Jump to content
I Forge Iron

DesertDisciple

Members
  • Posts

    31
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://thewayandthewayfaring.com

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    California
  • Interests
    Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing, Toolmaking, Woodworking, Gunsmithing, Locksmithing.... 'smithing. :)

Recent Profile Visitors

1,446 profile views
  1. Thanks all for your kindness. It's been a while since last reply, but little Adelaide is here as of the 26th. :D Thought I'd update you all. Believe me Thomas, she will be raised with a hammer. lol. I found a little 2oz ball peen hammer that I'd like to re-handle and engrave with her initials. Luckily mom is on board! Hope to be smithing soon. Possible trading a recurve bow for an oxy/gas kit so I'll finally be able to put together a forge. Best Regards, Andrew
  2. And Frosty, thank you too for your well wishes. It means a lot that you guys would take time out of your day.
  3. Mr Powers, I greatly appreciate your wisdom. My wife is very ambitious, with lots of interests (like me!) and one of my goals in life is to be able to give her the time to pursue those interests. I'm blessed to have her and her support in my eclectic hobbies. We hope to raise our children to do the same, and it means a lot that you take time out of your day and help us pursue that. I am deeply in thanks for you words. Can't wait till I'm waiting on grandchildren! And Chinobi, I'm glad to hear it was a good time. Hope to be there next year!
  4. Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've responded. I've been quite busy the last few months and haven't even logged into the forum. I'v recently moved further into the middle of nowhere and have a new baby girl that could be born anytime. life is good, but hectic. Still haven't got a forge together but I dearly wish to soon. Chinobi, unfortunately I did not make it this year. It simply wasn't in the budget, though I was very sorry not to go. How was it? And Grey, I'm glad to not be alone in the green department. I actually ended up finding my anvil down in Escondido, so I know it's not too bad a drive. What do you hope to achieve with blacksmithing?
  5. Thanks to everyone for the historical tid-bits. This thing means even more to me now that it's somewhat rare. And an antique at that! Can't wait to get forging! Just need to get a few more things and I'll be hammering away. Would it be safe to say that tongs would be a good first project?
  6. Hey all, I finally found my first anvil! I wanted to share my new toy with all of you (visually B) ) and give you some before and after pics. It's a Mousehole, marked at 125# (1-0-13) but my bathroom scale measured a bit over 119#. I got it for $150 via C-list. Based on the ABANA forum it's from the early to mid 1800's. You can just barely read: "..........AGE ....USE HOLE" My wife and I have had many laughs over the implications of an 'age use hole.' Anyway, this is what it looked like when I bought it. As you can see, it was pretty ugly. It had about 5 different shades of spray paint on it, black, orange, silver... yuck. There was also some thick stuff glooped on the the horn which seemed impenetrable. You could barely see 'HOLE' through the orange. I had a National Guard drill this weekend, so I used the anvil as an excuse to buy an inexpensive battery charger and set up a simple electrolytic rust removal station If I'd had more time I would have found more materials and made a better setup, but this worked quite well. It zapped for 2 days and after a rinse and a scrub: I gave it a good massage with a generous helping of linseed oil, and it stands ready to be used. It has a slight sway back, but I've read from a lot of you that a sway can be beneficial, so I will leave it alone. Aside from that, the only real flaws are a very slight mushrooming on the edges and a good size chip on the step behind the horn. There's also no pritchel hole, but I'm assuming I can improvise something for punches. A friend of mine is going to give me a stump that I will set it into. I need to come up with a small forge set-up, so if anyone has ideas, feel free to shoot. Here's more pics!
  7. LOL! Can't believe I didn't think of that. You know I hadn't occurred to me that mauls had round eyeholes. Hatchet it is then.
  8. I found this in my moms garage. It was badly rusted so I soaked in vinegar for about a week. I had the intention of resetting the bevel and using it as a hatchet, but I notice the eye is shaped for a hammer handle and the hammer face is flat like a forging hammer. I wonder if it could be better used as a hot cutting tool? here's more pics. Let me know what you think. Not sure what type of steel it is.
  9. Thanks Frosty. @Mudman - I like going down to that area every now and again. I'll let you know if I'm ever in the area. Do you have a shop setup?
  10. brianc, I saw their website. What is strange is that the anvil reads 'Vancouver, WN' which makes no sense unless that was an archaic mailing abbreviation for Washington. I don't think I'll end up taking it either way. Seems like a cast ASO rather than something worth sweating about.
  11. Frosty - Thanks much for the advice. I'll be very honest, I'm generally shy with making phone calls so this isn't my first instinct. I will definitely take the advice though, as I've found this week that people are generally very willing to take a break and talk on the phone for a bit. I'll let you all know what I find out. @John - I suspect the same. I'm definitely going for the PW if possible, and I'm hoping it's in as good condition as the guys says. Thanks again!
  12. To all, Thank you for the warm welcome and the tips. I'll be sure to join CBA when funds allow. I hope to be at the conference in Vista, though it sure is pricey! I looked at the entry cost and may have some trouble convincing wifey. :) I also plan on taking the intro class at Adam's forge to get my feet wet. And, for what it matters, I hope I didn't come off as lazy when I professed myself a dreamer. Part of the allure of this craft for me is the sweat, burns, blood and practice it will take to be great at it. Thank you all for the wisdom, and don't worry about the heat. I absolutely love heat, especially the dry kind and I hydrate very well. I'm was born and raised a desert rat, though I can't brag when comparing any of you folks out in Arizona or the like. Great hearing from you! Keep the tips coming! Best regards, Andrew
  13. Hello again folks, I've got a seller with an anvil, the markings read "Van 1&S FNDRY CO, Vancouver WN" I have never heard of an anvil from this company and I've done a few searches on this site, and using Google as well. I'm guessing that 'FNDRY' means 'Foundry', so I'm assuming it was a steel corporation that made a variety of tools. I can't find anything about any company with that name though. Does anyone know any history on these anvils or this company? It's a 70 lb anvil with a little surface rust and one noticeable chip, but he's only asking $125 for it, which I think is very fair. I'm looking for a first anvil, and it's between this one and a 140lb Peter Wright in good condition for $300. Obviously the PW is a better anvil (though I can't be sure, having never heard of the first one) but I won't overlook a lighter, less expensive anvil, especially if it is of historical significance or well built. Here's a picture if it helps. Sorry if it's huge, and any info helps. Thanks gang!
×
×
  • Create New...