Two other sites to look at would be anvilfire and Iforgeiron.com.IFI will keep you busy for a while I`m sure as it`s worldwide and includes female smiths from the UK(Beth) and Scotland(Colleen) as well as tons of archived info.
The 2 sites I mentioned are more nuts and bolts/tooling oriented.
If you find you like the sheet metal/ body work side of things then AllMetalShaping is a good site for aspiring tin knockers.
Artmetal is where I come to get my art/creativity fix though,
that and to pick Rich`s and everybody else`s brain for all sorts of useful info and techniques.
The pics posted here are just incredible and inspiring too.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice there is.

First- you wanna join the
LOUISIANA METALSMITHS ASSOCIATION

Pres: Jerry Baker
341 Quenns Row, Lot 130
Lafayette, LA 70508
337-232-7958
Jbaker5175@bellsouth.net

Web Editor: David Mudge
15227 Mansfield Rd
Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 735-0049
dave@magichammer.net
http://lametalsmiths.org/news/

Print Editor: Bill Alexander
41429 W. I-55 Service Rd.
Hammond, LA 70403
985-351-5013
alexander_bill@bellsouth.net

http://lametalsmiths.org

There is nothing so helpful as meeting other blacksmiths, seeing their shops, and watching people work.

As mentioned, Anvilfire and Iforgeiron are great resources.

You just missed the ABANA conference, which was at the beginning of June in Memphis- next one is 2 years from now, probably in South Dakota, and well worth attending.

I am sure I met a girl blacksmith from New Orleans a while ago at the metal museum in Memphis- but I cant remember her name- but from her, I got the impression that there are at least a few working blacksmiths in NO these days.
Ah- I found her- Rachel David.
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/07/lessons_in_steel_blacksmith_ar_1.html

heres her blog.
http://redmetalnola.blogspot.com/

call her up, go meet her, and I am sure she can help hook you up with other blacksmiths, tools, classes, and whatever is going on.

Blacksmiths are like cockroaches- they are everywhere, but when you turn on the lights, they scatter. There is a blacksmith underground in every part of the world, from NYC to Patagonia, and sometimes it takes a bit of digging to find em, but once you do, they are almost universally friendly, sharing, great people, who trade ideas, tools, knowledge and tips without any nasty attitude like in some crafts.

One more thing- I wouldnt get hung up on "decarbonizing".
Its an archaic term that had some relevance around the 1890's, maybe, because of the type of material mills were making. But ALL steel has to have carbon- otherwise, it would not be steel.

The Bealer book is more of an oral history than a real textbook- there have been numerous examples of things in it that are obsolete, exaggerations, or outright tall tales to begin with. Even the parts that are true are not always the best way to do things nowadays, with modern alloys and tools.

Lorelei's book (the backyard blacksmith) is a much better how to book, and another one you might want to find is the New Edge of The Anvil, by Jack Andrews.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Edge-Anvil-Resource-Blacksmith/dp/1879535092

Maggie,

Ries, (who is a terrific blacksmith, by the way), just gave you what yo need to know. I posted much the same info on your other post, too. I should add one caution to what Ries and I recommended about hooking up with the LA Metalsmiths: this stuff is addictive! After you have attended just one of the LAMA meetings you're gonna be solidly hooked on this stuff and, if you think you're obsessed with it now, just wait.

A good friend of mine teaches hammer-making classes to the LAMA group every year and he tells me that those guys are as friendly a group as you'll ever meet anywhere, and he travels the whole country selling hammers and doing classes so he would know. When yo go to their meeting, wear clothes that are 100% cotton (no fire danger), be sure to have some safety glasses with you, ear plugs wouldn't be bad idea either, and closed-toe footwear - no sandals. That way, you'll be prepared to step right up and get your hands dirty working at the anvil and forge. Those guys will have you forging in minutes if you ask them, I can almost guarantee.

As Ries said, blacksmiths tend to be under the radar - until you meet them. Then they turn out to be almost universally helpful, friendly, encouraging and wildly enthusiastic. I have never met one who wasn't willing to answer questions, teach, share or help out.

If you enjoy traveling, there is an annual conference held on the last weekend of September in Troy, Ohio. I would rate it on a par with the ABANA conferences, only much less expensive and better tailgate sales. I attend it every year, barring a hurricane that precludes me traveling off-island.

It is put on by the Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil group and is well worth attending if you can. There's camping and/or RV hookups on site, showers, food vendors, tool vendors, tailgate sellers by the hundreds, excellent demonstrators, and continuous "green coal" classes for beginners. IN the evenings there are informal demos, more teaching, campfire gatherings and general camaraderie. I can't imagine a better way to spend a long weekend. Find out more about SOFA's great conference here: QUADSTATE ROUNDUP.  Note: this year one of the demonstrations will be on casting  - you'd probably enjoy that, and it would give your husband a good reason to attend with you, too.  Something to think about, anyway.

Of course, if you ever find yourself in the Virgin Islands, be sure to look me up.  I'll be happy to spend time in the shop with you and teach you whatever I can.

Once again, welcome to ArtMetal!  I think you're gonna like it here.

Rich Waugh

ArtMetal Moderator

Maggie,

Sorry I missed your question about "decarbonizing" steel. The proper term is decarburizing, I believe, and is accomplished by burning out the carbon. Ti scan be done by heating the steel to a high temperature in the presence of oxygen and the carbon will combine with the oxygen to form CO and/or CO2 which pass off as gases. In the steel making process years ago, oxygen was injected into molten pig iron to burn off sufficient carbon to arrive at steel with a desired carbon content. These days the melt chemistries are controlled more by what goes into the melt.

When forging steel the outer surface is unavoidably decarburized to some extent during the heating. When making knives, for instance, the forging is done slightly oversize to allow for grinding away the decarburized layer to end up with a high-carbon edge. Also, steel can have carbon added to it, at least in the outer few thousandths of an inch, by cooking it in the presence of carbonaceous materials for sufficient time that the carbon migrates into the steel. For years the favorite materials for adding carbon were leather scraps and blood and bone meal. Look up "case hardening" for more information.

Rich

Brian Brazeal is somewhere in Louisiana quite often and he is a great one to learn from. He travels and teaches a lot but seems to be making the MS area his home ground lately. If you find him he will teach you plenty! here is a URL to his My Space page and just the photos on it are quite an education.
http://www.myspace.com/brazealbrothers