Before you start forging, it is obvious that you have to set up your workshop. It is extremely important you make this step right because having a well-organized blacksmithing shop will make your work much easier. Now, most people don’t have a large free space in their house, and many of them usually have a small working shop.
Without further ado, these are our
5 Tips for Setting Up a Small Forging Shop
- Think Twice About the Layout Before Starting
- Make Sure Your Anvil Is Near the Forge
- Every Tool Should Have Its Own Place
- Good Ventilation Is a Must
- Start Slowly With Equipment
Think Twice About the Layout Before Starting
When you are thinking about setting up your forging shop, it is crucial to make a well-planned layout. This is even more important when you set up a small shop because you will want to use every inch of space. I would say that there is no single way of building a forging shop.
There are many factors that will determine your setup, including the number of tools, shop dimensions, type of projects, and financial ability. The more tools you are planning to use, you have to make more careful planning. For example, beginners don’t need a lot of equipment whereas some experienced blacksmiths may need some power tools.
The typical dimension of the small forging shop is 8×12 feet (2.4×3.6 meters). For example, for a person who is using a lot of power tools, this dimension may be small whereas, for someone using basic equipment, it is just fine. The type of working project is also very important. If you are planning to forge some huge pieces of stock, you have to make enough space around the anvil. Enough space around the anvil allows you to move freely without any fear of hitting something.
Your setup is most impacted by your financial ability. For beginner purposes with a set of basic tools, you will not need a lot of money. On the other hand, a power hammer is part of your arsenal, be ready to spend much more money.
After you finish making your layout on paper, try to vividly imagine it. Imagine yourself working in that future forging shop and see if you can improve your plan somehow. Because after you set everything, it will be hard to make adjustments, especially if you have a 200-pound anvil and power tools.
Make Sure Your Anvil Is Near the Forge
Anvil is one of the most iconic forging tools. Besides that, the blacksmith does most of the work on it, therefore it is very important to set it up properly. It is recommended that an anvil is placed somewhere in the middle of the shop. This way you created enough space to freely walk around without any interference.
Also, your anvil should be near the forge, so when you take a hot piece out of the forge you can immediately place it on the anvil and start working. The forge and anvil are often called “the heart†of the workshop. Distance between the two greatly depends on the type of projects you will be working on. The longer the stocks, the further it should be from the forge.
Usually, we recommend having somewhere around 4-5 feet for smaller projects, and 6-7 feet for the longer ones. Note that this is just a general recommendation. Each person has to find his own ideal distance as it depends on various other factors. I would make a note here that you should never place your forge near flammable materials. You don’t want to burn your workshop the first day you build it. Okay, moving on.
When you found your anvils’ ideal distance from the forge, you have to decide how to position it. Horn left or horn, right? This is one of the questions where there is no single answer. It generally depends on personal preference however I would like to give you a little advice so you can make the best decision. I should not I will use the term “hammer hand†for the hand which holds the hammer and “tong hand†which holds the material.
If you are using a horn most of the time, it may be easier to place the horn on the side of the hammer hand. This way you can hammer the material without touching the face of the anvil with your knuckles and you will also have a better reach. One more factor which determines your anvils position is the position of the hardy hole. Generally, it is recommended to have a hardy hole on the side of the tong hand. It is mainly due to the usage of hand tools.
Having a hardy tool on the side of the tong hand creates a lot of free space on the anvil. This way you can do hammering without fear of damaging your knuckles on the hardy tool. Try and experiment with what works best for you.
Every Tool Should Have Its Own Place
There is nothing worse than not finding the tool in situations when you really need it. Tools like, hammers, tongs, punches, drifts, hardy tools, and others should have their own storage place. We don’t recommend mixing them all together as you probably won’t find anything that easy.
Keeping your workshop organized allows blacksmiths a much easier and more convenient work experience. Instead of wasting 10 minutes just to find the appropriate tool, you should already know where it is. We recommend keeping these tools at the sides of the shop.
That way you create a lot of space in the middle of the shop that you need to work and move freely around the anvil and the forge. You should make various racks and shelves on the walls where you hold your tools. For example, on the first rack, you put all your hammers in. On the second rack, you have all different types of tongs and so on for each tool.
Another option is to put all the tools you use on a daily basis around the anvil. You simply make a rack around the stump for a few hammers, tongs, punches, chisels, or whatever you use. That way everything is in one place so you don’t have to walk every time to get the tools.
Good Ventilation Is a Must
Blacksmithing is known to be very messy, especially when working with a coal forge. When burning, coal produces sulfur which can have a harmful impact on a person’s health. Chronic inhaling of sulfur and other coal-producing toxic gases can lead to developing conditions like asthma or even lung cancer in some cases. When setting up a small forging shop, be sure to have a chimney if using a coal forge.
On the other hand, gas forge can produce carbon monoxide, which can be fatal in some cases. This is just one of the reasons why having proper ventilation in your workshop is incredibly important. Also, it is recommended to have a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in the workshop.
Proper ventilation also prevents condensation. Namely, the producing heat causes the vapor to rise which often condenses on the rooftop. This also causes mold to grow on various surfaces. Proper ventilation will noticeably decrease these risks or it may even completely prevent them.
While the fire is the most important component in a forging shop, working temperatures can get extremely high. Proper ventilation regulates the temperature in the workshop by refreshing it with cold air.
Start Slowly with Equipment
It is common for beginner blacksmiths to buy every possible tool and equipment before they even know how to use it. Even If you do have the financial ability when you are just starting with forging you only need a couple of things. To start, first, you need something to heat up the material, this can be either a coal, gas forge, or even a simple gas torch.
Then, you need something on which you will place your metal. There are many options for an anvil, but it would be great to have a London-style or German-style anvil. In case you don’t have any of the two, you can use other anvil alternatives like railroad trucks.
Check Blacksmithing Without an Anvil-Top 6 Alternatives where you will find what is the best option for you. Usually, the heavier anvil is, the better.
You need a hammer to work on your material. If you are just getting started in blacksmithing, you only need 2 hammers: a cross-peen hammer and a straight-peen hammer. These two hammers are just enough for basic blacksmithing projects.
Finally, you need something to hold your material. That’s where blacksmithing tongs come in. You can choose between many types of blacksmithing tongs but for beginners, we would recommend starting with wolf jaw tongs. They can handle all sorts of material sizes and shapes.
Of course, among these essential tools, you have also punches, drifts, fullers, chisels, hardy tools, and many more. All of them are also an important part of blacksmithing work. Next, when you mastered these hand tools, you can move on to some power tools which are necessary for more advanced projects.
