Years of Collecting | The Tools of the Trade | Forum

Welcome, saradanyal.  This can be an expensive (depending on your definition) hobby/profession to get into.  One of the nice things about this craft is that once you have the basics, you can make most of your own tools.  All you really need is a forge, a hammer, some steel, a pair of tongs to hold onto the hot steel, and an anvil (or ASO- anvil shaped object) to strike against.  All other tools just make things easier.  

It also depends on what you want to do.  Probably the cheapest way to get into it is to contact a local smith and volunteer to help them, kinda like the apprentices of old.   But with the current pandemic, and people not wanting to risk their health through close contact with strangers, this may be harder than it used to be a year ago.

Good places to look for inexpensive tools are re-sale stores and garage sales.  Especially if you are willing to think outside the box and not worry about having 'proper' tools.  Remember, with heat, you will be able to modify steels into what you need.  

Where are you located?  Joining you local blacksmithing group will be some of the best money you can spend when getting into this craft.  If you're in the PNW, I'd normally recommend stopping by our annual swap meet (Swaptoberfest) but with the pandemic, that's probably not happening until there's an effective vaccine. 

Good luck, and don't hesitate to reach out with any more questions.