Blacksmithing has been around for centuries. Its purpose is to craft, repair, and create items by hammering metal into various shapes. Without blacksmithing, we wouldn’t be able to use swords, axes, metal tools, and jewelry. Since blacksmithing necessities are so readily available these days, it’s easy to see why people are trying it out.
If you love the idea of crafting new belongings and repairing old tools, then blacksmithing is a great hobby to try out. The only downside of blacksmithing is that it requires a lot of space. People who don’t have a designated working space will have trouble with it.
Throughout this article, you’ll learn the following information about blacksmithing as a hobby:
- Why are so many people passionate about blacksmithing?
- What do you need to start?
- Is blacksmithing expensive?
Why is Blacksmithing a Good Hobby?
If you’ve been searching for a hobby lately, then blacksmithing is definitely worth trying out.
It’s important to remember that you can’t practice this from an apartment, nor can you do it if you live in most house rentals.
Before you get started, ask your landlord about the possibility of blacksmithing.
Blacksmithing provides excellent skills, memories, and products that you can use on a daily basis.
Countless people have been using forges, anvils, and blacksmithing hammers for over 2,000 years. If you want to get in on the fun and creativity, then you’re in the right place. Read here an article about the history of blacksmithing.
Below, you’ll find a handful of reasons that you might want to start blacksmithing as a hobby.
- If you’re always working with metal tools, including wrenches, hammers, and drill bits, then you might want to start blacksmithing. You can repair most metal tools with blacksmithing, saving you money while also getting out your creative energy. And once you become a pro, you can make your own tools at home.
- If you want to make gifts for your friends and family, nothing is more thoughtful than a homemade item. You can craft tools, jewelry, and metal statues out of blacksmithing equipment. Having a variety of anvils and hammers will allow you to craft more gifts than you’ll have time for!
- Are you passionate about medieval lifestyles? If so, blacksmithing will be a perfect hobby for you. Not only can you replicate the manner in which they crafted items, but you can make swords, axes, and even armor that looks exactly as it did hundreds of years ago.
- If you like to save money, then blacksmithing is a good hobby. It’s expensive to start, but once you get going, you can make tons of household items. Kitchen utensils, chairs, pots and pans, knives, and all sorts of other useful things can be made by using a blacksmithing forge and anvil.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to give blacksmithing a try. It’s been such an interesting and interactive hobby that we’ve used it for countless years.
Combining entertainment, efficiency, savings, and craftsmanship is about as productive as a hobby can be.
What Do You Need to Start Blacksmithing?
Blacksmithing requires quite a few items, but the price can vary drastically. Rather than purchasing everything all at once, you can settle for the essentials. If you still enjoy the hobby, you can start buying everything else.
Depending on what you intend to craft, you could need more of one item than another.
Without getting too far into the details, here are the 8 items that you’ll need to start blacksmithing as a hobby:
- A forge will allow you to heat the tools and other materials to start bending and shaping them as you wish. Without a forge, you won’t be able to do anything with the rest of your blacksmithing equipment.
- An anvil is another essential component. It’s the basic workstation that you set your equipment on before you start to cut or bend it with hammers and other tools. You’ll need a sturdy, durable anvil for heavyweight materials. Read here if you want to learn more about what is a good anvil.
- Blacksmithing hammers are the primary tool that you use to do the action of blacksmithing. They allow you to cut, shape, and bend the heated items that you’ve pulled from the forge. They come in different shapes, sizes, and weights.
- Vices are uses to hold materials in place when you’re hitting them with a hammer. Without a vice, you’ll send it flying around. You need something to brace everything that you’re working with, which is where a vice comes into play.
- Blacksmithing tongs are crucial if you want to move your items around. Rather than burning your hands or pushing everything around with a hammer, you can use tongs to pick up and manipulate the item that’s being hammered or forged.
- Safety gear, including blacksmithing masks, gloves, safety glasses, ear protection, and long sleeve clothing, are all necessary to protect you from harm. Never, under any circumstances, should you practice blacksmithing without the proper safety gear. Read more here about blacksmithing dangers and hazards.
- Additional items include chisels, centerpunches, twisting tools, and drifts. They’re not necessary for beginners, but they all become useful once you start to expand your blacksmithing horizons.
- Metal or steel. For crafting things you will need raw materials that you can shape with your hammer. You can use scraped metal from local junkyards or buy new steel online or local suppliers. I wrote an article about this topic here.
Is Blacksmithing an Expensive Hobby?
Aside from lack of a designated space, many people stay away from blacksmithing as a hobby out of the fear of high prices.
There’s no denying that you could put yourself in quite a troubling financial situation if you buy everything from the previous section all at the same time. Instead, try to buy everything from #1 through #6 before you get anything else.
The reason that blacksmithing starts to become much less expensive is that most of the items don’t need to be repurchased very often.
In fact, you can often repair certain items, such as hammers, tongs, and additional suggestions from #7, by using your equipment.
The prices of blacksmithing gear can vary quite a bit, but it’s safe to say that you’ll need to have a budget between $2,000 to $5,000.
After the initial expenses, it only costs as much as you want it to. If you use your equipment daily, you’ll obviously have to spend much more than someone who uses it once a month.
Another thing to consider is that you’ll have to spend more money if you’re working on large projects.
Simple knives can cost as little as $10 or less to craft while making a massive sword can cost over $500 for the top-notch metal and other pieces. Assuming that you already have all the necessary equipment.
The most expensive part of blacksmithing is undoubtedly the anvil and forge. They can each cost between $80 to $1000 or more. Check this article if you want to know more about how much forges cost or here an article about anvils prices.
Your budget will directly determine the quality of the items that you’re able to purchase. Typically speaking, high-quality blacksmithing supplies last significantly longer than cheap, low-quality equipment.
You shouldn’t look at blacksmithing as a money-saving hobby, but rather a way to be crafty and creative.
It’s not as cheap as wood carving or painting, but it can definitely provide you with lifelong skills and tools to use later on down the road.
Conclusion
Blacksmithing is a great hobby for everyone. As long as you have a separate area for your hobby, you can purchase the equipment and get started.
Set aside a budget, find out what you want to craft, and start purchasing the items from the list.
Here’s a quick rundown of what you should’ve learned from this post:
- Blacksmithing costs between $2,000 to $5,000 to start.
- It’s a great hobby, but it can be a bit pricey.
- You need an anvil, hammers, a forge, tongs, vices, safety gear, and the right clothing before you begin.
- You will need a used metal or new steel.
- Blacksmithing allows you to craft everything from kitchen spoons to swords and tools. Read more here for a complete list of what blacksmiths can make from iron.
I hope, this article has been of help to you. Thanks for reading, and have fun with your anvil and hammer!
Cheers tools owners!
