Hey Ozzie, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great info here.
If you are interested in meeting others with a similar interest and get some hands-on experience you should consider attending a metalshaping meet. They are hosted at various member's shops around the country.
You list your location as "Great Lakes" which is a bit vague, but two meets are coming up that might be of interest.
Mike Motage and Craig Peterson host a meet at Dagger Tools in Wixom, MI (Detroit Area) and I am hosting one at my shop in Cumberland, WI (Western WI about equidistant from Minneapolis and Duluth.)
Here are links to more info:
http://www.allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=16138
http://www.allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=16900
I still have a few spots available in my meet, I'm not sure what availability is in Wixom.
These are pretty inexpensive and a great opportunity to meet others and try out equipment that you may not have.