Blacksmithing In my defense I was left unsupervised, so I built a box that's capable of reaching 3000 degrees. Blacksmithing is an art that has been around since 1000 B.C. and techniques and skills have been passed on and perfected throughout the centuries. I’ve been a blacksmith since for roughly two and one half years. To me, there is no such thing as scrap steel. There is no other feeling that can compare to the one you get when you manipulate 2000 degree steel using blows from a four pound sledge hammer. Blacksmiths have this power where they can turn a lump of steel into a beautiful masterpiece that would impress Vincent Van Gogh. Being a blacksmith is a dying art and picking it up and starting a business as a 14-16 year old is unheard …show more content…
After nonstop pleading with my parents I finally got the approval to build a forge. For those who don't know what a forge is it is a pan or box that is heated with either propane or coal. My forge was fashioned from an old webster grill a piece of raingutter a shop vac and a touch of duct tape. To get used to using the forge and hammering, I started out with six inch by one half inch bolts, I flattened and twisted the bolts. I soon realized that I had lot more to learn and that I had barely scratched the surface of blacksmithing. I went back to youtube watching hours of blacksmithing how-to and tutorial videos. I figured out what I was going to make, a tomahawk. After sketching out the desired shape and choosing my steel, a one-quarter thick by eight inch long bar of high chromium steel with 1.89 percent carbon. Using my old skateboard, I wheeled the anvil down to the designated area of forging, set up by my parents so I wouldn't burn down the house. The rigorous process of setting everything up took roughly one and a half hours. As I lifted the bag of charcoal, the scent of burnt wood stung my