1. Take time for yourself.  It’s so easy for the mundane obligations of life to eat up all your spare time. It’s important to make time for the things that add value to your life. And blacksmithing is DEFINITELY one of those things that can add value to your life, both in terms of the learning process itself and in terms of the things you can make!
2. Get off your couch (or out of bed).  Couches and beds are really lovely places to be! They’re typically safe and comfortable. A blacksmithing shop is usually a lot less safe and comfortable! BUT, having a change of scene can be really helpful in changing your mental state. AND, it gives you something to look forward to!
3. Get off your phone.  Fire and hammers aren’t compatible with phones. It’s a heck of a lot easier to set your phone down when there’s some glowing hot metal to play with. And there’s some reason to believe that phone addictions aren’t great for our mental health. So take a break from the addiction by offering yourself something FAR more exciting.
4. Mindfulness. Blacksmithing requires focus and concentration, which can help clear your mind of distractions and worries, providing a meditative experience.When you're at the forge, all your attention is on shaping the metal. The heat, the sound of the hammer hitting the anvil, the feel of the metal under your hands—it all pulls you into the present moment, giving your mind a break from racing thoughts and stress.
5. Sense of accomplishment. Completing a project in blacksmithing can give you a sense of achievement and pride. There's something incredibly satisfying about taking a piece of metal and turning it into something useful or beautiful with your own hands. 
6. Become a super nerd about blacksmithing stuff! Blacksmithing is SUCH a deep craft. There’s so many different aspects to nerd out about. And nearly every one of those aspects has an entire community of people who are interested in the exact same stuff you’re interested in. It’s pretty incredible. Humans are amazing. 
7. Sense of permanence or making a mark on the world. Before I took up metal-working, my work was mostly digital, and therefore able to be modified, instantaneously copied, or deleted. Being able to take a piece of metal and permanently alter its shape was incredibly powerful for me. It made me feel like what I did mattered. 
8. Physical activity. Blacksmithing involves physical movement and can provide a good workout, releasing endorphins and reducing stress. Hammering, lifting, and shaping metal require strength and coordination, giving you a full-body workout without feeling like exercise. 
9. Creative outlet. Make the stuff you want to make! It feels incredibly empowering to be able to make exactly what you want to make. You have the freedom to experiment with different techniques and styles, channeling your emotions and experiences into your work.
10. Reconnecting to something older. There's something primal about working with fire and metal. Many of the tools we use would be recognizable to our ancient ancestors. The history buffs will enjoy recreating historical artifacts and get a deeper understanding of what life must have been like. 
11. Community support. Joining a blacksmithing community or taking classes can provide social interaction and a sense of belonging, reducing feelings of isolation. Blacksmithing is often a communal activity, with smiths sharing tips, techniques, and even working on projects together. Whether you're attending a class or joining a local blacksmithing guild, being part of a community of like-minded individuals can be incredibly uplifting and supportive. It can also be easier to see how you can support your community with your blacksmithing skills. I will often repair tools or donate art to good causes. 
12. Curiosity. One of the reliable ways we can bail ourselves out of painful thought loops is to cultivate a sense of curiosity. And there’s LOADS to be curious about in blacksmithing. 
13. Learning how to handle mistakes. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process. Having a hobby like blacksmithing allows us to make mistakes and practice responding to those mistakes with interest, amusement, and humor. It allows us to practice detachment and enjoy the process. This can be incredibly helpful practice that can make our non-blacksmithing life much easier. 
14. SMALL TALK BECOMES EASIER. When your mental health is a bit shaky, it can be difficult to have even the most mundane conversations, even with people who love you. Questions like, “What have you been up to lately?” seem like landmines when the answer is “I’ve been rotting on the couch and scrolling social media, how about you?” Having an interesting hobby makes it far easier to have those conversations. 
15. Gift-giving becomes easier.  There’s so many situations in which it’s nice to have a gift to give someone, and it can be stressful to think of an appropriate gift for every situation. Many of the early projects that blacksmiths make while they’re developing their skills make great gifts for people; thoughtful, useful, handmade, high quality. 
16. You slowly become a lot more handy.  As you start to gain familiarity with the basic tools of blacksmithing, you’ll start to pick up the basics of other metal-working tools. As you get a sense for how the metal works, you’ll start learning how to do minor repairs or take existing stuff and repurpose it. After all, how hard can it be? Other people do this! 
17. Spending quality time with people becomes easier. When I was first getting into blacksmithing, I also happened to be dating. I brought my dates out to the forge with me and taught them the basics of blacksmithing. I learned a LOT about them in a very short time, and had good company while I was learning myself. This also works well for hanging out with family members, friends, co-workers. Doing a craft together allows people the opportunity to be together and chat without feeling like conversation is forced.
18. You suddenly have reasons to travel. Not only are there classes all over the world to attend, there are also incredible works of art to see, and tour groups that are catering to blacksmiths. And you can go to these incredible places and share your knowledge with other blacksmiths.  You can also travel around, selling your work!
19. Invest in yourself. Whether you take a class or just start smithing in your back yard, getting into blacksmithing usually involves some investment of time and/or  money. Doing it on a budget generally requires a lot more time, and vice versa, so you can choose how you’d like to invest in yourself. But either way, it’s important to invest in yourself, and just knowing that you’re investing in yourself can be an important signal to yourself that you value yourself. And that’s important. 
20. Radical life change. I have seen SO many people take a blacksmithing class and radically change their lives. I did it myself. There are certainly challenges on any life path that you travel, but if you find a path that allows you to actively support your mental health, it can be much easier to handle the challenges that DO come up. 

Martha Bird demonstrates use of a rapping iron on her hand-crafted basket arts.

(This story is, uh, FIVE YEARS overdue! I have so many things to share with you, but, uh, things have been very busy!)

I ran into Martha Bird in late 2017 at the John C Campbell Folk School. She is an absolutely INCREDIBLE artist, specializing in both traditional and sculptural baskets. Check out her work here!

She'd recently learned a technique in (I believe it was) Ireland that helped keep the weave extra tight and even using a tool called a "rapping iron". This tool allows the basket weaver to gently "rap" the fibers to push them down and keep them in place. When she asked her teacher where she could find a "rapping iron", they told her to "get one from her blacksmith!"

Martha told me merrily that she supposed it was a normal thing in some parts of the world to have a blacksmith to go to for custom tools, but that certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting! 

I happened to have a bit of extra time (ah, that was a long time ago!) and I made a rapping iron to her specifications. 

This piece was made from stock that was 3/8" x 1.5" x ~9.5". 

The process is very similar to making a bottle opener: slit and drift a hole for the handle, neck in slightly behind the hole, offset the hole a bit. 

You can see other rapping iron designs here. 

The finished "rapping iron".