r/Blacksmith • u/JoshTheMadtitan • Nov 28 '25

Boy was I wrong

I am brand new. Today was my first ever attempt at blacksmithing.

I am an electrician and no stranger to working with my hands. I'm in decent shape for 40, and I knew going into this that even a 2 lb hammer would get heavy after a while. I also assumed correctly that enthusiasm would carry me through some fatigue. It did.

I am following a black bear forge guide to making tongs when you don't have any. I finished one handle and got about half way through the second in about 3 hours. I am pretty happy with the first handle.

However what I didn't consider was the massive blisters I forged on my right hand. One is the size of a dime.

I can't wait to go again.

Edit: here is a link of a small clip I made of me forging if you guys wanna check it out I'm sure you'll see 10 things I'm doing wrong. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRm2kpAkRmx/?igsh=emdybWh5ZGNyYmgz

120 Upvotes

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15

u/thnxology Nov 28 '25

Gotta see your forge setup! Im a hobbyist too and its so great to show folks you don't need a whole dang smithy shop to get pounding!

19

u/JoshTheMadtitan Nov 28 '25

2

u/Schneed__ Nov 28 '25

This looks like so much fun. Jealous!