will help you through almost all the essential hammering processes. Ensure that the hammer is not overused as a defective hammer with cracks can lead to an injury.
Forge
A forge is another essential tool for a blacksmith. It is so essential that the blacksmithing shop is sometimes called a forge. It is a place where you heat your metals into workable temperatures.
Except you are cold forging (which is less common), you need heat to shape your metals. There are two basic types of the forge; coal forge and gas forge.
Both types of forge perform the same function of heating metal to desirable temperatures. The main difference between the two is the fuel.
Gas forge uses natural gas (particularly propane) as its fuel. A coal forge uses various types of coal as its fuel. Fuels are generally expensive and can be one of the most cost-intensive projects in the blacksmithing shop.
A gas forge is usually hotter than a coal forge, and it is easier to use. Coal forge is relatively cheaper and easy to improvise.
You need something to heat your metal in. Are you wondering how to start blacksmithing cheap with this tool? You don’t necessarily have to buy a specialized forge if it doesn’t fit into your budget.
As mentioned above, a car rim can be used as a forge. You can also consider other suitable alternatives.
Where can you find such items? You can find them at the local departmental store or recycling center. You can even find a used one with all the necessary components like a blower and a chimney for less than $50.
If you are going for a car rim, cover up the holes by bolting a metal plate, attach a T-shaped pipe to connect the rim with the air inlet and ash trap, and lastly, attach an air blower. For that, you can use a hairdryer to maintain constant airflow.
Tongs
Tong is another essential tool for blacksmiths. It is essential for grabbing, holding, and moving hot metals. It is one of the basic tools to keep in mind while thinking about how to start blacksmithing cheap.
A pair of new tongs alone can cost you up to $70. Although you can forge your own tongs but to start with, you can buy a used one. Tongs are further classified depending on the shape of the jaws.
The basic types of tongs are wolf jaw tongs, bow jaw tongs, flat jaw tongs, bolt jaw tongs, and tong clips.
If you intend to buy a tong, it is better to buy the wolf jaw tongue. It is considered a universal tong because it has several ridges that can handle metals and materials of various sizes and shapes. Likewise, it is easy to handle even with your gloves on.
However, you can start with cheap channel lock pliers since you are working within a tight budget. They’d cost you somewhere around $10-$20. You can also buy a used square jaw tong and a wolf jaw tong.
Make Use of Suitable Fuel
You cannot work without using forge. All types of forge use fuels. Fuel is one of the most cost-intensive parameters of blacksmithing.
You must choose a suitable fuel if you intend to indulge your blacksmithing hobby on a budget. Several types of fuel are used for blacksmithing, but coal and gas are the most commonly used fuel.
Charcoal is most often used on small-scale forage because it is affordable and easy to obtain. The charcoal will give you similar heat to other fuels, only that it is quite messy.
In some extreme cases, blacksmiths use firewood as forge fuels. Although it is not the best option, you can give it a try if you are out of options.
Don’t make the mistake of using cost-intensive fuels like gas and briquette if you are working within a budget. You must also step up your game and work really fast to conserve fuel. If you want to learn how to start blacksmithing cheap, learn to cut cost without cp!
Minimize Cost on Space
Space is another cost-intensive part of starting with blacksmithing. Most beginners look forward to either buying or renting a space. Either option might be quite expensive, depending on your location.
You can manage these costs by using available and open spaces. Consider starting your blacksmithing in free spaces like your backyard or garage. You won’t have to buy it or pay anybody for rent.
It is also best to keep in mind that you cannot have it all together at the start. Constantly remind yourself that you are working with a budget below the $50 mark.
The major things you should look forward to are the highlighted tools above. Other materials within the space, like relaxing chairs, tables, fume detector, etc., can wait until you are ready to raise your budget.
Buy Fairly Used Tools
If you unavoidably have to buy anything for your blacksmithing shop before starting, consider buying fairly used ones. New products are usually more cost-intensive.
For instance, a new anvil will cost around $10-$20 per pound, while a fairly used one will only cost $2-$5 per pound. New tongs can cost up to $70, which is already beyond your $50 total budget. You can save a lot of cost by buying used products instead of new ones.
You will find various fairly used tools in blacksmith tools retail stores. Alternatively, you can buy from older blacksmiths if they have some to spare.
Forge Your Tools
Yes! You can cut costs from building your tools from scraps. It is one of the best ways to go while thinking about how to start blacksmithing cheap. You will be spending your energy rather than spend your money. This would be easier if you already acquired all the essential basic skills.
The only problem you might face here is where to get tools to forge yours. If you work as an apprentice with an older blacksmith, you can always explore this option.
Alternatively, you can find cost-effective ways of getting the basic tools highlighted above. From there, you can build other tools you need.
Regardless of the option, you are exploring, don’t try to make the tools all at once. Start from the basic and essential ones. Take it one at a time.
You don’t have to buy the metals to use. You can create all the tools from scrap metals you can find.
Use Suitable Tool Alternatives
Except you are ready to raise your budget, $50 cannot buy you the basic tools. It won’t get two or three even if you are buying a used one.
You must be creative enough to find alternatives to various tools that you cannot buy or forge. You can find and use suitable tool alternatives.
For instance, if you cannot afford tongs, you can use pliers. Blacksmith tongs are quite expensive, but regular straight pliers can work pretty well. You can also use ten or twelve-inch channelocks.
Both options are suitable and will give you suitable results. Some pliers are even adjustable, and it will help you handle the metals.
For anvils, you can find a suitable metal block. All you need is to ensure that metal can withstand high temperature and repeated hammer blows. Likewise, it should also have a flat surface that is suitable to handle various blacksmithing tasks.
Some primitive blacksmiths use rock in place of an anvil. You can also explore this option if you have a flat head rock that can withstand heat and repeated hammering.
As mentioned above, you can use a tire rim as a forge.
You can go on and on with the list. There is always an innovative alternative for every tool. It is left for you to explore your options and use them effectively. Don’t hesitate to seek the help and opinions of older blacksmiths to help you through this process.
Conclusion
To kick start blacksmithing seems a hassle for many aspiring blacksmiths. One of the main reasons for this hassle is the cost required for the takeoff. But this concept is not entirely true.
It’s not that hard to kickstart your blacksmithing career. You can find each of the tools mentioned above under $50, and some of the items would be way cheaper than you anticipated.
If you are worried about buying metal stocks, you can visit the local scrap store to get a couple of waste metal products, bring them to the workshop, and forge something artistic.
There are ways you can boycott the buying process by using innovative alternatives, as highlighted above. Creativity and innovation are two cores of blacksmithing. Feel free to explore!